January 1, 2006
Luke 2:22-40

False Hopes & Good Advice

January 1st of a New Year. A day traditionally filled with thoughts
and words of hope and possibility. What are you hoping for this new
year? What are your personal goals, dreams, resolutions, if you will?
What do you hope for your family and friends? What do you hope for
your community and our church? What do you hope for our world in the
coming year?

Hope is a critical aspect of the human experience and it sets us apart
from most all other species. Hope allows us to chart incredible
journeys through time and space, engage in amazing acts of love and
grace, and create beauty. Hope enables the human race to not only
continue to exist, but to thrive!

I usually ignore signs in front of churches and the all-too-often
mindless sayings that are placed on them. This week, I did read one
and it actually made me a bit angry. It said something to the effect:
"May your troubles last only as long as your New Years Resolutions."
Thanks! As if I didn't need more help having my hopes and dreams
dashed by society, here's a church taking pot shots at my ambitions.

The dual stories of Simeon and Anna in Luke's gospel give us a very
different message. They are back to back images of hopes long held and
ultimately fulfilled. Now, we don't know exactly how old either of
these people were, but we assume quite old. Anna is said to have been
"of a great age." Each one of these two, devout people had a deep and
abiding hope that they felt they could not die in peace without
fulfilling. Life-long "resolutions," as it were. Anna and Simeon
wanted to see the face of salvation for their people before they saw
the face of God.

Our hopes and dreams are not always so lofty. Not embarrassing
ourselves in gym class. Making it to graduation with at least a passing
grade. Getting through a month with a little extra cash at the end.
Finding a job that fulfills both the spirit and the pocketbook. Not
having to go to the hospital as many times as last year. Yes, seeing
the face of our Savior would be nice, but so would a few less pounds or
a more stable relationship!

It is important to note that these two stories come in Luke at the
beginning of The Story as a way for us to be reminded to hold fast to
hope. One surely needs such persistence when it comes to comprehending
the whole of Jesus' life story and purpose. I was reading an article
on hope in a magazine by that very name about a man who teaches in a
maximum security prison. Normally, his students are eager to write for
his assignments. One he asked his students to write about hope, and to
his amazement most refused to do so. Even the student who was the most
fruitful writer wrote only one sentence: "Hope is the delusion that
something good will happen in the future." Well, hello Mr. Despair!
Can't blame him though. Our prison system is not the best place for
transformation nor the hope that is necessary for renewal to happen.

However old Simeon and Anna were, and we're assured they were quite
old, they had held fast to hope come what may. Neither had much access
to wealth or to power, so they did not even have the creature comforts
that soften the blows for many of us when hopes are dashed. Yet, they
still kept on hoping.

The same author that teaches in prison reminds us that one of the best
ways to keep hope alive is to let go of false hope. To evaluate our
dreams, to mull over the strength of our resolve for our resolutions,
to put hope into perspective is a very different thing from tearing
down our vision of the future. Letting go of some dreams allows others
to flourish. True, sustainable hope, like that of Anna and Simeon,
will withstand the scrutiny of frequent appraisal and the test of time.
Eliminating false hope is as faithful an act of holding onto very real
hopes.

A key "false hope" in my experience is the belief that God has a very
specific and unalterable path for each one of us to lead. I do believe
fervently that God has a plan for our lives, but it's much broader and
inclusive than most folks who use such language mean. God has a plan
for us to flourish in our own unique way, to live life abundantly in
all circumstances, to use what gifts and graces we have as best as we
are able, and to always give God the praise for each breath we take.

Do I believe God intends for me to be the Senior Pastor of National
City Christian Church in Washington, D.C.? I doubt it. God is working
within each one of us constantly opening up doors as others close, and
inviting us to new places not possible before. But there is no set
path. Adam and Eve's story made that point eternally clear. One false
hope I must abandon is that no matter what I do, God will guide me to
my ultimately end. No - it's a partnership, and I must do my part.
That brings me honest hope that will survive all the troubles of any
year.

Perhaps that church sign might have been more helpful if it read: "May
your resolutions be honest and your troubles be few." Now that's good
advice!



Rev. Allen V. Harris
Franklin Circle Christian Church
www.FranklinCircleChurch.org


 

Copyright 2006 -- The Rev. Allen V. Harris

Franklin Circle Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

1688 Fulton Rd., Cleveland, OH 44113-3096