Book: Surprised By Hope / N.T. Wright

Many of you have asked that this year I share more insight into some of things I am reading. I am currently close to finishing this book and I have been very pleased with it. I would highly suggest it, because I believe it deals with the core of what we believe and how that effects our way of living. In reading today I came across this portion and thought I would share it with you;

“The point of this final section of the book is that a proper grasp of the future hope held out to us in Jesus Christ leads directly and, to many people, equally surprisingly, to a vision of the present hope that is the basis of all Christian mission. To hope for a better future in this world – for the poor, the sick, the lonely and depressed, for the slaves, the refugees, the hungry and homeless, for the abused, the paranoid, the downtrodden and despairing, and in fact for the whole wide, wonderful, and wounded world – is not something else, something extra, something tacked on to the gospel as an afterthought. And to work for that intermediate hope, the surprising hope that comes forward from God’s ultimate future into God’s urgent present, is not a distraction from the task of mission and evangelism in the present. It is a central, essential,vital, and life-giving part of it. Mostly, Jesus himself got a hearing from his contemporaries because of what he was doing. They saw him saving people from sickness and death, and they heard him talking about a salvation, the message for which they had longed, that would go beyond the immediate into the ultimate future. But the two were not unrelated, the present one a mere visual aid of the future one. The whole point of what Jesus was up to was that he was doing, close up, in the present, what he was promising long-term, in the future. And what he was promising for the future, and doing in that present, was not saving souls for a disembodied eternity but rescuing people from the corruption and decay of the way the world presently is so they could enjoy, already in the present, that renewal of creation which is God’s ultimate purpose – and so they could thus become colleagues and partners in that larger project.” (page 192)

Obama, the Mall & Church?

Last Tuesday January 20th, America and the world stopped to see history take place. The United States swore in the first black President in our Nations history. I gathered like many others to observe this moment and sat in front of my TV with anticipation. As I turned on my television I was amazed and couldn’t help but focus on one thing… people. I watched all morning long as different news stations interviewed them. People who had camped out, people who showed up at 2:00 in the morning, people who flew from all over the country. There were all sorts of people who were layered in clothing because of the temperature outside. They had hand warmers and feet warmers,they were dancing and even snuggling up to TOTAL STRANGERS just to keep warm. In such cold weather there were people everywhere, all ages, all sizes, and all colors. Now, we ‘re not just talking about a few people… one report said;

“More than 1 million people crammed onto the National Mall and along the inauguration parade route Tuesday to celebrate the swearing-in of the nation’s first black president in what was one of the largest-ever gatherings in the nation’s capital… On the National Mall, the crowd stretched nearly two miles — from the Capitol to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial…”- (NBC News and news services updated 10:46 p.m. ET, Tues., Jan. 20, 2009)

Television stations even showed video of other countries gathered around televisions and projection screens as they joined with others to observe this moment. It was as if most the world had paused to listen and wait. But wait for what? Most were waiting for one man to step before them and proclaim a message of hope. Was he going to give them hope? See, that’s what grabbed me! This post isn’t about politics and not really what our new President said or has been saying. This post is more about the people. People who gathered through frigid weather, for countless hours to hear someone talk about “change”. Change that they would interpret to be the hope they needed to survive in what some are describing as “desperate times.”

As I sat and watched all the people who gathered around the National Mall, I was taken back at the picture portrayed by how much people will persevere to hear of hope. Distance, weather, packed parking lots, traffic, even close quarters with total strangers. So why doesn’t this happen in the one place they can find true hope… the Church? Why is it that people won’t persevere through these types of things to be in Church? (Disclaimer: Church is not merely a building, because people are the church, but in this post we are talking about gathering together as a body) Think about it; every Sunday we give excuses as to why people won’t come to church… “it’s raining”, “the leafs changed color this weekend”, “its a beautiful day to be on the lake”, “hunting season”, “the big game”, “parking lot was too full”, and on and on the list goes. We often find ourselves giving excuses for people as to why people can’t or would not attend Church. But they do it! They do it in moments like we saw on Tuesday. Why? Because it oozes with passion. You may not like our President, but he surely articulates with passion. Passion is what makes people persevere because if the “messenger” believes it, then it funnels into the audience. Does it sound like passion, when we are quick to excuse?

Think about the many things people persevere for stuff they are passionate about. They do it for a Friday night football game or Saturday baseball tournament. They do it for their favorite concert and movie. Cold weather… no problem. Rain… no problem. Walk a few blocks to the ball field… no problem. Cheer, hug, and hi five total strangers… no problem.

Do you see what I am getting at? On Tuesday I realized, people will persevere any obstacle if they truly believe they what is taking place will “change” them. A moment that will force them to walk away and never forget what just took place. Millions of people were brought together by a “message” of change. A man was passionate about the “change” he had to offer. We can blame the media or whom ever, but the truth is that for a moment people thought they were going find the hope that deep down inside their soul craved for. Did they find the True Hope? No, but maybe that’s where the Church should start? Instead of giving excuses for why people won’t get out of bed and go to Church, maybe we should see first if our message of hope actually has a passion that makes others want to follow. Do others feel and realize that we as the “messengers” truly believe in the hope we are offering? If it’s not then it only feels like another Sunday program. Who would want to come to that?

Wayne Coderio once said; “if you bake fresh bread, they will come from miles to eat it”.

Agree with it or not, isn’t that at least the campaign that was told to them during this political season? “A ‘fresh’change is coming”. So what about the Church? Are we making “fresh bread” that oozes with “change”/hope, or are we simply willing to except the excuses?

I heard stories of Billy Graham preaching in places that looked much like the National Mall did last week. Maybe, just maybe because his passion was a clear picture of his hope, and that made people come from all over to hear it.

Things to think on today:

These are just two good things to think about today:

1. What are we really doing? (Here)

2. Hope and Pain (Here)