Christian hope - what is it?

It was Robert Louis Stevenson who said: ‘To travel hopefully is a better thing than

to arrive’, by which I think he meant that the working towards a goal can be more

fulfilling than the actual attaining of that goal. Or taking it at a lighter level, a

child’s hope and anticipation of Christmas can be more exciting than Christmas

Day itself.

Hope is an essential part of Christianity; hope, that is, in the sense of anticipation

and expectation rather than mere wishful thinking.

So what is this Christian hope? The New Testament author, Paul, writing to fellow

Christian believers said, ‘I consider that our present sufferings are not worth

comparing with the glory to come.’ And he knew about sufferings first-hand. What

is this ‘glory to come’, the goal of Christian hope?

Before attempting to answer, I must first digress. I’m of an age where I know of

many people who are really struggling with disease, failing body parts and minds

that no longer function properly. Increasingly, I hear announcements that so-and-

so has died. Such things are not restricted to the older generation either, my

daughter’s close friend Amy has just died of cancer leaving a husband and six-

year-old daughter. Amy was just 35.

So, what of that ‘glory to come’, the goal of Christian hope? Well, how do we

describe Heaven? We can’t. But here’s part of what has been revealed by God in

the Bible. No longer frustrated by our human frailties of this present life, we’ll be

completely free to enjoy the purpose and fulfilment that God has for those who

love him. All evils will have been banished, justice will have been enacted and

death will be no more.

This is Christian hope and as such is only for Christian people, but it can be yours

also. However, Christian faith must preceed Christian hope. Faith in Jesus,

means trusting him when he claims to be all that we need for this life and the life

to come

Amy (mentioned above) died with Christian hope, which she freely spoke about

with others right up to the end. Amy was a Bible reader and so would have known

this verse: ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God

has prepared for those who love him...’

Easter helps explain Christmas

It’s Christmastime but I want to start by speaking about Easter, which concerns

the judicial murder of Jesus the teacher, prophet and miracle worker. He was put

to death on a Roman cross. Who was he? He was a human being like you and

me and yet there’s more... He said that he had come down from God and would

return to him. When credible reports that he had been resurrected from the dead

began to circulate, there was much consternation amongst those who had

contrived to be rid of him. Conversely, such a wonderful event certainly validated

what Jesus had said about himself and brought much joy to those who had

trusted in him.

What was the point of the death and resurrection of Jesus? The Christmas story

helps us a good deal here.

A devout man named Joseph was pledged to marry a virgin named Mary. He was

informed by a heavenly messenger that she was to bear a son as a result of a

miraculous conception. Joseph was told that the infant was to be given the name

Jesus because he would save his people from their sins (the name Jesus means

‘God saves’). We read about this in Matthew’s gospel where we also read that the

child would be referred to as Emmanuel, which means ‘God with us’. On the night

of the birth of this baby, rejoicing angelic messengers appeared to shepherds

outside Bethlehem confirming the unique things spoken earlier to Joseph.

Luke’s gospel records much about Mary’s own revelations of what was to take

place in the coming months and years. The gospel of John expands this more

when he identifies Jesus as the Son of God who predated time but latterly had

clothed himself as a human just as we are.

The man Jesus never erred in thought, word or deed. He was a person of

excellence and yet he was killed by people who recoiled from his light - this

because it showed up the darkness of their own self-centredness. We naturally do

the same and the Bible calls this sin.

Jesus’ coming (which we call Christmas) and his death and resurrection (which

we call Easter) bring forgiveness of sins and a radical change of heart for all who

will humbly believe. This is how we can be reconciled to God and this is the ‘glad

tidings’ that we sing about each Christmas.

Blind people

When it comes to accessing published material, blind people have never had it so good - I know: I’m blind. This is especially so for those who are tech-savvy but even those of us who are less digitally tuned-in are better catered for than in earlier decades. When putting out written information, many organisations and publishers offer a choice of ‘accessible formats’ to meet the individual’s need. These are braille, large print and audio.

When we stop to consider, we all know that good visual perception is a wonderful thing and ought to be treasured whilst we have it. Picking up on this, Jesus applies it to our inner (spiritual) lives, by warning that there are none as blind as those who think they can see when in fact they can’t! He says that, by nature, men and women are born spiritually blind, unable to see the true God. As with physically blind people, the term ‘blind’ doesn’t necessarily mean no sight whatsoever, but severely incomplete, distorted or very inadequate vision.

When it comes to seeing God, people look for ‘accessible formats’. These may include seeing God in creation, in religion, in a specific denomination or in a particular teaching.

I have no doubt that creation portrays the wisdom and power of God, and that a few religions show something of the holiness or ‘otherness’ of God. Denominations and specific teachings can emphasise a particular aspect about God which can be helpful (though there is the danger of developing tunnel vision here). However, none of these ‘accessible formats’ are adequate in themselves for us to see the true God as he desires us to see him. So God sent Jesus to introduce us to himself.

Jesus Christ stands at the centre of history and declares himself to be our sole access to the true God. “I am the gate; the way; the truth. I and the Father are one. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus was not a syncretist; he did not teach that alternative religions were simply complementary ways of meeting God. He said that concerning God there is for us only one ‘accessible format’ and that he is it. This is the challenge that Jesus faces us with: to believe him or not.