PREACHER’S NOTE 11 July 2021
Hope for Today
In a beautiful little poem, Emily Dickinson pictures
hope as a little bird perched in our souls. It sings a
tune without words, a tune that is sweetest in the
gales of life, a tune that never stops, but keeps us
warm in all circumstances. Perhaps you need this
picture, today, as you go through some tough
things. Perhaps those things have hung around so
long that it seems like they’ll be here forever. Please
know this is not so.
Our Scripture this week is Ephesians 1:3-14. It is
about why we have this hope. Even before He
made the world, God loved us and chose us,
adopted us into His family. Ever since then, He has
showered kindness and grace on us. He purchased
our freedom, and forgave our sins. And no matter
the circumstances right now, He has a plan, a good
and beautiful plan for the world. He is in control,
and is making everything work out according to
that plan. As that plan unfolds, His Spirit lives inside
us, teaching us and guiding us. As we lift our eyes,
and notice God working, hope stirs.
I think these are words we can cling to every day of
this week. Our greatest hope is the generosity of our
God, who pours reckless grace on us. Reckless because
we don’t deserve it, and we waste it. But some
sticks, some works in our lives, some sings in our souls.
Our hope is not for comfort – God uses tough things
to grow us. Our hope is that the darkness is slowly giving
way to light, as God grows His kingdom, with all of
us in it.
In this tough week, as the pandemic rages on, as the
winter arrives in earnest, lets notice that grace, and
nourish that hope singing in our souls.
Blessing
Andrew Boake