Pastor Speaks November 8, 2001

It seems that all people talk about these days is terrorism. Just last week the attorney general, John Ashcroft, alerted the nation to the possibility of more attacks. He stated that the government had "credible evidence, though nothing specific." If you turn on your television your are bombarded with endless information about Anthrax and bio-terrorism. People are afraid to fly or travel abroad. Many major companies have laid off thousands of workers. To make things worse economists are now saying we are most likely in a recession. Consequently there is an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness in our society.

What, if anything can give us hope? How can we be less afraid and live with confidence and assurance?

In the first century, around the year AD 64, Peter wrote a letter to the fledging Church (I Peter 1:3-9). Persecutions were taking place among the young Christian churches. Life was so difficult they were in danger of giving up their faith. Peter assured his followers that God was with them. He reminded them of a hope "that never perishes, spoils or fades." With hope like that they could withstand any sufferings, hardships or crisis. He said that life is a difficult pilgrimage, one that demands insight and endurance. There is a heavenly reward for remaining faithful to the end but there is also hope for the present. "Salvation," Peter said, "has already begun."

Peter promised the early Christians a "living hope." Incidentally, the word "salvation" is rooted in the Latin word SALUS. It has nothing to do with life after death. It means health or wholeness. It is also very close to the Hebrew word SHALOM, which means peace. The hope that Peter advocated has to do with a wholeness or peace that is possible today.

When all seems hopeless we have three choices. The first is to abandon hope. Have you abandoned your faith and resolved that all is hopeless? One time a young man in the community came to me for counseling. He said his wife left him and he didn’t know how to get her back. It seemed impossible to resolve their differences but he still felt that there was a glimmer of hope and as long as that glimmer of hope existed he would have to try. He owed it to himself to make an effort. As we talked he told me of his roots. He and his two brothers attended a neighborhood church which strongly influenced his faith. His "living hope" was directly related to the faith he had acquired early in life. Without that he said he would have given up.

Unfortunately His marriage did fail, but by recalling his roots and reaffirming hope he said he felt stronger. "Regardless of what happens," he said, he could endure. When we try we have hope. When we give up we abandon hope and all is hopeless. If we truly believe that we can’t overcome the struggles we face then there is not much to live for. If we don’t believe that terrorism can be controlled then there is not much use in fighting it. Without hope we are desperate. Without hope we will likely crack under the pressures of life and our faith will fade from our lives.

The second choice we have is to pretend. As a nation we could pretend that terrorism doesn’t exist. We could stick our heads in the sand and continue to live as though there is nothing to fear. Pretending is nothing more than a defense mechanism. It is a way to ignore the suffering that has occurred in New York and Washington D.C. It is to ignore the reality that "evil" exists among us.

There is a third choice. We can believe, just as Peter did, that there is indeed a living hope. Most everyone here remembers Woody Hayes, the immortal football coach at Ohio State University. Shortly before his death he was interviewed by Bob Greene. He asked Hayes if there was anything more important than winning. Woody said, "Yes. The important thing is not always to win. The important thing is always to hope."

To be people of hope is to be people who take action. Dr. Harold Wolff, Cornell University Medical School, once conducted an investigation that involved 25,000 American soldiers who were imprisoned during WWII. Under terrible conditions, inhuman treatment and forced labor, many died and just about all became sick. But, Dr. Wolff discovered a few who showed only slight physical problems. One characteristic stood out among them. They all had above average ability to hope. But these prisoners didn’t sit and do nothing. They drew pictures of the girls they intended to marry. The drew pictures of their future homes. Some even planned and organized business seminars. Dr. Wolff concluded that it was hope that kept them well and in some cases, hope that kept them alive.

Early in my ministry I was attending a Church Council meeting. The church treasurer said that offerings were a little soft that winter and unless their stewardship improved they would not be able to pay all the bills. One man said that all they needed to do was pray and God would deliver. There was a few moments of silence. Finally one of the oldest men in the church spoke up. He said, "In all my years in the church I have never once seen God hand down a check from the clouds."

Hope is possible for those who are willing to take action. None of us has to carry any burden alone. God is always intervening on our behalf to make our hope real. It is a lasting hope, one that will be there to the end of time. For the hope that God gives will never perish, spoil or fade.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio