Surprised by Hope
Paul hoped that Jesus would return soon.
Nothing fails like Christian hope :-
1 Thessalonians 4 'According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.'
Putting faith in Christian hope is hopeless.
All those early Christians are dead, despite Paul's confidence that they would not die.
Put your faith in Biblical promises, and do not be surprised if your hopes are dashed.
Nothing fails like Christian hope :-
1 Thessalonians 4 'According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.'
Putting faith in Christian hope is hopeless.
All those early Christians are dead, despite Paul's confidence that they would not die.
Put your faith in Biblical promises, and do not be surprised if your hopes are dashed.
posted by Steven Carr at 1:11 AM
2 Comments:
Hi Stevie. You might like this movie for underscoring the futility of hope.
Being the cheerful chappy I am, I offer a poem wot I wrote in one of my more hopeful moments...
Purpose Circus
Can there really be any sort of purpose
To this crazy game of trying to get around
Or are we just clowns performing in a circus,
Being laughed at by an audience we've not found?
I don't reckon there's a reason
I see no point in being around
No way do I believe in reason -
I'm just accepting what I've found:
People going 'round in endless circles
Lost and feeling all alone
Life's just one big endless circle
And you've got to get around it on your own...
... and after the poem, came a still small voice...
"God is. He is as he is in Jesus. So there is hope."
David Jenkins, a former Bishop of Durham.
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