Collect for Trinity 7
Graft in our hearts the love of your name, increase in us true religion,
nourish us with all goodness, and of your great mercy keep us in the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 8: 18-25
18 I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. 19For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; 20for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labour pains until now; 23and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? 25But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Reflection
I wonder what it is about certain cliches that makes them sound like pearls of philosophical wisdom and become figures of speech, quoted by media reports and then copied in discussions about a team’s performance (or lack of it) in sporting competitions. Example: ‘It’s the hope that kills you’. What a load of tripe.
Even at the level of amateur pundits, that couldn’t be wider of the mark. In reality, hope is all that keeps you alive – the absence of hope means you’re already dead.
That doesn’t mean that it‘s possible to hope without evidence. We define hope as ‘to want something to happen or to be true, and have a good reason to think that it might’.
‘good reason to think that it might’. The Bulgarian writer Maria Popova put this succinctly “Critical thinking without hope is cynicism, but hope without critical thinking is naivety.”
In other words, don’t cynically dismiss the concept of hope as being irrational, but make sure you have a good and justifiable reason to trust it. And we do. Even though, as St. Paul says, we cannot ‘see’ that reason – but in patience and faith, we believe in a Jesus in whom our hope is certain.
Someone made a list of the sufferings of this present time: a sinning, sighing, sobbing world filled with cancer, murder, violence, anger, relational ruptures, dementia, grief, physical, mental and genetic disorders. Sadly, this is the reality we live in. Without hope, we cannot survive. But in Christ alone, our Saviour, redeemer and friend, our hope is found.
Previous Posts
Praying Together 28th July 2024
Trinity 9CollectAlmighty God, who sent your Holy Spirit to be the life and light of your Church: Open our hearts to the riches of his grace, that we may bring forth the fruit of the Spirit in love and joy and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Ephesians 3:...
Praying Together 21st July 2024
It is all too easy to look at the speck in another’s eye while ignoring the plank in our own. We live in God’s created world with many different people; but when it comes down to it, we are all His children, brothers and sisters.
Praying Together 14th July 2024
If there is no laughter, Jesus has gone somewhere else. If there is no joy and freedom, it is not a church.
Praying Together 7th July 2024
Be blessed to (and be prepared for) whatever you are called this day, in His name, however unexpected!
Praying Together 30th June 2024
Jesus’ healing is a signpost pointing to the culmination of His divine mission, that encompasses His suffering and torture, His death, His triumph over sin through His cross, and the defeat of evil in His resurrection.
Praying Together 23rd June 2024
It wasn’t only the wind and sea that will obey Him – the whole of heaven and earth will kneel before Him as Lord.
Praying Together 16th June 2024
The stories used by Jesus to explain the Kingdom of heaven – the ‘parables’ – offer understandable truth to all of them whoever they may be– and through many generations, to us.
Praying Together 9th June 2024
If we just give in and believe that there is nothing we can do to bring about such a change, the dream will never come true. So let’s not.
Praying Together 2nd June 2024
You may remember the song: ‘It ain’t what you do it’s the way that you do it, that’s what gets results.’ Catchy tune, catchy title. But wrong. Actually, it’s the other way round – ‘It ain’t the way that you do it, it’s what you do…’
Praying Together 19th May 2024
By the power of the same Spirit strengthen us to witness to your truth and to draw everyone to the fire of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Praying Together 12th May 2024
But in Christ, a much more reliable ‘Truth’ can be found. Truth in the ‘Logos’ – the Word. The Word made flesh.
Praying Together 5th May 2024
Collect for Easter 6 God our redeemer, you have delivered us from the power of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of your Son: Grant, that as by his death he has recalled us to life, so by his continual presence in us he may raise us to eternal joy; through...