Hope (It’s not New)

I was reading over at Porpoise Diving Life (picking up where purpose-driven peters out), this article about “Faith To confront unprecedented economic times.”

The author quotes Brian McLaren (someone I rarely quote, much less applaud) as saying “Faith involves admitting with humility and boldness that we need to change, to go against the flow, to be different, to face and shine the light on our cherished illusions and prejudices, and to discover new truths that can be liberating even though they may be difficult for the ego, painful to the pride.”

The only improvement I see in the above quote is that the word “new” before “truths” needs to be omitted.

The Bible, I believe, portrays faith, hope and love as the primaries of the Christian faith. Just as all colors are unique combinations of the three primary colors (red, blue, yellow–if you are speaking of pigments) and all shapes are unique combinations of the three primary shapes (line, triangle circle), Christians are all combinations of the three primaries of Christianity–faith, hope and love.

Defining the place of love is fairly easy because Jesus defines it for us–we are known by love. When we stray from this and seek to be known by doctrine, dogma, liturgy, tradition, morality, even faith, etc., we have pitted ourselves against Jesus and cease to be who He has called us to be.

Defining the place of faith is also fairly easy because the Bible has clearly defined it for us in a number of places–we are saved by faith and live by faith.  We are not known by it, but we live by it.

Hope is not so clearly defined. But I believe we are called to be a voice of hope. This not “new.” It is ageless. I am struggling to resist the urge to quote Dickens, mainly because every pastor before me has already done it, but it truly is “the best of times and worst of times” to be the church. Yes, the economy sucks (I know that isn’t biblical terminology, but neither is “shut up.” If you feel the need to comment on my language, “shut up”). We don’t live by and we aren’t known by the economy. However we can be a voice of hope, even if and especially when the economy sucks (see above).

The church being the voice of hope is not a “new truth” that needs to be discovered. It, just like being known by love and living by faith, is an old truth that needs to be reclaimed.

I hope.