Thought for the Week – 23rd January 2022

Hope

A posting unashamedly inspired by this Thursday’s thought for the day, in which the commentator spoke of signs that perhaps the Covid epidemic may finally be loosening its grip. I am not sure I entirely share this, but with the sunny weather this week, my own mood has lightened and I do have hope we will finally come through it. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, I also hope that England will eventually beat Australia at cricket; I even have a wild hope that Kidderminster Harriers will beat West Ham. Oh yes, and I sometimes talk about hope in my sermons.

The word hope has many different shades of meaning, ranging from the frankly unrealistic to something which, whilst it may not yet have happened, is an event that is certain, even if we are not sure how it will work out. The end of the Covid epidemic is an example of the second of these; it will end, but I cannot predict when that will happen; I have some power to influence the event by my actions, for better or worse. England eventually beating Australia is also something that will happen, but is quite beyond my power to influence. A Harriers cup run is not going to happen. And the Christian hope? This is founded on the conviction that there is a God whose nature is love and who will establish his kingdom of love here on earth. It will happen, but the time that takes is in our hands.

Rev David Poyner