Pastor's Blog

“Hope”

Romans 15:11-13 (NRSV)

¹¹ and again,

“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,

and let all the peoples praise him”;

¹² and again Isaiah says,

“The root of Jesse shall come,

the one who rises to rule the Gentiles;

in him the Gentiles shall hope.”

¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

We do not often think that Romans is filled with hope, however, here is one passage from Romans showing that to us today. We often think of Romans as a justification of faith book, nonetheless; it has kernels of hope in many passages. The one above for example.

Hope is something that is needed right now. Hope often sustains us when nothing else will. There is a spring that awaits us in the ground currently. It is to come, silently waiting for us to look for it to spring out.

In the Bulb There Is a Flower

Gary Freeland

In the bulb there is a flower;

In the seed, an apple tree;

In cocoons, a hidden promise:

Butterflies will soon be free!

In the cold and snow of winter

There's a spring that waits to be,

Unrevealed until its season,

Something God alone can see.

There's a song in every silence,

Seeking word and melody;

There's a dawn in every darkness

Bringing hope to you and me.

From the past will come the future;

What it holds, a mystery,

Unrevealed until its season,

Something God alone can see.

May you find hope this upcoming spring.

Pastor Harvey