I am a Pittsburgh sports fan, be it the Steelers, or the Penguins or (even) the Pirates. All my life I have gone to games, cheered on the team, and rejoiced in victory. But, truth be told, if the teams were paying any attention, they would never let me in the stadium. Over the past 40 or so years, I have attended scores of Pirate games, a dozen or so Penguin games and even a handful of Steeler games… and no devoted fan has a worse win-loss record than I do. I can’t claim that I have NEVER seen a Pens/Steeler win or that the Pirates ALWAYS lose when I’m present, but if you want to make some easy money, bet against the home team whenever I’m present. It is sad, but true… I rarely get to see a win.
I do, however, soldier on! Yes, given the chance, I’d still show up for the Steelers and/or Pens. And, here’s the kicker, I’ll even make it to a few baseball games. I am, after all, a Pittsburgh sports fan.
You see, hope springs eternal! I’m the guy that hangs on to the very last strike in the bottom of the ninth, no matter how ugly the score is. Yes, I know traffic is gonna be a mess, but I’d rather not try to get a jump on it if that means missing even a single, useless play. Because… there is always hope!
Of course, my “hope” here is most often just wishful thinking. Such “hope” is not grounded in anything—my experience doesn’t support such a hope, no inside information supports it, no divine guidance. I just… hope my team will find a way to win (read, wish). And, as cynical as I can be about my home team sports, I try my best to avoid despair.
Silly games aside, how do we avoid despair when faced with the crushing defeats of this life? Honestly, if my win-loss sports record was similar to my won-loss life record, I’m not sure I would be excited about getting up in the morning. As it is, there is so much wrong in life, so much brokenness, so much sin, wickedness and evil. It would be easy to despair.
But despair is not part of the Christian worldview. For the believer, despair is not an option. Despair is the very opposite of the biblical definition of “hope.” In the biblical worldview, “hope” is not a wishful feeling; it is not naïve confidence; it is not blissful ignorance. For the Christian, “hope” is grounded in our assurance of the work of Jesus Christ and in His redemption.
Of course, there are many challenges to the Christian’s hope: “hoping” is not the same as blindly thinking all will turn out well; nor is “hoping” only realized when it turns out the way I want it to; nor is hope a guarantee that my goals will be satisfied. The Christian’s hope is found, not in me and what I think, want or decide, but in Jesus, what He thinks, wants and decides.
Any honest appraisal of the world around us challenges any notion of “hope” for this world. Let’s face it—things are messy, depressing and discouraging. It would be easy to walk out in despair after the eighth inning. But the Christian worldview is built around something different than what we see, someone different than me; the Christian worldview is built around Jesus Christ, and it is in Him that we hope. And this Sunday, it is He whom we will worship together!
In preparation for worship this week, read 2 Corinthians 4:7-18.
- Verse 7: “we have this treasure…” Read the previous verses to determine what “this treasure” is. Why does the author call it a “treasure?”
- The poetry and imagery of verses 8-9 is outstanding. What does the author intend to convey here? Can you summarize it?
- How would you restate the author’s argument that the Christian should not despair? What is the reason for his confidence?
- Verse 14: “knowing that he who raised Jesus will also raise us.” Why does this matter to the author? How does this factor into his thesis?
- The author here is explaining how he lives and serves with hope even amid contrary experiences—that even in the face of difficulty, huge difficulties, he nonetheless perseveres. Can you think of times of difficulty where you gained the same confidence by reflecting on God’s work in and through you?
by Henry Knapp