Planting is Hope
Q. What is the Christian hope?
A. The Christian hope is to live with confidence in newness and fullness of life, and to await the coming of Christ in glory, and the completion of God's purpose for the world. (The Catechism, BCP 861)
Hope is one of those four letter words which we aren't always sure really mean something. We hope for so many things in our lives, but that certainly doesn't mean those things happen. Hope can seem so wishy washy. A dream, a wish, a hope. However, C. R. Snyder, a psychologist and researcher, spent time researching hope and found out that hope really is an important aspect of human life. Even better, hope is less of an emotion or desire and more of a goal. Hope can be learned, and when we learn hope we figure out where we want to go, we determine how to get there, and we believe in ourselves. Hope is the combination of goals, determination, and belief in ourselves. Hope is something we can share with others, when we work with others in achieving our goals.
As I have been thinking about our word of the year, I've started thinking about hope. Planting is an act of hope. People who plant seeds or gardens are starting a journey with a goal (of having a flower or vegetable or fruit or herb), having determined that planting is the pathway forward, and believing in the combination of sun, water, soil, and care which will enable the seed to grow. Planting is an act of looking forward to the future. Not many people plant a seed and expect that nothing will happen. People want and expect that the seed they plant will grow into something bigger.
As we move this week from Lent into Holy Week, we are faced with remembering the story of salvation, in all its pretty and not so pretty bits. As we go through the story, we plant the seeds of confidence in the fullness of life offered by Jesus Christ in the promise of the resurrection. Each year, we remember the story and we continue planting the seeds of new life, or replanting the seedlings of new life, hoping and trusting in God.
A. The Christian hope is to live with confidence in newness and fullness of life, and to await the coming of Christ in glory, and the completion of God's purpose for the world. (The Catechism, BCP 861)
Hope is one of those four letter words which we aren't always sure really mean something. We hope for so many things in our lives, but that certainly doesn't mean those things happen. Hope can seem so wishy washy. A dream, a wish, a hope. However, C. R. Snyder, a psychologist and researcher, spent time researching hope and found out that hope really is an important aspect of human life. Even better, hope is less of an emotion or desire and more of a goal. Hope can be learned, and when we learn hope we figure out where we want to go, we determine how to get there, and we believe in ourselves. Hope is the combination of goals, determination, and belief in ourselves. Hope is something we can share with others, when we work with others in achieving our goals.
As I have been thinking about our word of the year, I've started thinking about hope. Planting is an act of hope. People who plant seeds or gardens are starting a journey with a goal (of having a flower or vegetable or fruit or herb), having determined that planting is the pathway forward, and believing in the combination of sun, water, soil, and care which will enable the seed to grow. Planting is an act of looking forward to the future. Not many people plant a seed and expect that nothing will happen. People want and expect that the seed they plant will grow into something bigger.
As we move this week from Lent into Holy Week, we are faced with remembering the story of salvation, in all its pretty and not so pretty bits. As we go through the story, we plant the seeds of confidence in the fullness of life offered by Jesus Christ in the promise of the resurrection. Each year, we remember the story and we continue planting the seeds of new life, or replanting the seedlings of new life, hoping and trusting in God.
Comments
Post a Comment