Meandering - Hope

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope…” [1 Peter1:3]

In first launching the Meandering Photo Search I was concerned that we might have too many photos sent in to highlight them all in one Meandering. Well, it could be busyness, forgetfulness, disinterest, unaware of the opportunity, or a fear of it seeming like a competition, that has resulted in only a few photos sent in for our first two monthly themes - Joy and Hope. Regardless of the reason, I think it would be best to now simply share with our church family all the photos (whether a lot or a few) that are sent in for each month’s Meandering Photo Search theme. If more photos come in than can be shared in one eNews, we will create a link to our website where we can display them all.

Photo: Lori Noseworthy

I am grateful to Lori and Lindsay for sending in their photos on the theme of ‘hope’.

Lori Noseworthy sent in this wonderful, poignant photo representing hope. It was taken a few years ago of two sisters - one born in Ethiopia and one in Canada. Lori said it reminds her of Martin Luther King’s, “I Have A Dream” speech wherein he exclaimed,

I have a dream that one day [...] little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today! I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."

“This is our hope,” says Lori.

Here’s another great photo, sent in by Lindsay Fowler, representing the power of hope.

Lindsay writes, “Hope- there is hope in the midst of the damaged. Something can be made beautiful once again with hope. I love the lyrics from the song Diamonds by Johnnyswim.”

Photo: Lindsay Fowler

In the wake of every heartache
In the depth of every fear
There were diamonds, diamonds
Waiting to break out of here.

We're the fire, from the sun
We're the light when the day is done
We are the brave, the chosen ones
We're the diamonds, diamonds
Rising up out the dust.

Gina and I recently came across this snail on the front walkway to the church. We immediately thought of the snail’s persevering hope that it would little by little, reach the garden on the other side of the barren, concrete wasteland it had to cross.

It reminded me, that we do not merely have hope, as in, “Well I hope we can make it” - unsure of the outcome. No, through eyes of faith, beholding the glory and reality of the risen Christ, we will make it because, as the Apostle Peter stated, we do not have just any hope, but “a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you…” (1 Peter1:3-4).

Thanks again to Lori and Lindsay for sending in photos. Next month’s Meandering Photo Search theme is Kindness. I ‘hope’ you’ll be so ‘kind’ as to send in lots of photos!

Thanks for Meandering along with me.
Pastor Daniel