Hold Fast to Hope

 

What a beautiful morning it was as I walked past the sanctuary and, out of the corner of my eye, saw this display of color. As the sun rose, the stained glass window shared its colors with the room and painted the carpet of the center aisle with brilliant hues. It brought to mind the chalk art that I had enjoyed so much during the pandemic shutdown. I paused and enjoyed both the beauty of the moment and the memories.

It has been a long journey since March of 2020. Many miles. Many emotions. Many changes. In these long months, we have all experienced stress and challenge, frustration and fear. There have also been the joys of friendship and family, some of which were rediscovered while other aspects blossomed fresh and new into our lives. Seasons have come and gone. Birthdays and anniversaries never stopped. Birth and death continued to rock lives, both in their own way.

But as I enjoyed these colors I was struck, not with the changes of these many months, but with the constants. It is the same sun that shines through the same window casting the same beauty into this day as it did long before the arrival of March of 2020. The faithful people who fill this colorful space are still faithful. The message of hope is still unashamedly proclaimed here, regardless of the circumstances of the day. The life of Jesus is still the model we strive to emulate in community, even with all our differences and varied opinions. These are the constants that make up the foundation beneath our feet.

When we grow weary and begin to fall prey to negativity and defeat, it can be helpful to think of the constants that have gotten us through thus far in the difficult days of our past. The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews puts it like this, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” No denial of reality in those words on either side of the equation. There are times that try our souls. But there is hope in the faithful love of God.

Peace.