Of these three words—faith, hope and love—that became the early Christian shorthand for a well-lived life with Jesus, hope is probably the most rare. Hope, in our world, is little more than a wish, a dream, a longshot almost destined to disappoint. But Christian hope is the absolute certainty that God is at work in the world, bringing restoration, joy, healing, wholeness and abundance in Jesus, by the Spirit, and through the Church, which he will ultimately complete at the return of Jesus. It is believing in God's promises with such absolute certainty that we are willing to risk everything to live into his future today. THAT is true hope!
1. Prior to this week's conversation, how would you have defined the word "hope"?
- What would you say that you have "hoped for" in life? Did your hope prove to be well-founded (i.e. did it pay off)?
- Would you consider yourself an optimist or a pessimist? When you look at the world, are you tempted to erupt into laughter or burst into tears? Why?
- How does your hopefulness (or lack thereof) affect the choices you make in your iife? How would someone be able to tell whether or not you have hope?
2. Read Luke 4:16-20. How and why does Jesus' mission/manifesto sound so different than how the Church has often summarized his message?
- Read Isaiah 65:17-25. Given that Jesus was reading from this part of the Old Testament, why has the Church often behaved as though Jesus didn't care about things like poverty, political oppression, health challenges, and slavery?
- What do you think Jesus meant when he said that this passage "had been fulfilled" 2000 years ago, though the world is still faced with the enormous challenges of poverty, polictical oppression, health challenges and slavery (among others)?
- It is at Jesus' Second Coming that he will ultimately, finally, and eternally bring his salvation to his creation. Why do we not talk about Jesus' Second Coming very much in the Church?
3. Read Hebrews 11:1. How would you summarize what it means to live with Christian Hope? Is this something you have/do? Why or why not?
- In what ways does Christian Hope compare and contrast to your prior concepts of hope? Where is it different? Where is it the same?
- What does it look like to live with that the kind of confidence and assurance described by Hebrews 11:1? How does that kind of hope change a person's outlook on life?
- How do we maintain hope even when we don't necessarily always see the evidence of what "God is doing in Jesus, by the Spirit, through the Church, exactly what Jesus said he is doing"? Is that just "blind faith" in Jesus? why or why not?
4. Read 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3. What does it look like to live a life of hope? How does hope inspire endurance in the "work produced by faith"?
- Given the values, stories, beliefs, etc. that culture surrounds us with, about what a well-lived life looks like, how do we choose to live a life of Christian Hope? How do we choose hope, despite what we see around us all the time?
- Read 1 Peter 3:15. What is it about a life of hope that outsiders to faith will notice and ask about? How can a life of hope become "evangelistic", drawing other people to consider a life of faith in Jesus?
- What choices could you begin to make today to take steps to live a life of Christian Hope?
