The Work of Hope

Hope is a force of God that enlivens us to life. We can easily miss the radical significance of this definition to our lives.

The tendency to describe hope as the anticipated fulfillment of desires is understandable—especially when persons desire healing, peace, and other caring outcomes. Often there is agreement between personal desires and hope’s mission to enable all to come alive to life. Often, but not always. I must be careful in assuming that what I want, as noble and laudable as my desires may seem, is what God wants. God’s heart embraces much that I fear, hate, ignore, and reject. This challenges my heart to reflect what God desires for the work of hope within me and among all people.

Rather than fulfill whatever fantasies claim our hearts, hope rescues us from a diminished life. Its mission to us is congruent with its mission to the world: to enliven all to life and to save the world from a false sense of aliveness.

Our bodies are sacred creations of God that are a home for hope. We embody hope. One interpretation of humankind created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27) is that imagination is the image of God. The body is wondrous not only because of its complex functioning, but also because of its capacity and purpose to contribute to the creative process through imagination. It is a creative force in creation. Human bodies come forth as God-blessed (Genesis 1:28) and are pronounced by God as “very good” (Genesis 1:31). Each one of us is a body born as a sacred gift of life, and each of us lives under God’s will to be a sacred gift to life. Perhaps we are so close to our own bodies that their holiness eludes us.

Jesus taught that our salvation (being in right relationship with God) depends on loving. Care for the body exemplifies his focus on love. He spoke of the hungry body being fed, the thirsty body being given drink, the strange body being welcomed, the naked body being clothed, the sick body receiving care, and the imprisoned body being visited (Matthew 25:31-46). The body, as a recipient and giver of loving care, is of holy and ultimate significance to the work of hope.

The opportunities to experience hope are as close to us as we are to our neighbors and our bodies. God has given us the capacity to pay attention, imagine, and enter into the wonder of life together. This capacity is also our God-given assignment. God created us to be a home for hope, to discern its work, and to be a people of hope.

In faith matters, each of us has the response-ability (free will) to say “yes” or “no” to God’s call upon our lives. God does not coerce us. We can welcome, embrace, and give ourselves to God’s enlivening work of hope; or we can resist it. The amazing possibility to become a people of hope is as close as the next moment of decision. I pray that we decide wisely.

Luther E. Smith, Jr. is Professor Emeritus of Church and Community at the Candler School of Theology, Emory University, and faculty for the upcoming Two-Year Academy for Spiritual Formation #43.

This reflection was adapted from “The Work of Hope” by Luther E. Smith, Jr., Weavings: A Journal of the Christian Spiritual Life. Feb/Mar/Apr 2012 (Vol. XXVII, No. 2). Copyright © 2012 by The Upper Room.

Journal Prompts

What difference would it make if you embraced your body more as a holy creation with a holy purpose?

How might seeing every person as a holy gift of God (as embodied hope) affect your relationships?

In what ways do you honor the sacredness of your body as a home for hope?

How do you exercise your “response-ability” to say yes to God’s work of hope? 

Share your responses with others in the comments below!