For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. [Romans 8:24-25]

How are the studs looking in your house? How about the drywall? What color is the engine in your car? When was the last time you examined the hard drive in your computer?

Often, those things that are unseen by the eye are very important. From cars to houses to our own bodies, we don’t always get to see the parts that hold us up or keep us moving. And if we are seeing them, it’s probably because something is wrong!

The unseen things are of utmost importance. That’s where hope fits in. Like our lungs, which keep breathing even if we aren’t thinking about it, hope keeps our spirit alive and well. We don’t see it, but we know we have life in our bodies because our lungs are functioning. And we know our souls are thriving when hope is working.

What we see in this world can take the wind out of our sails. The realities around us can make us panic and worry. Those things which are so easy to see can hinder us from breathing in hope. The diagnosis, the calamity, the national tragedy, the neighbor’s devastation: things we see have the power to upend the things we cannot see.

But a hole in the drywall is much easier to deal with than a crack in the foundation. God can do all things, and we put our trust in Him. All people are longing for more, and we know where our longings are pointing us- to Jesus. He has placed deep within us an unquenchable hope.

So wait with patience. Even if what you are seeing is not good. Even if what you are experiencing is overwhelming. Jesus has risen from the dead! And He has promised to raise you, too! Your body will be redeemed. Your relationships will be restored. This world will be put right. Have hope! And let’s wait together and be the Church- the visible sign of hope in a broken world.

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. ²² For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. [Romans 8:19-22]

My car has some rust on it. I guess it should be expected; it isn’t new. It isn’t even close! It probably won’t be too much longer before something breaks, and a little while after that it will be done. That’s what happens with cars, though. They eventually break down and decay.

It isn’t just cars. It’s “all creation,” as Paul makes clear in Romans 8:20. All of creation has been subjected to futility and decay. Nothing lasts forever, not even people. We can plant a tree that might outlast us, but even that will eventually come crashing to the ground.

What’s the point of all this hardship, vanity, emptiness, decay, corruption, and rot? It is hard to believe, but God uses it to get us to hope in Jesus. All the bad is to ground us in hope. If we looked at the history of humanity and saw only progress and humans continuing to improve in every way all the time, we would be even more self-reliant than we already are. But as we look back in history, we see that all the great empires came to an end. We see that all great leaders died and gave way to not-so-great leaders. We see that corruption and decay and death is a universal problem.

And our universal problem anchors us in the universal hope of the Resurrection. On the 8^th day, the first day of the new week, Jesus rose from the dead as a sign and guarantee that we can earnestly yearn and hope for the same reality.

But our world is still governed by futility and decay. How do we live, then? Well, the same way the creation does: yearning. We yearn for God, earnestly seeking and desiring God’s will and God’s ways. Even if the rust spots shine through or our cars break down, let us yearn for and seek out the Hope of the world.

Dear Father, we experience pain and loss and futility and decay. Yet we know that You are still God. Allow these things to drive us deeper and deeper into Your will. We yearn to see Your kingdom come and Your will be done. Guide us always in the light of Christ, Amen.

“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1

The genuine article, the original product, usually begins with a wonderful idea that comes at the right time. However, that original idea usually costs more than its imitators. But that’s all right if it works. If it works better than anything else, it’ll sell and we’ll be glad to tell others about it.

You’ve done this. You read the reviews, you asked your friends and you debated if you should buy it. You finally take the plunge and get it. And it works!  It works so well, you invent new reasons to use it. The new vacuum works so well, and it’s so light and easy to use, for the first week, you vacuum every day. The new dishwasher works so well, you make Tator Tot hot dish, just so you can put that pan through the wash cycle and see how clean it gets. I once won a pair of Snap-On screwdrivers and was amazed at how well they worked. That first day, I walked around the house, looking for doorknobs I could unscrew and then screw in again just for the fun of it.

When God gives us the genuine Gospel, we have this same three-part sequence:  An original idea, a great cost, and a wonderful result. But with the Gospel of Jesus, all three of these are unique. We have the amazing God who takes on human flesh to live among us—the ultimate original spiritual idea. We have the great cost of redeeming the world, but God pays that cost himself through the priceless death of his Son. And the result is as Paul says in our verse, we are set free by his work. We are delivered from the fear of death by his being willing to die. He gives us freedom from the demands of the law by fulfilling the law for us. And he lives within us and promises that this life is just the beginning. Heaven and eternity are waiting for us. This freedom changes us every day. We’re not endlessly trying to make amends to God or hoping to avoid him altogether. We’re the children he has adopted and the people he’s joined by taking on our human nature. And we’re the people he’s purchased so that we can stand in awe of the price but never stand underneath its debt. Instead we live with him in the freedom of his original Gospel message. This Gospel is unique and works like nothing else. That makes all the difference.

Heavenly Father, remind us of the unique gift of your Gospel. Remind us of the freedom that comes because of your sacrifice and help us to live lives that celebrate with thanks all that you’ve done for us. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.