Voices Of Hope

This Sunday, we will all gather for the Christ Church Annual Meeting. We will begin with worship at 10:00 a.m., followed by potluck brunch and then the business meeting. The meeting will focus primarily on a presentation by the Vision and Strategy Committee, which was formed this summer to review a consultant’s report and recommend a way forward for our congregation. From all indications, the committee did a fabulous job, and I am most grateful.

It is with great joy that I share that this congregation is a voice of hope within the Columbia community and beyond, and our task is to continue this faith-filled, life-transforming work that has come to define who we are as voices of hope. I sincerely believe the path the Vision and Strategy Committee has charted for us will not only serve us well, but also invite us to insist on continuing to be voices of hope, even in the most challenging times.

There are times when I am inspired by the story of a people who are not only the longest persecuted people in the world, but the most persecuted - Jews.

The remarkable story of the Jews is one where you and I can draw some life-changing inspiration. Despite what history tells us happened to them, they remain hopeful.

As Christians, we are tied at the hip with the Jews because our foundational text is theirs, and when we read those texts, we remind ourselves of the God who is present in everyday life.

When we wake up and say our prayers, we remember the gift of life itself.

When we see our loved ones, we remember the sacred gift we share with them. It isn’t a fleeting moment; it's a profound gift we should never take for granted.

When we take a shower, put on our perfume, and say goodbye as children go to school, we go to work, or simply hang out at home or wherever, we are reminded of the journey that takes us to both familiar and unfamiliar places.

When we go out for lunch in the middle of the day, whether we eat the food we brought to work or walk to a cafeteria to grab something, we remember the sustenance food gives us.

When we find ourselves on the highways or byways at the end of the workday, driving home, we remind ourselves where our day started and where it will end.

When we get home, our loved ones welcome us back from the morning we parted. We hug each other, take showers, cook together, reminisce on our day, and eat dinner together.

After dinner, we watch TV, read a book, or enjoy family moments before we retire to bed.

The strangest thing is that nothing in our daily life suggests the day will flow so seamlessly and unchaotically, but like our Jewish ancestors, we maintain some modicum of hope that, despite any chaos that may disrupt our day, life will look kindly on us.

One of my favorite hymns is Lord of All Hopefulness. I have sung this hymn for as long as I can remember, but for some reason, I never seem to get the sequence of events of the day right. Here it is:

Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy,

whose trust, ever childlike, no cares could destroy:

Be there at our waking, and give us, we pray,

your bliss in our hearts, Lord, at the break of the day.

Lord of all eagerness, Lord of all faith,

whose strong hands were skilled at the plane and the lathe:

Be there at our labors, and give us, we pray,

your strength in our hearts, Lord, at the noon of the day.

Lord of all kindliness, Lord of all grace,

your hands swift to welcome, your arms to embrace:

Be there at our homing, and give us, we pray,

your love in our hearts, Lord, at the eve of the day.

Lord of all gentleness, Lord of all calm,

whose voice is contentment, whose presence is balm:

Be there at our sleeping, and give us, we pray,

your peace in our hearts, Lord, at the end of the day.

As challenging as getting it right may be, I never lose sight of the fact that being a Christian means being a voice of hope. The kind of hope expressed in this hymn. If you asked me, I wouldn’t hesitate to tell you that the many ministries here at Christ Church are voices of hope.

Through our Outreach Ministries, including the Food Drives, Friends of Sabina, Lake Elkhorn Middle School, Paumier Scholars at Oakland Mills High School, Columbia Community Cares, Refugee Ministry, Bridges to Housing Stability, and more, we become voices of hope by helping those in need.

Through our many Inreach Ministries, like visitations by clergy, phone calls, text messages, Lay Eucharistic Visits to the Homebound, Christmas Caroling, Christmas flower delivery, Easter flower delivery, and above all, our daily prayers, we become voices of hope to those who are lonely or need our warmest touch of care.

The point is that you and I wouldn’t do this work without hope. And so, every time we offer a prayer, share a meal, gather for worship or fellowship, share a blessing, invoke God’s peace, or serve others, we not only make a fragment of God’s light accessible, but we unlock the joy and beauty of everyday life.

I am really excited about our common life and the hope that abides here at Christ Church. I thank God for giving us the opportunity to share such a rich life of faith together. If you are as excited as I am about this rich life of faith we share, then come, let’s break bread and reason together about our beloved Christ Church.

I’d like to conclude by sharing this beautiful prayer from the Companions of the Cross:

Lord, I am nothing. I have nothing. And I can do nothing. But Lord, if you can use nothing, use me.

I became so emotional, with tears running down my cheeks, when I first read the prayer. This somber prayer hit me to the core because it exposed a profound truth about all of us. In my bewildered state, I asked myself, "Who am I that God should use in God’s vineyard?"

"I am nothing." I reminded myself.

But since God uses nothing, I pray that God may use you and me as voices of hope. 

Blessings,

Manny+