31 Days of UnitySample

(Re)new: Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky wrote, “To live without hope is to cease to live.” Our ability to hope in the face of the challenges of our lives is one of the great strengths of humanity. In all of creation, does any other creature have the ability to visualize a future that is better than the present? To hope is to acknowledge the truth of right now while believing that the future can be better. Hope is a superpower, a time machine, a catalyst for strength, and a source of energy that allows us to live in a world of chaos and pain.

As we face the harsh reality of a fractured church, we need hope. If we are to endure the difficult path of unity, one that requires repentance, forgiveness, patience, and perseverance, we must find a great source of hope. In Colossians 1, we find what we are looking for. There is an abundant source of hope available to us. Our hope is stored in heaven and we access it through the very real presence of God in our lives. This good news of God’s love for us is good news for today, tomorrow, and eternity. That is how good it truly is. It is a good news that conquers all brokenness, even the mystery of death itself and invites us to enjoy eternity being made whole in the presence of our creator.

Paul prays for the Christians in Colossae, that they would tap into the hope stored up for them in heaven, and that it would spring forth unexpectedly in faith and love. Their new life in Christ is proof of the good news of God’s love, and it is bearing fruit in their lives and so far beyond their lives, in all the world. Paul calls them to hope and thankfulness because of this goodness that goes beyond present circumstances and what they, or anyone, can see. Hope is all around, working, creating, birthing, and renewing, through God’s love.

And so, we who long for hope turn to the only true source available to us. We turn to the God who made us, loves us, and is working to heal us. In faith, we ask that God would work within us to bring about new life in unexpected ways and that we would be a people of hope. We join in this prayer for power, for great endurance, and patience, and for the coming of the kingdom of light.

After you read the passage, ask yourself these reflection questions:

• When do you feel most hopeful? What gives you hope?
• Do we have reason to be hopeful for the future of the church? What does that hope look like?
• When has God shown up and encouraged you in the midst of hard times?

Our Prayer for (Re)newal

Create in us clean hearts, O God, that we may learn to be your people, and live in unity with one another. Give us the gift of humility, and strengthen us to live in sacrificial love for one another. May we glorify you by being peacemakers in a world of division. Amen