Practices of Hope
Mid-Week Devotional
Isaiah 58:10–11
If you offer your food to the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
then your light shall rise in the shadows
and your gloom be like the noonday.
The Lord will guide you continually,
and satisfy your needs in parched places,
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water, whose waters never fail.
Good morning Beloveds,
May the words of the prophet Isaiah remind us that hope is not a far away abstract feeling. Hope is lived out in our everyday faithfulness, even at times when we feel unfaithful. Hope looks like sharing food, deeply listening to the person in front of you, loving yourself when it's hard, and striving towards justice in meaningful ways.
This week, A Sanctified Art shared a reflection that resonated deeply during this time when many families across the country are worried about rising costs of living and the pause in SNAP benefits. A Sanctified Art gathered hundreds of pastors, creators, and artists who, in a time of prayer together wrestled with these wonderings:
- What fears, laments, or longings do you offer to God?
- What are some tangible ways you are practicing hope right now?
- Where do you see glimmers of hope in the world?”
They wrote:
"In the midst of many overlapping fears, we also named the glimmers of hope emerging: in the changing seasons, in the laughter of children, in new connections, in people dialoguing and serving together beyond political and socioeconomic boundaries.
Perhaps what was most striking were the many ways people are practicing hope right now. Through monthly community dinners for neighbors, integrating silliness and play into acts of resistance, holding space for political grief support, dancing at home, gardening with hands in the earth, doing small things with great love and care, crafting and creating art together, lighting a candle.”
Liberation theologian Gustavo Gutiérrez wrote “to hope is to begin to create what does not yet exist.”
Imagine that, every small act of care a shared meal, a donated bag of groceries, a moment of listening, draws us into participation with Christ in creating what does not exist yet. Through these moments and choices, we are building hope within ourselves and amongst others, at time when it is easier to feel hopeless.
Theologian Dorothee Sölle called this kind of hope “suffering turned toward the future.” This hope, this precious hope is not born out of denial, it is shaped out of being in solidarity with those suffering. It accepts the reality of the pain of the situation and uses that truth to propel us into prayerful, sacred action. Our refusal to give into despair, allows for Christ's kindom to break in, to be present even amidst suffering.
And Howard Thurman reminded us that “the work of love is the quietest work in the world, yet it changes everything.” It even changes us, especially changes us.
I invite you to lean into that same hope of Christ, a hope that draws you into solidarity with those enduring hardships. Name aloud your fears and laments. Then wonder aloud, what are some tangible ways I can practice hope this week?
And if you're looking for ways, this week, Pr. Kacey and myself sent out a letter reminding people of WHAT WE CAN DO at this time.
St. Matthew’s Community Meal Team
1) St. Matthew's is launching a weekly community meal on Wednesday or Thursday evenings. We are in need of people to help cook, serve, and clean up. SIGN-UP HERE
Give Financially
2) Donate directly to a local food bank or our partners on the front lines of suffering: Sustainable Renton, Feeding Feasible Feasts, or you can contribute to St. Matthew’s Community Outreach Fund. For every can of soup you buy, a local food bank can purchase three. Your gift multiples in miraculous ways.
Connect Hungry Neighbors to Resources
4) If you know someone who is struggling to afford food, please send them to the resource page provided by Sustainable Renton.
SPREAD THE WORD
5) We are in search of a volunteer chef and are in the process of seeking grant funding to hire a chef who has the ability to make a meal for 50-80 people. If you know of someone or you might be interested, join us here.
May these practices of tangible hope remind us that through us, Christ is on the move, breaking and making all things new.
God of the hopeful,
You dwell among those who hunger and thirst for justice.
Plant your courage within us to share what we have,
to stand alongside those who suffer,
and to believe that love
can remake the world.
Turn our fear into compassion,
our scarcity into generosity,
and our waiting into the work of hope.
Amen.
With courage and compassion,
Pr. Rachel
Read A Sanctified Art’s reflection here:
Practices of Hope – A Sanctified Art Blog
