From Broken and Beloved - Lent 2019. At the start of each week of Walt’s devotional series, he provided a introduction note to the reader. These notes outlined the main topic for the week that would run through all the devotions. Number 15 is the introduction note for the first week of the BROKEN and BELOVED series.
Despair and Hope
STEP ONE: BREATHE
Take a deep, cleansing breath. Allow the air to fill your lungs and expand your body. Exhale and empty yourself into the room. Repeat three times - once for the one who Created you, once for the Incarnate One who walks beside you, and once for the Spirit whose life fills your being.
STEP TWO: DWELL IN WORD
“Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him.”
— Luke 24: 13-16
Our first paradox to consider involves big picture stuff: despair and hope. There is nothing like jumping into the deep end of the pool - no time to ease in and gradually get our feet wet. Despair and hope are classic existential topics in a theological conversation that has spanned the centuries. Poets, preachers, philosophers, and teachers have all struggled with this ultimate paradox connected to the meaning of life.
Where do we find purpose in our short span of years? Since we are all going to die (at a time not usually known) what does anything matter? No one knows for sure what happens after death - nobody has come back to let us know (except for Jesus who is remarkably silent on what he saw while lying in the tomb.)
When these questions press upon us, we can find it easy to despair. We might get stuck in the muck of feeling utterly helpless. Lacking the strength to engage with others, we might turn inward, which only initiates a downward spiral. Courage falters. Despair increases. It can feel as though we are at the bottom of a massive hole with no prospects of ever making it out. It is not unknown for people, who are trapped in this place, to take desperate measures.
But despair is one side of the equation. Hope lives at the opposite pole and is just as strong of a feeling. If despair pushes us inward and downward, then hope opens us outward and upward. When we hope, we trust in forces beyond ourselves and seek strength in God's presence.
So what makes this a paradox? Why place these concepts in tension with one another? Don't we need a linear movement from despair to hope? Problem solved?
Despair and Hope coexist in the life of people of faith. We can't separate ourselves from despair and cling solely to hope. It would be nice if we could, but that is not in our DNA. Even if it were possible to escape the pit of despair for good, we are part of a community in which others still find themselves in captivity. Those hope-filled members of the Body of Christ have a responsibility to be present to and care for those wrecked by despair. Since we find ourselves at any given point in time at different places on the spectrum between these poles, we may be the ones who can encourage or the one who needs encouragement.
In this first full week of Lent, we will delve into the creative tension between despair and hope. Our journey will consist of a creative retelling of a Jesus story, an inspiring image, some poetry, and a few stories. It is my intention to provoke a few thoughts, raise some questions, and provide a little comfort along the way. In short, I seek to shine a little light on your path (and my own).
In Christ’s Light,
Walt
STEP THREE: RESPOND IN PRAYER
Gracious and loving God, on this first Sunday in Lent, we confess that we are broken and in need of your love. Come into the places where life is messy, and we find ourselves apart from your ways. Forgive us and renew our lives with your presence so that might share your life with others. Through Jesus, amen.