Sermon On Hope & Expectations

Joyce Meyer, an American writer and speaker once remarked: “Hope is favorable and confident expectation; it's an expectant attitude that something good is going to happen and things will work out, no matter what situation we're facing.” Hebrews 11:1 confirms: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

Hope and expectations are considered beliefs and wishes concerning the future. While they are often considered assimilated and used together, they are actually two entirely different entities. Hope is a desire or wish for an event or circumstance to happen or be fulfilled, whereas expectation is a strong belief in the future. Hope includes optimism or a yearning, but faith, which is the expectation of reality, dominates towards credence.

In our Christian lives, the two are interrelated. Hope produces a faith that is dependent on the firm existence and promises of God, with the expectancy of eternal life if we seek forgiveness and ask for redemption. Some believe that the two are inseparable in that one cannot have hope without faith. Hebrews 11:6 confirms: “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

The purpose of Christ’s death and resurrection upon that cross at Calvary was to provide a living hope for all. Through His endurance, pain and suffering, Jesus opened the pathway to heaven to all who believe in Him. John Piper, an American theologian once remarked: “Life is wasted if we do not grasp the glory of the cross, cherish it for the treasure that it is, and cleave to it as the highest price of every pleasure and the deepest comfort in every pain. What was once foolishness to us - a crucified God - must become our wisdom and our power and our only boast in this world.” 1 Peter 3:18 confirms: “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.”

Airports can be one of the most interesting, but also exasperating places to be in the world. They are usually busy with an array of different activities that can invoke new and unfamiliar distractions. However, there is often a constant lingering element of hope and expectation in the air. The thought of flying, possibly for the first time, may appear an apprehensive or even daunting prospect for some, but for others, the thrill and exhilaration of the experience can be immense.

As one begins a new worldly adventure and waits patiently in the often long queues at check-in, or the subsequent varied encounters of going through security, to the welcome eventual relief of arriving unscathed in the departure lounge where one should expect a period of relaxation before proceeding to the departure gate, provides a distinct assurance that any problems that may be encountered are now often considered over. However, certain thoughts may still enter the equation which asks: “Will the flight depart on time or will there be any delays?” Only time will tell on that score. But what happens, when horror of horrors, something major goes awry and we accidentally lose something of importance or value such as a wallet that contains passports, boarding cards, holiday information and perhaps most importantly, all of the currency and credit cards that may be required on the trip? Is such a possibility feasible? It certainly is!!

A true story is told of a man who was traveling to Tenerife in the Canary Islands for a week’s holiday. His flight was scheduled to depart at 10:00. He arrived at the airport at 07:30, as he always allowed for every unforeseen eventuality and made his way through the various controls to the departure lounge. He was pleased to note that his flight was expected to depart on time.

As he was privileged to be a member of a prestigious charge card company, he was allowed to use the facilities in the airport lounge which provided free food and beverage for its users. It was a busy time of day in the airport and as the lounge worked on an allocated table principle, he was informed that there would be a delay of approximately ten minutes before a table would become available. He had already removed his travel wallet from his hand luggage to produce the necessary card to gain admittance to the lounge and decided to hold onto the wallet in his hand instead of reinserting it back into the safety of his hand luggage.

As it was late autumn, the man had a bulky anorak with him for the possible cooler weather that may be encountered on the return journey, this he balanced over the lower arm of the same hand as his travel wallet. He wandered around the terminal for a few minutes looking at the shops, but as he did, the anorak slipped off his arm and fell to the floor. He bent down to retrieve it and then returned to the entrance of the lounge shortly afterward. He changed the position of the anorak to regain access to his travel wallet, but to his horror, the wallet was not there.