Andy Bluhm is one of several parishioners who have responded to my call to parishioners to respond to the Vestry Recommendations I received on May 28 on how to build a hopeful future for the parish.

Andy shared a lot of good thoughts, including his support for the Balance the Budget Campaign proposed by the Vestry. He also included this:

Message from the pulpit and leadership: This was not discussed in the vestry recommendations but I consider it a very important topic. As I have stated to the rector and to several members of the vestry on various occasions over the past year, I believe we as parishioners have repeatedly been given a message from the pulpit that our situation is dire and that we need to do the right thing or else we will be washed away in the flood (to reference today’s sermon). It may be true that we face a difficult challenge and that the future of our church depends upon the action we take now, but the message of hope and positivity has been sorely lacking. . . .

I don’t want to sound overly critical because I have a great deal of respect for Father Kevin and his hard work and leadership, but I feel I need to make my opinion known regarding this matter.

I am grateful that Andy made his thoughts known. And, he does not sound overly critical. His perspective is his to share. It is important that I hear it. This is what we mean when we talk about the value of Autonomy. They are perspectives like this that enrich us.

Thank you Andy, for speaking clearly. I always appreciate your willingness to speak your mind and your grace in doing so.

Now, here is a word about HOPE.

Hope as commonly used is sometimes associated with being optimistic. A hopeful person may be thought of as one with a "sunny disposition." This understanding of hope, however, is not what the Gospel means by hope. The Gospel speaks of hope in terms of the cross of Jesus. The Hopeful Cross has little to do with having a sunny disposition. The hope of Jesus is resolve. Jesus was hopeful when he set his face toward Jerusalem, knowing that there he would die.

"The joy of the cross" rises out of faith that believes that when we are faithful to God's purpose, no matter what the cost, God is faithful to his promise to bless. Without our faithfulness in response to God's faithfulness, we have no hope.

The prophets of the Old Testament who prophesied judgment were not without hope. They were full of hope. Their hope was based on their faithfulness to fulfill God's call. Their hope was not based on the unfaithfulness of Israel. It came from their clear understanding of the One Eternal Covenant.

Hope is a biblical concept anchored firmly in the Covenant God makes with us. It rises out of God's promise of blessing. God's promise is unconditional. That is, there is nothing we can do to secure it, demand it, deserve it or earn it. God's grace is freely given.

The unconditional nature of the covenant can be observed in the promise God made to Abraham, Genesis 12:1-3.

Although God's promise is unconditional in terms of our worthiness to receive it, it is conditional in terms of our ability to embrace it. That is, God gives it freely. But it requires something from us to hold it.

The conditional nature of the covenant can be observed in the promise God makes to the people of Moses at Mount Sinai. Exodus 19-20.

Hope rises out of our faithful response to the promise, not out of God's faithful keeping of the promise. God does not require hope, because he is always faithful. We need hope, because we are hardly ever faithful. Hope enables us to keep faith, that is to be faithful in response to God's promise, especially when we fear to do so.

This is the hard part. If we are not faithful, we have no hope. God is not indulgent, as Hebrews 12 makes clear. "See that you do not refuse him who is speaking...."

The Book of Deuteronomy makes this clear as well. "See, I have set before you this day life and good, death and evil. If you obey... the Lord your God will bless you. But if your heart turns away....I declare to you this day that you will perish." (Deuteronomy 30)

I do my best to make my messages biblically hopeful. When we are faithful, we experience the fullness of God's blessing. If we refuse faithfulness, well, we perish.

St. David's Church includes many faithful people. I have great hope for the faithful people of our covenant community. I trust God to be faithful to his Word. If we are faithful we will be blessed, beyond our wildest dreams. If we are not, we will most surely perish.

This is the most hopeful word a faithful people can ever hope to hear.

Andy has suggested that my preaching has been dark and foreboding lately. Some of that may involve my limits as a communicator. And oh, how I have limits. Some of that may also involve remaining faithful to the Lectionary:

"The foolish man built his house upon the sand...." (There is a lot of talk about fools in the Scripture. I can't bring myself to overlook them in my own generation -- not to mention the folly in my own life.)

"No one can serve both God and Money." (Americans do have a hang up about money. We see it especially in the abandonment of the common good in our inordinate longing to create personal wealth.)

I will try harder to relate the hope of faithfulness. I cannot however, shine a false light. Only the light of Christ overcomes the darkness. The darkness of our generation will snuff optimism and and a sunny disposition every time. The darkness has no power, however, to overcome the light of Christ, a light that shines as bright as ever from the Hope of the Cross. It is a light that continues to shine bright in our midst. It always will.