Hope Springs Eternal
by Stuart Malkin 16 November 2021
A couple of years ago our Cana lily plants sent up foliage but no flowers, we were very disappointed as normally they are magnificent. Anyway, the one thing that you can rely on is that on a Friday evening Monty Don will appear on the BBC and guide us through how to get the best from the garden. One thing about Monty he also shows you his failures, what an honest man.
Ann decided to write to him as he does a letter page in the Saturday Mail. Her comment was, I seem grumpy so I doubt he’ll reply!
Lo and behold, the letter was published with advice! This year the plants with flowers were beautiful.
My old granny used to say, “never lose hope, you never know what tomorrow may bring”.
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Reading 1Corinthians 13:11-13
When I was a child, my speech, feelings and thinking were those of a child, now that I have grown up I have no more use for childish ways. What we see now is like a dim image in a mirror, then we shall see face to face. What I know now is only partial, then it will be complete, as complete as God’s knowledge of me. Meanwhile, these three remain, Faith, Hope and Love and the greatest of these is love.
This reading is used quite often at marriages with the emphasis on the last part, “and the greatest of these is love.” Paul, when writing had experienced Faith, Hope and Love in his own walk and wanted his readers to experience something of the same. In highlighting love as the greatest gift do you think it diminishes the other two?
We need faith to be without any doubt in what Christ’s life, death and resurrection is all about. Surely the Christian needs faith and wants all to have faith to be saved to the Glory of God?
What is the love that Paul talks of, surely it is the Godly love which is perfect and goes on forever?
I think that of the three hope leaves you focused on a brighter future. Perhaps in the darkness that seems to be going on forever, if God is at the centre of our lives Hope should be what we want for God’s world. At the time of writing there appears wonderful hope in the battle against the pandemic and, although there is a long way to go, we must give thanks for the hope that is being given by those working on this challenge.
Perhaps I should have listened better to my granny because you never do know what tomorrow may bring. However her faith, hope and love was deeper than a saying.
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Prayer
May the Lord bless you and keep you for ever. Amen