Hope has been on my mind recently. As Moravians, we affirm that God creates, God redeems, and God sustains us. We also believe that in response to what God has done for us that we should be moved to respond in faith, love, and hope. At times we struggle to find hope when things around us seem so utterly hopeless. Paul reminds us in Romans 8:24 that “hope that is seen is not hope.” Sometimes the very things in this world that we want the most—that we need the most—are the things that we cannot see. Hope is not seen, but hope can be found. It can be found in an act of kindness. Hope can be found in a word of comfort. It can also be found in the melodies and harmonies of music.
Music, like hope, cannot be seen. We can hear it; we can feel it; we can create music. Music has the power to change us, move us, and inspire us. Even though we cannot see music, we know it is there from its sound and rhythm. We cannot see hope, but we can know its presence because we are here. And if we exist, we can be instruments of hope and peace so that the world can hear and experience hope. We have hope because Jesus is our hope. Jesus Christ is both with us and ahead of us. He is here, and he is there. Even though Christ’s presence is with us and ahead of us, we still must be people who actively live out our hope in Christ. Hope cannot be seen, but perhaps if we “do good, seek peace and pursue it” (Ps. 34:14), we will be a source of hope and peace in this world.
Pastor Scott Rainey