Real hope

I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. Psalm 130.6

There are many ways to hope. For the atheist - be they optimist or pessimist - it is a blind and therefore vague longing for circumstances to improve. For those whose faith is "mystical" their hope is invested in the union of their soul with whomever they perceive God to be and therefore the focus is on themselves. Christian hope is founded on the unshakable conviction that God in Christ has overcome every obstacle and defeated every source of evil and will return bringing heaven to earth in order to make everything good again. This means that Christians are free from self-preoccupation and able to focus on faithfulness to God and concern for others.

The image of the watchman waiting for the dawn reflects the certainty of a new day approaching and is motivated by concern for the safety of those in the camp. With the dawn comes relief that the danger of a surprise attack by enemy forces has passed. As we await the "dawn" of Christ's return, we live in the tension evoked by that "darkest hour", which is the one immediately preceding sunrise, yet in the sure conviction that he is coming and all will be well.

Latha math dhuibh!