As we start 2018 we will be looking at the theme of hope
from a biblical perspective and the hope that affects our lives and the communities
we live in, including the wider world.
What is it that we hope for? At this time of year
many people think about New Year’s resolutions, things they want to change,
people they hope to be. But from a Christian view point and that of
other faiths how does hope fit into our everyday life?
Hope is central to the Christian faith, for it is
what could be, that is the focus for how we live our lives in this modern
world. Jesus talked a lot about God’s Kingdom, not just as a future thing, but
also in terms of the here and now. The impact of hope is to be seen in
our lives today, it’s not just about the future and as such we will be
considering some of the things that we might hope for over the coming
week.
The themes we will pick up on will be:
Peace, love, forgiveness, thankfulness, justice, endurance,
wisdom, trust and friendship.
All of these will be drawn to a conclusion in the greatest hope
of all that can be found in the grace that runs throughout the Easter story.
My prayer and hope for us this term is that as we
consider this incredible theme of hope, that we will see more of the
love and grace of God in our lives and that through this we will be enabled to
be the lights that God calls us to be in our own lives and in the community in
which we live.
Each class has taken the time to consider what they hope for this week and we reflected on these and used them to inform our prayers during our Friday whole school assembly. Early next week we will be using these to build a 'wall' of hope, to remind us of what it is we are hoping for.
