Hope is the Anchor for Our Souls
On the evening of July 27, 2004, we were stunned at the power and elegance of the keynote address for the DNC given by then, Senator Barack Obama - called The Audacity of Hope. The phrase was originally The Audacity to Hope, a sermon preached by The Rev. Jeremiah Wright in 1990 based on a lecture about this painting of one who had the audacity to praise God with the one string left on her harp.
How we must choose to find, hold on to and fully embrace HOPE in the living of these days - when it seems as if there is no reason to HOPE! What are we to do when: anxieties and fears overshadow faith? Mental and emotional pain cloud our judgment and decision making? Isolation?
Let us use our voices to name our challenges. Let us remember our Creator God, whose presence and powerful Spirit in and among us today holds, sustains, encourages, comforts, strengthen and stabilizes us for our journey. Keep praying. Keep believing. Keep hoping. Keep praising and worshipping God. Reach out. Hold on to life - to hope. We are with you - God is with you - we are not alone. Yes, hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls.
By Rev. Dr. Barbara A. Wilson