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The following is a repost of a Note that my friend, Matt S, wrote on Facebook. I’ll follow up with my comments.

“Hope we believe in; what are we hopeful about

Disclaimer: I realize that not everyone who reads this email will agree with all that I say. I also recognize that there are many other opinions, religions, etc represented by those on Facebook who will read this. I welcome comments to what I’ve said below, but do ask that you please be respectful of all comments read. Thanks, yall!

Hope

I just had a brief, but thought provoking conversation with my roommate, Ryan. What we talked about really stimulated my thinking and while I rarely do “notes” or “blogs” I really wanted to write about this.

So the big question is this: What are we hopeful about?

I watched intently the events of this historic day with much excitement and awe of what was really happening. I’m a southerner, and I will admit I never thought I’d see a black president, and certainly thought there would be a woman president before a black one. But I was wrong, and I’m glad I was. This is awesome. It is truly a great moment for our country.

That being said, we’ve heard a lot about hope throughout the campaign, election, etc. President Obama focused his campaign around the message of hope. Hope is a powerful thing. It has the ability to bind many people together. It can turn a negative to a positive. It can bring joy to many lives. The definition of hope, according to my good friend Miriam Webster, is to “cherish a desire with expectation” or to “expect with confidence.”

But where do we really find hope? Is hope found in the political policies of the leader of our great country, or is hope found in something “larger than life?” Is hope found in an economy that starts to flourish, with 401Ks busting at the seems and the value of home skyrocketing – both of which will one day mean absolutely nothing, zero, zilch to any of us after we die (remember, it all goes back in the box), or is hope found in real estate that will last well beyond our few years of physical life on earth? Is true hope found in $150M in money spent on the frills and glitz of January 20, 2009, or is hope found in the guarantee of eternal life that comes through the one and only triune God, who sent His son, Jesus, to die for the sins of all people?

Furthermore, is hope and “change we can believe in” something that is going to happen politically, with a new president, or is this hope and change going to come through people of this great country who step out and roll up their sleeves and help their neighbors in need – the “least of these?” Do we say “yes we can” to politics and great leaders that will lead for a few years, or do we say “yes we can” to serving a cause greater than ourselves?

Now don’t get me wrong, I believe strongly in our new president. It was a thrill to watch the events of today. I must admit, I spent way too much time at work watching feeds online (sorry State Bar). It was historic, and I love history and politics. Heck, I really think President Obama will do a fabulous job as president, and will guide this nation forward in a direction we need to go (sans his abortion/pro-choice agenda and his ideas of a big-spend agenda, but that’s another note). I’m not saying Obama won’t be a wonderful and successful president. In fact, I believe and pray for quite the opposite – that he’ll be tremendously successful and do a wonderful job as president. I think the way he’s been able to rally this country, and the American people is an unbelievably awesome thing, and comes at a time when people truly are longing for something more….hoping for a greater time ahead.

What I AM saying, though – and what Ryan and I talked about today – is that we’ve watched now for months as Obama has rallied this country and sparked them to hope for and believe in something great. But is that the true hope we should believe in? This hope is only temporary. It will last for a while, then the President will do something that even the most Liberal of politicians dislike (Nancy Pelosi is already outwardly disagreeing with Obama). This hope will last for a while, the economy will make a gigantic swing upward, and folks will be so excited, but then it will more than likely drop again one day.

I’m just worried that millions upon millions of Americans are now hoping in a person, in political policies, and in government (and the changes that just took place in our government) that will only last for a short while. The reality is that life will go well beyond the 44th president and the political landscape this country is currently mapping out. I’m nervous that folks are going to be too tied up in something that will only fade, and fade quickly. The truth of the matter is that if we really want to find hope, we ought to seek it in the Eternal; in the Almighty; in the triune God. Perhaps we should be encouraging folks to seek hope and authentic change in the life-giving power of the Blood of Jesus Christ.

That, my friends, is hope. That is “change we can believe in” (it sure as heck changed me tremendously…if you don’t know how, just ask). We can put our hope in a wonderful, merciful, gracious God that has promised us that if we believe in His son, who He sent to this earth to die for our sins, so that we will have eternal life (John 3:16, the Matt Sally phrase).

Is anyone up for some eternal and authentic hope like this? What if we take this hope to our country and our world? I think it’ll change the lives of many, many people. I think we can take this hope to those who need it…do you?“Yes we can!”

Peace,
Matt

For another reasource on hope, see: http://blackhawk.s405.sureserver.com/resources/sermon_lib.php#

First off, I find Matt’s excitement and faith in this post to be infectious and intoxicating. It’s good for him and it’s good for his own faith. It’s clearly genuine and that means a lot.

With all of that said, I disagree. The obvious core reason I disagree is simply a difference in worldview. Matt, like so many others, believes in Christ. I don’t. He’s a christian, I’m an atheist.

The main question posed in Matt’s note is, What are we hopeful about? Matt argues that the hope in Obama is a fleeting hope. Regardless of his presidency, this hope will fade away. Things will rebound (or they won’t) and that hope in Obama will be gone. Then what? Matt argues that all of that hope is best placed into Jesus Christ. That hope won’t go away and it will last into the next lifetime.

“Is true hope found in $150M in money spent on the frills and glitz of January 20, 2009, or is hope found in the guarantee of eternal life that comes through the one and only triune God, who sent His son, Jesus, to die for the sins of all people?

Regarding Obama, true hope begin in 2004 during the Democratic National Convention and his “United States of America” speech. That hope continued into January of 2008 when he announced his candidacy for president in Springfield, IL. That continued thru the primaries when he ran a 50 state grass roots campaign. That hope was re-affirmed during his “Yes We Can” speech in New Hampshire, his racism speech in Philadelphia and his 2008 DNC speech. Finally, that hope is the reason he was able to win the election in November and give the Inaugural address he gave on January 20.

There are a lot of decisions and possibilities up ahead for the Obama administration. Economy, Iraq, Afghanistan, Universal Health Care, Renewable Energy, Education, Civil Rights, Immigration, etc. Real issues that Obama has an opportunity to make decisions on that will have effects that every American will feel.

The consequences of these decisions will not fade quickly. Even though the hope in FDR has faded, the ramifications of The New Deal have not. Presidents have lasting legacies, especially when they are in office during turbulent times. The hope for Obama is that he will deliver.

Now, the big question, what about the hope of Jesus Christ? I understand Matt’s argument about Jesus as a hope that won’t go away. It’s much easier to pour your love and heart into something that won’t go away than it is to pour it into another person. People are mortal and will eventually pass away. It’s painful when that happens and I’ve often envied people who can use their faith and Jesus to get thru that. It seems easier to me and even effective, and definitely less painful. Does that make it better?

I don’t think so. I’d rather get thru those moments with the help of other people. Obviously it can turn into a painful loop, since those people eventually pass away. Still, that’s what life is about. It’s about relationships and moments, and I don’t want to sacrifice any of that for something that I’m supposed to believe in. Something I’ve been taught, but never felt, heard or seen. It seems like that’s the easy way out, another way of dulling the harsh realities of life.

I know the common counter argument will be that Jesus Christ is love, and he’s part of those relationships that one has with others. I think that seems like a convenient rational than anything real. I’m not concerned with what happens to me in the afterlife, or others. I honestly don’t even care. Once that person is gone, they are gone. I’m more concerned with their well being now and during their life.

Which brings us back to Barack Obama. I do have hope that his decisions will improve the well-being of strangers, friends, family and myself. These decisions will have an impact greater than just my own lifetime. That’s change I believe in.

Note: Thoughts on sacrifice and Religion – Here is the response another friend had to the note.