April 14, 2022 – Maundy Thursday

Hope of the World

Read UMH 178

“Hope of the world, thou Christ of great compassion, speak to our fearful hearts by conflict rent. Save us, thy people from consuming passion, who by our own false hopes and aims are spent." (Georgia Harkness, UMH 178, vs.1)

As I listen to the news stories of today, from local to international levels, I find myself deeply concerned about the state of affairs in the world we all share. The "bad” news stories far outweigh the “good” and inspiring ones. We are all too familiar with reports of hateful and fearful deeds, from glaring acts of violence and warring factions in human society to the many "hidden" and disguised attacks on people we simply don't like, or those who do not meet our personal needs and expectations. Of course, this same human drama has played out for as long as humankind has walked the face of the Earth. Any observant and caring person must wonder how long we will be content with this situation, disrupting meaningful life and making “peace on Earth, goodwill to all” seem to be but a fanciful dream. Thankfully and rejoicingly, a divine plan was sent to us in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.

“Hope of the world, God's gift from highest Heaven, bringing to hungry souls the bread of life, still let thy spirit unto us be given, to heal Earth's wounds and end all bitter strife." (UMH 178, verse 2)

As I see it, the ills of the world revolve around the fundamental problem of relationship. How we relate to each other, our world in general (including the domain of plants and animals and Earth's ecosystems) and, most importantly, how we relate to our Creator-God is central to how we live in this shared realm. There is little point in trying to solve problems unless we get to the root cause. Treating the symptoms provides temporary relief, which is helpful. But until the root cause is dealt with, problems will only recur, in different forms perhaps, but forms can be deceiving. How many wars have been fought across millennia for material gain, or because the leader of a country or tribe is afflicted with egomania? Examples can be found throughout human history and in our time as well. The "Great War" (World War I) was thought to be the war to end all wars, yet within a mere two decades, seeds of a greater and far more costly conflict had already been sown. Just within our American society, the increase in violence (and threats thereof) and lack of acceptance of those who appear differently or have dissimilar viewpoints is alarming. We read in Luke that a house divided against itself cannot stand.

Jesus opened up the path of light, so that we might not long remain in darkness. He challenges us to discover our true spiritual nature, our essential selves. “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24). "On the day when God created man he made him in the image and likeness of God” (Genesis 5:1) Perhaps, despite all worldly appearances of differentiation and of separation, we have been mistaken about our true identity, that there is a Oneness that unites us all. As an analogy, think for a moment of God as the ocean, and we are all ripples upon it. Some waves hail themselves as King of the ocean. How foolish. Key to how we ought to relate to one another is the fact that God is never absent from any part of His creation. If God were, that person could not even exist, for "we live and move and have our being in him" (Acts 17:28).

In Colossians we read: "The mystery, hidden through the ages and generations, has now been made known to his holy ones. To them God wanted to make known the wealth of the glory of this mystery among the nations, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” If we see the face of Christ in everyone we meet or look upon, whether for an instant or time measured in years, we remember and honor God. This cannot but change our point of view, for what we offer another is the same gift we give to ourselves. And Spiritual gifts must be given if we are to know them as our own. To have peace, teach peace to learn it.

Living a truly Christian life is not easy. Jesus asks us to love one another as he loved us. He even asks us to love our enemies. The world would call this a radical idea. Every day, in myriad ways, each of us has the opportunity to re-think our relationships to one another (and thus to God), to think about what is real and what is illusory, to remove the obstacles to peace and end conflict – in short, to become modern-day disciples of Jesus Christ. For it is through us that peace will come. The question to human society is: "Do we want it?"

Sincerely, Doug Dykstra