I remember a girl called Hope. She married a curate whose surname was Hope. So she became Hope Hope. One can only say that worse things happen at sea. And we might add that one always has to think of consequences when choosing a name for a child. It may be adapted to become an undesirable nickname. It may lead to a sequence of initials that prompts mirth.
Notwithstanding these hazards, hope is special. Hope is one of the three virtues we find in 1 Corinthians 13. They are sometimes called theological virtues since they are particularly treasured by those who follow the teaching and mission of Jesus. They top the traditional cardinal virtues of prudence, temperance, justice and fortitude. These should be as acceptable to Christians as to anybody else.
The word ‘hope’ is something of a chameleon. Together with faith and love it characterises the essentially positive view of the future that a believer may be expected to demonstrate. Hope has something of the flavour of optimism. It is the attitude of someone whose glass is half-full, not half-empty. It has been said that it springs eternal, that it can be a dupe, that it will be a lazy expectation that something will turn up. On the other hand God is our hope and strength; together with glory it galvanizes a believer; it is sure and certain.
But if we leave aside the overwhelming hope of glory, we also look hopefully to the future of our family, our society, the all-encompassing environment of planet earth. If we bring imagination to the task we may envisage a conquering of cancer, a harnessing of hydrogen, a fair spread of prosperity, etc. To hope for such things is to remember that hopes are often fulfilled in ways beyond our imagining. Few could have foreseen the emergence of the internet as a boon and a blessing to men like the Waverley pen, to quote one of the enduring advertising jingles from the days when we used nibs.
WATFORD ACTIVITY
With Tony Rindl leading the ministry team, Watford parish church, Hertfordshire is following the example he set before becoming a vicar He worked in quarry management and the current affairs group has been busy conducting a dig into the state of the British Church and reporting their findings in the parish magazine. Tony Rindl has also surveyed the work of numerous volunteers in the guise of the priesthood of all believers. Down-to-earth work has included improvements to the church centre.
BUILT IN 1987
Holy Trinity, Spital, Wirral has undergone a renovation since its building in 1987 and has a member of the congregation welcoming newcomers to the website in a video. There are pictures of the work on the church. The Vicar is Roger Wiles.
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