In a recent sermon series on living in exile, two of the sermons touched on hope. One was titled, Exile is Where Hope Lives. The second was titled, Surprised by Hope, but the gist of it was to not place your hope on earthly things.
My pastor said that we are easily tempted to misplace our hope. We think we can make the world the way we want it to be. We grip the world so tightly. We need to let go.
My pastor steers clear of politics, so he can’t say things plainly. He has to be subtle and hope that his message comes through.
I am not so constrained.
Americans were easily misled. Christians were easily led astray. Millions of people put their hopes for the future in a con man. DJT promised to solve all our problems. Only he can fix it! He has promised to reduce inflation, to create jobs, and to cure imaginary social ills. He has promised to punish our enemies, to make our allies pay, and to throw out the brown skinned people who are taking our jobs and supposedly making our country more dangerous.
Millions of Americans believe that with his power, DJT can make the world the way they want it to be. Make America Great Again! Restore Christian values! (But turn a blind eye to dear leader’s immorality.)
The Bible says that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction. Their god is their appetite. Their glory is in their shame. How shameful it is to say vile, hateful things while courting Christians!
We need to let go of this world and put our hope in God. Our citizenship is in heaven.
For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again, even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ…
Philippians 3:18-20
Hope in Christ helps us let loose of our grip on false hopes. Hope in Christ keeps us from falling into despair when our hopes are dashed. The return of Christ is our ultimate hope.
Of course, no one knows when Christ will return. So, in the meantime, we must live in this world yet not get overly attached to it. Where the world touches us, let it be lightly.
Wear the world like a loose garment, which touches us in a few places and there lightly.
St. Francis of Assisi
It may come as a surprise that you can still have hope when you are living in exile. But if you don’t misplace your hope in the first place, you can hang onto it no matter what happens.
Innermost Being 