Promises Made Will Be Promises Kept

Today, we live in a world that is fraught with uncertainty. Theological fissures are opening as old questions are reexamined. Social conventions are destabilizing. Political norms have been obliterated. Across the world, a sense of dissatisfaction is growing. Radicals are finding willing ears among growing crowds of angry and marginalized people. Corruption, violence, and cruelty are commonplace, while ethics, decency, and kindness are out. As a nation and a world, we seem to be teetering on a cliff edge, where even a soft push could leave all of us falling into a global nightmare.  

The absence of hope has brought society to a breaking point. But this sad state of the world is totally understandable. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, both secular and religious wings of society have promised big things. The postmodern world was supposed to be a time of human enlightenment, the end of war, and extraordinary breakthroughs in medicine, technology, and human rights. Evangelical religious groups actively promoted world missions as a means to bring about the return of Christ by "finishing the task," "reaching the rest," or fulfilling the Great Commission in a single generation. This latter promise seems to have meant that if a single generation of American middle to upper-class, white, reformed evangelicals could get to the last unevangelized groups on earth, Jesus would return.  

Well, they haven't done it. And Jesus hasn't returned.  

War is back. Disease is back. Religion is in decline among white middle to upper-class white Americans. Great Christian figures of the last forty years have been proven to be frauds or gravely compromised leaders. Foundational sectors of public trust, education, government, military, church, and police have been found wanting time and again. And even racism and fascism, once thought to be relics of a past, less enlightened era, have found a kind of new ironic currency with today's youth.  

What next? In a world that has lost its way, looking everywhere for answers, when even Christian people are pessimistic and angry, how do we act?  

Good news. It's always been about good news. The greatest failure of most churches today is the absence of good news.  

What is it? What is this good news? Simply this: the message that communicates the most essential information the world needs to know. Namely? Hope. The gospel of the first century was all about hope in a world that seems to have had very similar dysfunctions to our own. Consider what Paul wrote to the Roman congregation in the eighth chapter of his letter.  
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now, hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
The good news was always about a hope that transcends the darkness of the world we encounter daily. It was always about an internal transformation of light, which produces ambassadors who light hundreds, thousands, millions of candles of faith, hope, and love. It was about an existential spiritual victory that Christ won over the powers of darkness, which culminated in a very physical resurrection, delivering to all who will believe a real human hope.  

This hope inspired the early church: someday, the human condition will be physically delivered through a returning Christ who will win a future and final victory of light over evil and darkness. We need this good news back. We need to preach hope once again. We need to preach the existential good news. The God who came from out of this world gives deliverance from sin, shame, guilt, and fear beyond this world's capabilities. Love beyond comprehension, hope beyond the grave, victory beyond all earthly powers. This is the good news that transforms individuals, families, neighborhoods, and cities. Let's preach and teachit again.