ABOUT CHRISTIAN HOPE
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Already in the 18th century, it was clear to progressive minds that enlightenment and progress would put an end to religion - and very quickly, but nothing of the kind happened. We have science to answer questions about origins; psychotherapists and tranquilizers to combat mental pain; psychologists to relieve us of guilt; shopping centers to indulge in the modern cult - the cult of consumption; a powerful entertainment industry to supply us with emotions - but religion has no plans to die. Why? Because we are by nature meaning-seeking creatures.
Does anyone know why we live?
I have read that religion is a product of the fear of death. When consciousness awakened in the depths of evolution in monkeys, they became able to foresee their death and were so deeply distressed by this that they could neither get food normally nor be fruitful and multiply, which is why they died out. More precisely, monkeys devoted to flat materialism became extinct; the pious monkeys, who came up with the idea of expecting the resurrection of the dead and the life of the next century, thanks to this they learned to cope with the stress of their mortality and passed on their “religious genes” to their offspring, which is why man turned out to be a religious creature. This story is partly true in the sense that atheism is a dead-end branch of evolution. However, there is a deeper need in man than the need to avoid personal destruction.
Pushkin asks:
“A vain gift, an accidental gift,
Life, why were you given to me?
Or why fate is a secret
Are you sentenced to death?
Freddie Mercury, probably not familiar with Pushkin, sadly asks: “Does anyone know why we live?”, and the Iron Maiden vocalist bellows: “Tell me: why do we exist?” In fact, why all this? The furious atheist Friedrich Nietzsche says: “He who has a reason to live can endure any how,” and psychologist Viktor Frankl, a survivor of a Nazi concentration camp, says that only those who had a reason to survive could survive in unbearable conditions. At the same time, he talks about rich people, excellently arranged in life, satiated with all the pleasures that money can buy, but at the same time they struggle with the painful temptation to commit suicide - because they have no reason to live.
This need for meaning is much stronger than the fear of annihilation: kamikazes who went to certain death for the sake of the emperor and Japan, as a rule, did not believe in any afterlife, just like the communists who died for a cause that seemed worthy and right to them. The need for meaning - although they satisfied it in obviously false ways - was stronger than the need for survival. We can assume that such a need for meaning is some kind of failure, a psychological “glitch”, which nothing corresponds to in the reality of the universe. Some people seem to find the meaning of life precisely by assuring themselves and others in every possible way that there is no objective meaning in life, and if you really need it, invent it yourself.
But the apostles say that the universe definitely has a purpose, meaning and purpose, that history moves from beginning to fulfillment, to the time when the Creator's plan is fulfilled and everything in heaven and earth is united under the head - Christ (see Eph 1:10 ), and the dead will rise to take part in the solemn feast at His table and enter into the blissful life of the transformed universe. That presentiment of Joy that sometimes visits us will come true - and, as the Savior promises: your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you (John 16:22).
The most important question we face is the question of meaning and hope. About the hope that the universe is not meaningless, that our life has a purpose and purpose, that something more worthy awaits us than eternal nothingness. The English writer John Tolkien, author of the famous trilogy “The Lord of the Rings,” calls this hope “estel”:
“What is hope? When you are waiting for something good, and you know that it may not come true, but it may come true, for there is a reason for it? We have no such hope.
“There are two hopes,” answered Finrod. — What people call “hope,” we call “amdir,” “look forward” (literally, “look up.” - S. Kh.). But there is another hope, its foundations are deeper. “Estel”, “vera”, we call her. No events in the world can shake it, for it is based not on experience, but on our nature and original existence. For if we are truly Eruhini, children of the One, He will not allow Himself to be deprived of His property - He will not allow it either to the Enemy or even to ourselves. This is the fundamental principle of estel, and we do not lose it even in foreseeing the End: that all His plans invariably lead to the joy of His children.”
“Amdir” can be a reasonable hope (for example, to master a specialty and get a job) or an unreasonable hope (to win the lottery or that our team will become a champion). Or some other hopes related to this age - justified or not, good or bad. But when the train departs, all these hopes remain on the platform - and only “estel”, hope in God, remains with us. And when we find this hope here on earth, it changes our whole lives - and we become citizens of the heavenly Fatherland, who will be lovingly received at home when our mission here is over.
They will tell us that people invented all this for their own consolation; that meaninglessness, despair and death are real, but meaning, hope and resurrection are doubtful. But why should we agree with this? Why does this despondency have more rights than hope? Both positions require faith. One can believe that the human search for meaning and hope is leading nowhere, illusory, some kind of side effect of the endless evolutionary squabble for food and females, but to think so is an act of faith, and in no way reliable knowledge. This is an act of personal choice: a person believes that the universe is meaningless, and any experience that says otherwise is illusory. Why should we make this choice by default? Why do preachers of nonsense and despair claim greater credibility than preachers of faith and hope? Do they have any serious arguments? Eat. As Caligula says in the play by Albert Camus: “People die and they are unhappy.” The world is full of sadness and pain. Sometimes it’s aching, sometimes it’s sharp. If we consider rosy optimism as “hope,” then real life will very soon leave no stone unturned from it. Gospel hope does not ignore the reality of pain and sorrow; on the contrary, it descends to the very bottom of human grief and turns a symbol of extreme horror and despair into a sign of salvation. Everyone has seen this symbol - this is the sign of the Cross.
Sign of Salvation
Now we look to the Cross as a symbol of our faith. During the Soviet years, it began to be perceived by many as a cemetery symbol, but before the revolution - as can be seen from the inscriptions on old graves - the cross was a symbol of the hope of resurrection and eternal life. The image of the Cross and the Crucified on It is in every Orthodox church, it crowns every church, liturgical objects and vestments are decorated with the cross.
However, from time to time, mocking skeptics remind Christians that the cross is an instrument of painful and shameful execution and that it is somehow strange to make it a revered religious symbol. How would we feel about a religion whose main symbol was the gallows, the rack, or the electric chair? Those who ask this question usually have no idea how serious it is. The Apostle Paul also says: But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews, and foolishness to the Greeks (1 Cor 1:23). We do not quite understand the meaning of his words - what else could Christ be if not crucified? But for the apostle’s contemporaries, for those who heard the Good News for the first time, it really sounded like blasphemy or madness. To understand why, we will need to remember what the Roman cross was.
The cross was not a revered religious symbol, and it was certainly not a symbol of hope. He was a symbol of horror, disgust, dishonor and complete, final despair. When a person was nailed to a wooden cross or to a post in the shape of the letter "T" - and left hanging, slowly, very slowly, dying in unbearable agony, then this was not just an act of sadism. It was a carefully developed, perfected technology for the destruction of all dignity and all hope. It has evolved over centuries. On Assyrian bas-reliefs we see captives impaled on stakes - so that the stake driven into the stomach and coming out of the back does not touch the vital organs and the person dies for a long time in front of the eyes of those who could ever dare, or dream, or in their thoughts have to question Assyrian rule.
In the Persian Empire, convicts began to be nailed to posts; then the Greeks and Carthaginians adopted this custom; This method of execution was widely used by Alexander the Great, who once crucified two thousand prisoners.
Powerful empires - Carthaginian, Macedonian and, finally, Roman - gradually turned the practice of demonstrative and painful killing into an effective tool for asserting their power. Wherever the tread of the Roman legions was heard, the Romans were ready to show what awaited those who challenged their rule. This execution was so monstrous that Roman law forbade Roman citizens to be subjected to it, since such a death of a Roman, even a criminal, brought dishonor to Rome. This is how rebels and robbers were executed, and they tried to make their death as visible as possible.
First, a person was tied to a low post so that he stood bent over, and was beaten for a long time with so-called flagrums, special whips that were made from several belts of hard leather and woven into them were lead and sharp pieces of bone or stone, which tore the body to the bone. This was done with a very deliberate purpose: people should have seen on the cross not a proud hero, but a disfigured piece of flesh oozing with blood. Then the person was forced to carry - on his back, torn by whips - to the place of execution the horizontal crossbar of the very cross on which he was to be crucified. Then the person was nailed by the arms and legs in such a way that the nails passed through the branches of the nerves and the person constantly experienced unbearable pain - especially unbearable because his chest was stretched, and for each breath he had to rise on the broken limbs.
Those who opposed the Romans relied on their valor, on their friends and allies, on their gods - and the message conveyed by the cross with the man dying on it was very clear. No friends or allies, no gods came to save the doomed man from excruciating agony. No amount of valor could help: a strong, proud man was turning into something that has no name.
But in Jerusalem, which was under the rule of the Romans, they worshiped the one, true God - and trusted in Him. The fact that God will finally raise up the Messiah (in Greek - “Christ”), a righteous King who, according to the expectations of the people of that time, will drive out the hated pagans and establish the Kingdom of peace and plenty. The prophecies indicated that the time of the Messiah was about to come, and the leaders of the people, seized with partly religious, partly patriotic enthusiasm, tried to rouse the people against the Romans. However, as a result, the rebels ended up on crosses, and their disappointed followers scattered. Indeed, what could be more convincing than death on the cross: the God of Israel allowed this man to suffer complete defeat, end up in the hands of the pagans, die the worst of deaths. This means that this is anyone, but not the Messiah!
Jesus, considered a dangerous troublemaker by spiritual and temporal authorities, suffered just such a death. As the psalmist foretold long before these events: I am poured out like water; all my bones crumbled; my heart became like wax, melting in the midst of my insides. My strength has dried up like a shard; my tongue clung to my throat, and You brought me to the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded me, a crowd of evil ones has surrounded me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. One could count all my bones; and they look and make a spectacle out of me; They divide my garments among themselves and cast lots for my clothing (Ps 21:15-19).
He died amid caustic ridicule: And the people stood and watched. The leaders also mocked them, saying: He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ, God's chosen one. Likewise, the soldiers mocked Him, coming up and offering Him vinegar and saying: If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself (Luke 23:35-37). Indeed, there is no Kingdom, no legions of angels rushing to the rescue - only the brutal evidence of hopelessness and death. The same brutal evidence that everyone who had to bury loved ones, everyone who heard their own diagnosis, who faced pain, cruelty, betrayal and the monstrous meaninglessness of life, faces.
Christianity had to die without being born. But something happened for which skeptics still cannot find a clear explanation. The disciples, completely crushed by the death of Jesus, people who could have nothing left but despair, were suddenly transformed, filled with joy, confidence and hope and came out to meet the people and the very authorities who put Him to death, with an unheard of announcement - Jesus is risen, they saw Him alive. He is the Messiah prophesied by the prophets, the Lord, the Savior, the One in whom God grants forgiveness of sins and eternal life to every believer. This is the proclamation: “Christ is risen from the dead!” - has since sounded all over the world as a victory anthem. We know that death has been defeated, the Lord has risen - and we will rise again, the shadow of death will turn into a clear morning, we will rejoice, and no one will take our joy away from us.
The Virtue of Hope
The proclamation of the apostles confronts us with a choice - we can believe it and open ourselves to hope, hope that will transform our lives, or hide, turn away, lock ourselves in our little world - yes, stuffy, yes, dull, yes, doomed, but ours. How to proceed? What should we do in the face of hesitation and doubt?
There is simple advice: when you don’t know what to do, do the right thing. The right thing is to choose meaning over nonsense, hope over despair, that is, to choose faith. Nowadays, people have a hard time accepting the idea that hope is something we choose. Many people think that hope is just a warm feeling that comes (or doesn’t come) by itself. But Christian hope is something completely different.
Hope is active, even militant: a person chooses to hope, he swears allegiance to a certain side, and stands under a certain banner. Hope is like a banner raised in the midst of battle, like a battle cry shouted in the face of death. Like in the fairy tale by K.-S. Lewis's "The Silver Chair", where the heroes find themselves at the mercy of a sorceress, ruler of the underworld. She tries to make them forget about the overworld and believe that the underground is the only reality. One of the heroes, Luzhekhmur, steps barefoot into the burning fireplace and, when the stupefying spell subsides from the sharp pain, says: “Maybe everything you said here is true. I wouldn't be surprised. Personally, I am one of those who are always prepared for the worst. So I won't argue with you. But still, I have to say one thing. Let's say we really saw in a dream or imagined trees, grass, the sun, moon, and stars, and even Aslan himself. Let's say. In this case, I have to say that our invented things are much more important than the real ones. Suppose that this dark hole - your kingdom - is the only world. In that case, he is amazingly pathetic! Funny. And if you think about it, it turns out very funny. We may be children who started a game, but it turns out that, while playing, we came up with a world that is in all respects better than your present one. And that’s why I’m for this made-up world. I'm on Aslan's side, even if the real Aslan doesn't exist. I will try to live like a Narnian, even if there is no Narnia. So thank you for dinner, but if these two gentlemen and the young lady are ready, then we will leave your court immediately and wander through the darkness in search of the Overworld. This is what we will devote our lives to. And even if it is not very long, then the loss is small if the world is such a boring place as you described it.”
The man who says: I hope in the Lord, my soul trusts; I trust in His word (Ps. 129:5), makes a decision and sticks to it firmly - especially when it is not easy. The Prophet says: Though the fig tree should not blossom, and there should be no fruit on the vines, and the olive tree should fail, and the field should yield no food, even though there should be no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet even then I will rejoice in the Lord and be glad. about the God of my salvation
(Aww
3
:17–18).
We come to Church to testify before God, before each other and before the whole world our faith and hope: the Crucified One has risen, and we will rise again. The final word is not with the crucifiers, but with God. And, as the prophet proclaims: Death will be swallowed up forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and will take away the reproach of His people throughout all the earth; for thus saith the Lord. And they will say on that day: Here is He, our God! We trusted in Him, and He saved us! This is the Lord; we trusted in Him; Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation!
(Is
25
:8–9).
Lord's Supper
There are a lot of people in the world who are sick in their bodies, so the Lord commanded us to take the supper. It is called the Lord's Supper, not breakfast, because it is for times of darkness in your life.
God commanded that Easter be celebrated in the evening, during twilight, as night approaches.
At the Lord's Supper, which Jesus shared with his disciples, He commanded the believers to celebrate the same supper. On the night before He was betrayed, Jesus broke bread.
Perhaps you are also having a night or have been betrayed.
What to do?
Take supper, remembering the Lord.
(1 Cor 11:23)
On the night on which he was betrayed, Jesus took bread and, having given thanks, broke it and said: “Take, eat, this is My Body, broken for you, do this in remembrance of Me.”
This is an example for all of us: if night has come, break your bread and remember Him. The supper is not only for bodily healing. The broken Body of Christ brings freedom from oppressive thoughts in the mind.
(1 Thessalonians 5:8)
Let us, being sons of the day, be sober...
We do not belong to the night, but we experience the time of the night.
(1 Thessalonians 5:8)
Having put on the armor of faith and love and the helmet of the hope of salvation.
The armor of faith protects your heart because the enemy's accusations target the heart.
However, if you continue to live in fear, doubt and resentment towards others, then no matter what the sermons say, you will not hear the word of God.
The Word of God is the armor of faith and love on your heart and mind.
The helmet of hope of salvation is a joyful and confident expectation of good things in your future. You know that you are saved and that Jesus took your sins on the cross and those sins will no longer have negative consequences in your future.
Faith
Faith is action. Believing in God, believe it or not, is an action. You make a conscious choice to believe in Him. And when we act on this faith, our faith grows. Let's call these actions acts of faith. Going to church, even when it is difficult, is an act of faith. Forgiving someone who has wronged us is an act of faith. This list goes on and on.
Neil Anderson said this about faith:
“Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is not something abstract floating somewhere in the air. Faith does not fall upon us by chance and does not come to us because of our origin. Faith radiates spiritual light, and this light is discernible. Faith in Jesus Christ is a gift from Heaven that comes to us when we choose to believe, when we pursue it and stick to it.”
Faith grows line by line and is given to us by the grace of God. It grows when we choose to follow Jesus Christ.
As our faith grows, we draw closer to our Heavenly Father.
So, to summarize, faith springs from our confidence in Christ and grows as we choose to follow Him.
