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Hope in difficult seasons

Explore lament, grief, resurrection and new creation as horizons of hope.

1. 1. Read and discover - Read lesson

   World English Bible

   Romans 15:13

   ¹³ Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope in the power of the Holy Spirit.

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   Understanding the passage

   Paul’s blessing follows a call to welcome one another; hope is lived within a community of real differences.

   Reflect

   • How might trust in God help us share hope with other people?

   Put it into practice

   Offer a sign of welcome to someone different from you.

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2. 2. Praying lament - Read lesson

   World English Bible

   Psalms 13:1-6

   ¹ For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David. How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?

   ² How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart every day? How long shall my enemy triumph over me?

   ³ Behold, and answer me, LORD, my God. Give light to my eyes, lest I sleep in death;

   ⁴ lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed against him;” lest my adversaries rejoice when I fall.

   ⁵ But I trust in your loving kindness. My heart rejoices in your salvation.

   ⁶ I will sing to the LORD, because he has been good to me.

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   Understanding the passage

   The psalm moves from repeated questions to petition and trust; prayer can hold pain without pretending it has ended.

   Reflect

   • Which questions does the psalmist dare to ask?

   Put it into practice

   Write a prayer honestly naming a difficulty.

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3. 3. Hope in the face of death - Read lesson

   World English Bible

   1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

   ¹³ But we don’t want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning those who have fallen asleep, so that you don’t grieve like the rest, who have no hope.

   ¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.

   ¹⁵ For this we tell you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will in no way precede those who have fallen asleep.

   ¹⁶ For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with God’s trumpet. The dead in Christ will rise first,

   ¹⁷ then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. So we will be with the Lord forever.

   ¹⁸ Therefore comfort one another with these words.

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   Understanding the passage

   Paul addresses a community worried about its dead; the stated purpose is mutual comfort, not date calculation.

   Reflect

   • How does Paul invite the community to support those who are grieving?

   Put it into practice

   Accompany someone grieving without imposing quick explanations.

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4. 4. Why resurrection matters - Read lesson

   World English Bible

   1 Corinthians 15:12-22

   ¹² Now if Christ is preached, that he has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?

   ¹³ But if there is no resurrection of the dead, neither has Christ been raised.

   ¹⁴ If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith also is in vain.

   ¹⁵ Yes, we are also found false witnesses of God, because we testified about God that he raised up Christ, whom he didn’t raise up if it is true that the dead are not raised.

   ¹⁶ For if the dead aren’t raised, neither has Christ been raised.

   ¹⁷ If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins.

   ¹⁸ Then they also who are fallen asleep in Christ have perished.

   ¹⁹ If we have only hoped in Christ in this life, we are of all men most pitiable.

   ²⁰ But now Christ has been raised from the dead. He became the first fruit of those who are asleep.

   ²¹ For since death came by man, the resurrection of the dead also came by man.

   ²² For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

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   Understanding the passage

   Paul examines the consequences of denying resurrection; he connects Christian hope with Christ and those who have died.

   Reflect

   • Why does Paul regard resurrection as essential to Christian hope?

   Put it into practice

   Summarize Paul’s argument in your own words.

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5. 5. The hope of new creation - Read lesson

   World English Bible

   Revelation 21:1-5

   ¹ I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, and the sea is no more.

   ² I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.

   ³ I heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with people; and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.

   ⁴ He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain any more. The first things have passed away.”

   ⁵ He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” He said, “Write, for these words of God are faithful and true.”

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   Understanding the passage

   The vision culminates in God’s presence and the end of tears; it offers hope to suffering communities, not permission to despise the present.

   Reflect

   • What hope does this vision offer to people who are suffering?

   Put it into practice

   Offer an act of care consistent with this hope.