Why Rumours of Hope?

(from my 'About' page)

Well, for a start, with a gazillion blogs already registered on the internet, it's getting hard to find a name for a new one. It was either this or "The In of And".

But more seriously, why Rumours of Hope? 'Rumour' is, after all, a word with somewhat negative connotations. In a world that clamours for constantly updated information, rumours are often substituted for news. We hear rumours of war, rumours of economic turmoil, rumours of environmental disaster, rumours of sex scandals, rumours of political sleeze and corruption. We associate the word rumour with hearsay and gossip.

But why not circulate some positive rumours? People listen to rumours. They pass them on, and wait with interest to see if they will prove true or not.

What the world really needs at the moment is some reason to hope. Not head-in-sand hope, but hope that despite all the gloom, there is a future that is worth waiting for and working towards.

So I'd like to spread some alternative rumours such as: God is not dead, the world is not out of control, humanity is not a cosmic mistake, atheism or legalistic religion are not the only options. Rumours such as: God can be trusted, life can be meaningful, love will ultimately triumph over death.

I've moved a number of posts here from two of my other blogs, Trust and Necessity (now closed) and Not the Doctor (which I'm re-organising). I've also provided a link to my old website One Candle. And I plan to post new material regularly. I hope you will enjoy browsing and reading and perhaps interacting through the comments box.

Don't be alarmed

People have been predicting the imminent end of the world and Jesus' second coming since his ascension. Some of these predictions have been based on supposed prophetic visions or dreams. Others have focused on auspicious dates such as the years 500, 1000  and 2000 AD. Calculations based on the book of Revelation have produced a wide range of dates, most of which have already passed by uneventfully.

Cataclysmic events such as the sacking of Rome (410 AD), the bubonic plague  in 1347-53, and the wars of 1914 and 1939 have also prompted people to  predict the imminent end of the world. Anxiety being created today by various crises internationally is likely to lead to a rise in end-of-the-world forecasts.

The Bible restrains us from making such predictions or becoming anxious about them. For one thing, it provides a record of wars, famines, plagues and disasters spanning over 2000 years. Whatever dreadful thing is happening in our world today, we can be sure to find something similar in the history described in its pages. "There is nothing new under the sun" (Ecc. 1:9). In all these events, God remains sovereign.

Secondly, we have Jesus' words in Matthew 24:6-8 "You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.  All these are the beginning of birth-pains." What midwives call "practice contractions" in other words.

Jesus assures us that when the end does come and he returns it will be both sudden and obvious. In the meantime may our response to what is happening in the world be compassion and prayer for those affected, trust and steadfastness in our own situation.

Image: by tarotastic / photo on flickr

Now we are all prophets

Then he said to me "Prophesy…" So I prophesied as he commanded me. Ezekiel 37:9-10

After studying the role of the prophets in the Old Testament, one of our Bible study group members asked "What about today? Are there still prophets today?"

It's a good question, and we discussed it at length. Some would point to Hebrews 1:1-2 to argue that prophecy ceased with the end of the Old Testament and the coming of Christ. Others would argue that prophecy is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned in 1 Cor 12:10 and some people are especially gifted for this role. Certainly the New Testament mentions specific people such as Agabus as prophets.

But the New Testament also speaks of every Christian being called to prophesy (eg 1 Cor 14:5). The Old Testament prophets were anointed with the Holy Spirit to speak God's word into a specific situation and call people back to the covenant made at Sinai. As Christians living under the New Covenant, we all have the Holy Spirit and we all have the word of God in scripture. So we could be said to be prophesying when, prompted by the Spirit, we remind one another of that word in order to exhort and encourage one another in our daily circumstances.

That doesn't mean racking our brain or searching our Bibles for an appropriate word for every occasion. But we should be obedient to the Holy Spirit's leading and be ready to include God's word in our conversation and our prayers as he brings it to mind. "Would that all the Lord's people were prophets" (Num 11:29)

Image: Author: Ian W Scott / photo on flickr