"Rejoice in Hope"

Romans 12:9-13

Bonnie L. Browning

First Presbyterian Church - Richmond, Indiana

May 20, 2007

We all know and can relate to hard times. They are some of the darker areas of our lives. Sitting at the bottom of the hill is a child frustrated that he or she cannot yet ride their bicycle. A teenager faces the pressures of fitting in at school, often feeling more alone than ever. In a town far away, a college student deals with life away from home and the many adult decisions ahead of them. A mother sits in the intensive care unit watching a small child barely grasp at life in each breath he or she takes. A father sits in the family room surrounded by bills trying to figure out how to have water for his children. At the nursing home an elderly man sits wondering why he is alone. These are all trials and tribulations that we can understand or relate to in one way or another. Life is challenging at every step for most of us.

Thankfully, this morning's scripture gives light to our lives as individuals and as a community to deal with these situations. We read in Romans, Paul's teachings to the congregation in Rome about their new life together as Christians and how they are to act in light of this new community. It is in this list of actions that we hear verse 12, "Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, and persevere in prayer." These actions are ways to help us deal with our trials and tribulations of life. They give us strength within the Christian character to withstand the many hardships that we face from day to day.

Paul says that we are to Rejoice in Hope. What is hope? Hope is Happiness Overcoming Pessimistic Evaluations. We are to have hope in our trials and tribulations that something good may come out of them. Hope should be within us every stage of life, especially in our dreams for one another. As a child, we have hope that we will make it through another year of school or ride our bike down the street without falling down. As teenagers, we have hope that we will receive our license and the freedom in that. We also hope as teenagers for graduation from high school and even college. As young adults there is the hope that we will be successful in something that makes us happy. The hope continues in our hope to find the right partner and get married. We have hope to have children and then we hope that they will succeed. The journey of life is filled with hopes and dreams and it is in the hope that we may be sustained during the darker hours of life. Rejoice that we have hope!

In order to understand how important our hope is during difficult times, I have a story to share with you about a little girl named Tess. "She was a very precocious eight-year-old little girl that one day heard her mom and dad talking in a serious and somber tone about her little brother, Andrew. Tess didn't understand everything that they were saying, but she got the gist: Her little brother, Andrew was very, very sick....and they were completely out of money. They would have to move out of their house and move into a small apartment because mom and dad didn't have enough money for the doctor bills and the house payment. On top of that, only a very expensive surgery could save Andrew now...and they could not find anyone to lend them the money. Just then, Tess heard her dad say to her tearful mother in whispered desperation, "Only a miracle can save Andrew now."

Well Tess was filled with hope for her brother and ran to her room. She pulled out a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in her closet. She poured out all the change on the floor and counted it very carefully. She then put the change back in the jar, put the jar under her arm, slipped out the back door, and ran down to Rexall Drug Store six blocks away. The pharmacist was talking to a man intently and at first he didn't notice Tess standing there. She waited patiently for a while and then dramatically cleared her throat, but still, no luck- the pharmacist did not see her. Finally, Tess got his attention by taking a quarter out of her jelly jar and tapping it on the glass counter. That did it. The pharmacist noticed her and said, "Just a minute, I'm talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven't seen for ages."

"Well," said Tess, "I want to talk to you about my brother. He's really, really sick - and I want to buy a miracle. His name is Andrew and he has something growing inside his head and my daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So...how much does a miracle cost? I have the money here to pay for it. It's all that I have saved. If it isn't enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much a miracle costs."

The pharmacist's brother was a well-dressed man. He stooped down and asked Tess, "What kind of miracle does your brother need?"

"I don't know," Tess replied, with her eyes welling up, "I just know he's really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation. But my parents can't pay for it, so I want to use my money."

"How much do you have?" asked the man from Chicago.

"One dollar and eleven cents!" Tess said proudly, "It's all the money I have in the world, but I can get some more if I need to."

"Well, you are in luck," the man said with a smile. "One dollar and eleven cents is the exact price of a miracle for little brothers."

He took the money in one hand and with the other he took hold of her mitten and said, "Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let's see if I have the kind of miracle you need."

That well-dressed man form Chicago was Dr. Carlton Armstrong who just happened to be a noted neurosurgeon. The operation was successfully completed without charge...and it wasn't long until Andrew was home again and doing well." (SermonIllustrations.com- David Yarbrough)

Tess was a child filled with hope that she could help her brother have a miracle with one dollar and eleven cents! A small child was able to see in the situation hope among the despair of her parents that they could not help there son. Let us rejoice in hope!

Next, we are to Be Patient in Suffering. Well, patience in my mind is a virtue. For some of us, including myself it is often hard to find our patience in anything especially during the trials of life. However, we are to remain patient in our suffering and faithful in our rejoicing hope through the hard times. Be patient in suffering in order to succeed. In 2001, the Roanoke times published an article about a man named Stephen Kuropas who had patience in suffering. "For Stephen Kuropas, born with cerebral palsy, some things just take a little while. But that hasn't stopped him from trying - or from succeeding. Last Sunday, after 12 years of attending classes, Kuropas, 41, graduated with an associate's degree from the Community College of Philadelphia. Kuropas cannot use his hands to write, gets around in a wheelchair, and requires help for such day-to-day functions as eating. When he entered the a two-year degree program, a full course load was out of the question. So, Kuropas took on what he could, signing up for one class each semester. Kuropas tape-recorded lectures. Assistants took notes for him and because he gets migraines from reading, helpers also recorded all of his books onto cassettes. At home, he typed his assignments onto a computer, using his head. Although he cannot speak clearly, he communicates through expressive gestures. He shares his more complex thoughts on paper. He thanks everyone who had helped him, especially his family, in a note he typed for a reporter before the ceremony. "I couldn't have don't it without their help," he wrote. (Source Unknown) Stephen Kuropas is an example of how we can be patient in our suffering in order to overcome. Faced with so many challenges, he had hope in a goal and worked towards completing it. When we are patient in our suffering, we are able to see clearer our sense of hope. Be Patient in Suffering.

The third action is...Persevere in Prayer. Most of us know what prayer is and how to pray, but what does it mean to persevere in prayer? Throughout history there are stories of those that have persevered against all odds to accomplish something. There is the story of Abraham Lincoln who...Failed in business 1822
Ran for Legislature--defeated 1823
Again failed in business 1824
Elected to Legislature 1825
sweetheart died 1826
Had a nervous breakdown 1827
Defeated for Speaker 1829
Defeated for Elector 1831
Defeated for Congress 1834
Elected to Congress 1837
Defeated for Congress 1839
Defeated for Senate 1846
Defeated for Vice President 1847
Defeated for Senate 1849
Elected President of the United States 1851

(Sermon Illustrations - Bits and Pieces, July 1989)

It is perseverance like this that we are to have in our prayer life. Not only are we to pray when we face the harder time of life, but also when we are joyful as well. Praying is a never-ending action within the Christian faith. Persevere in Prayer.

When we understand the words of Paul "Rejoice in Hope, Be Patient in Suffering, and Persevere in Prayer" we are able to truly find solace in our times of need. We may then allow for the rays of hope to enter into our lives to bring light into the dark places. The child may then believe in him or herself to ride the bike. The college student may have hope that the decisions they make will benefit them for years to come. The mother may have hope that the child in her arms will grow into a strong-willed human being full of life. The father may have hope that the God will provide the money for the bills and that this may only be a short-term struggle. The elderly man may have hope for a visitor or a friendly visit from a neighbor. Each of us has hope in our lives from our relationship with Jesus Christ and God the Father through prayer and patience. Let us Rejoice in Hope! Amen.

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