Then Shekaniah son of Jehiel, one of the descendants of Elam, said to Ezra, "We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the peoples around us. But in spite of this, there is still hope for Israel. – Ezra 10:2

Today's Scripture Reading (November 9, 2023): Ezra 10

Hope. Just mentioning the word still sends me back to my teenage years and a concept album released by the Canadian rock band "Klaatu" on September 12, 1977. The album was called "Hope," and Klaatu used Science Fiction themes to explore our genuine need for hope as people of the Earth. The whole idea of the album was summed up by the philosophical musings of John Woloschuk in the final song.

            Hope, Is like a lighthouse keeper's beam,

            Hope, the master cobbler of our dreams,

            For Hope, believes in desert streams,

            The mightiest of stars

            The microcosm in a jar

            Vast or small, they all revolve on hope.

I believe that Woloschuk is right. Nothing happens if we are without hope. When Christopher Columbus sailed across the Atlantic Ocean, it was because he held out hope that there was something else out there, although what he really wanted to find was a shorter path to India. However, if Columbus held no hope for the journey, he would never have taken his first steps toward the Americas.

Right now, both the Russian-Ukranian war as well as the Israeli conflict in the Gaza Strip seem to possess the ability to draw the world into the fight. Yet, amid many serious questions, we are celebrating a new birth to a couple of friends. The baby's name is Felix, and he is adorable. But in a world that seems to be teetering on the brink of another major conflict, fights that could spill over into yet another World War, having a child is an insane proposition, except that we have hope that we will wake up and chase peace instead of joining the fight. Weddings are still taking place in Israel, and that is only because hope still exists even in the midst of war.

Shekaniah steps up and speaks the words that maybe we might have expected from Ezra. He admits that Israel has sinned but also says there is hope. And he is right. Hope was still available, even despite Israel's sin.

And it is the only thing that keeps me going. I can echo the words of Shekaniah. "We have been unfaithful to God through our sin. And yet, I still have hope in what God wants to do in our midst." I have hope for myself and for you. Regardless of what we have done, we continue to stand in the hope that God gives to each of us. It is Jesus's brother, James, that reinforces that hope.

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up (James 4:7-10).

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Nehemiah 1