A Time of Hope

On this first day of a new year, I am hopeful and send off many wishes starting ‘I hope’. During Advent, the beginning of the Church year, on the first Sunday, we light the candle for Hope. We remember that Jesus is our hope and, if we follow Him, we can be more positively hopeful people.

One of my favourite passages in Romans sends a greeting that is rich in meaning for us at the turning of a new year. St. Paul wrote,”May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13). Note what follows hope; it is joy and peace (as the next two candles are named) and then love, and Jesus. What a wonderful world we would have if we could abound in hope with God’s Holy Spirit to help us!

Today I also read the message of our new UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres who wants to put PEACE first. I hope he and the UN can succeed; it has been a terrible 5 years for people in Syria. I am glad that our Prime Minister chose to bring so many refugees here and give them hope for the future.My heart goes out to those who are still waiting. I recently taught a lady from Iraq, English and found her interesting and most thankful.It is a privilege to help newcomers.I have also been teaching a lady from Brazil and learning as I go along what a hard life, some people have had. As a retired teacher, I am happy to encourage people to learn a new language.

Working as a volunteer gives me hope. I meet wonderful giving people through work in the hospitals and Hospice locally. They give hundreds of hours so that sick people can be given some cheer, fed nice homemade meals and treated with respect.For 4 years, women and a couple of men at our Church, St. Andrew’s in Harrow, have helped make mats for people in Haiti to sleep on or children to use in make-shift schools. We make them out of colourful milk bags and now our work has extended because we have linked up with another organisation,Canadian Food for Children  at their Chatham branch in Ontario. It started in Mississauga with Dr. Andrew Simone  who had a mission to help the poorest of the poor. Now the mats, clothes we collect and food, we give, can  be shared in Canada and around the world.Please look at the video here  about Dr. Simone and volunteers on Youtube :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aZ0gvkDfwk

Organisations like this are world wide and give me much hope for future cooperation. We need to be positive within ourselves, then we can full of hope future. In a world where we hear so much about violence, it is good to be part of a group that believes in cooperation. I hope to spread that spirit of hopefulness amongst those I meet and those I help in 2017. But I know it is only through becoming closer to Jesus and knowing God’s will that we will succeed.