There are days I fight despair. I wake up in the morning, seemingly weighed down by the upcoming burdens of the day. I read the news, and am further driven down by things happening in this country that I never imagined.
Then I heap on global warming, rising prices on a fixed income, the latest random act of violence, the direction we’re headed in as a nation (or the lack of direction), and pretty soon, with little effort at all, I’m a swirling stew of despair. And the stew is cold.
Despair tends to breed further despair, which can lead us to a very dark place. Is such despair so all encompassing as to then be all consuming? Or is there somewhere we can look and see hope?
I often turn toward the little things. The big things can be overwhelming and seem insurmountable, inspiring a sense of hopelessness because they make me feel small and helpless. But the little things, those I can visualize, embrace, act on, see something positive happen.
For example, Helena’s Safeway and Albertson’s last week held a fundraiser for the firefighter and his family whose Helena Valley home recently burned down. From the Independent Record:
“From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., barbecues were set up in the Safeway and Albertsons parking lots to grill burgers and hot dogs that were sold for $5. Patrons dropped their money into boots. Representatives from several fire departments, including Tri-Lakes Fire & Rescue, Canyon Creek Rural Fire and Baxendale Volunteer Fire, were there serving up food, standing by booths or hauling shiny red fire engines to draw attention.”
As you walked through the store, the sound system periodically announced the food fundraiser activity to remind shoppers to stop and get something to eat before heading home.
On the same day, representatives of God’s Love, a local agency that provides emergency shelter, food, clothing, hygiene and feminine products, access to medical care, and more, were at the Helena Walmart collecting donated goods in support of their cause.
They handed out little slips with a list of simple items as you entered the store, the idea being as you did your shopping, you might add on one or two of these items, then drop them back off as you left the store, Again, the sound system periodically announced the gathering activity to remind shoppers to pick up that extra item.
The upshot of all of this? There are examples of giving and generosity around us every day, all we need to do is look and see. Small, determined groups, and even individuals, can make a difference. Hope is a local force for good. And these little things add up.
At the other end of the spectrum, we can look beyond the worldly despair around us. We are currently in what most Christian denominations refer to as Holy Week, the period from Palm Sunday to Easter, when the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection is commemorated in great detail.
Palm Sunday re-enacts the Passion, or Jesus’ arrest, trial, and crucifixion. This coming Thursday, commonly called Maundy Thursday, recalls the Last Supper and Jesus’ washing his disciples’ feet. Good Friday brings to mind the final acts of Jesus’ life prior to resurrection. Finally there is Holy Saturday, or Easter Eve, when Christians make final preparations, and the resurrection on Easter Sunday.
On Easter Eve, my church, St. Peter’s Episcopal Cathedral, will celebrate the first Easter service, the Easter Vigil. It begins in the dark. A fire is lit and the flame is used to light a large candle, the Pascal Candle. This is followed by a chant from a cantor. I will act in this capacity this year, delivering these opening lines:
“Rejoice now, heavenly hosts and choirs of angels, and let your trumpets shout salvation for the victory of our mighty King. Rejoice and sing now, all the round earth, bright with a glorious splendor, for darkness has been vanquished by our eternal King.”
This is a chant of ultimate hope, victory over death, the promise of salvation, that reaches beyond that worldly stew, overturns the pot and replaces it with the vision of a new life in the resurrection. When the world seems hopeless, we can embrace these manifestations of ongoing hope.
Hope for small things that can be fulfilled because people care and respond at a local level. Hope for that which is beyond our comprehension, for an enduring life as a promise we believe in, and hope in, that cannot be defeated or overcome.
Jesus has won the victory over death and despair, and that gives us a hope beyond hope, beyond what we might hope for in this world. And despair can be overcome. I ask again, is there a reason to hope, to see beyond the despair of day-to-day life?
We can live in hope that little things matter at the local level, and that people will respond when the community’s in need. And we can live in hope that for the worldly “stew” of despair, there is a promise that goes beyond that, a promise of new life.
Easter is coming. It offers the ultimate hope of new life beyond this world, beyond despair. Each of us should consider this message in our own way, and ponder if maybe there is a greater hope that can overcome worldly despair.
Then maybe we can act, and just do a little thing now and again, in the name of hope.
Roger Reynolds, a Jefferson City resident, is an ordained Episcopalian deacon.
