True Hope

December 17th, 2025

Matthew 12:15-21.

In the 2011 World Series, it was said that the fans of one of the baseball teams, the Cardinals, put their hope in one man: Albert Pujols. And rightly so as it turned out, as he went five for five with three home runs in the third game.

In the great scheme of things, putting your hope in a sports figure, or a politician, or a gambling casino, or any earthly thing is a misplaced hope. On every continent, there are places that seem to have little hope. Jesus Christ is the only name through which all people can find true hope.

When God saved you, you became a part of His plan to bring that hope to the world. “Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are.”*

* Sermon 192 by Robert McAfee Brown, as quoted in Spirituality and Liberation: Overcoming the Great Fallacy (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1988), 136.

Author: Clark Armstrong