Hope in Action

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​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood                          
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sermon Notes Sunday Service March 8 2026
Sermon Title–Hope in Action
Text – Psalm 130
Rev. Richard Herman
​What do the following words have in common?
X auction                 X duck                  X light                  X wave
 
They are all gerunds – English words that can be used either as noun or a verb.

1. You can attend an "auction," or you can "auction" something off.
2. You can see a “duck” paddling around a pond, or “duck” when a snowball is thrown at you.
3. You can turn on a “light,” or “light” a match.
4. You can “wave” at a friend or get knocked over by a “wave” at the shore.

There are several gerunds in our English Bible, although the original Hebrew and Greek words may be altogether different. 
For instance, “sin” can be a noun, as when Jesus tells a paralytic in Matthew 9, “Your sins are forgiven;” or a verb, as He tells a woman in John 8, “go and sin no more.”  And ...
When Jesus says in Mark 12 the most important command is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength; and to love your neighbor as yourself’”... “love” is an action verb, whereas it’s noun every time it appears in 1 Corinthians 13, often called the “love chapter”. 
The same is true for “hope.” When Paul says at the end of 1 Corinthians 13, “these three abide: faith, hope and love,” it’s a noun. However, as the Psalmist says in Psalm 135, “I wait for the Lord and in His word I hope,” it’s a verb.  In fact, hope appears more frequently a verb than a noun throughout scripture.  I.e., hope isn’t just a “thing” we have; it’s an “action” we do.
Introducing a fall 2024 issue of Guideposts Magazine [Oct/Nov. 2024], editor Edward Grinnan draws attention to how often the word resilience gets tossed around these days.  After asking, “What is resilience?”, he goes on to say: “I think of resilience as hope in action.  Our hope is the superpower that fosters resilience and leads toward positive outcomes in life.”
What does “hope in action” look like?  How do we experience hope as a verb? The Scriptures help us by pointing out at least two ways we can do hope. The first being that to which Grinnan calls our attention. Namely that ...

1. Hope in action looks like resilience (sometimes called “grit” or “endur-ance”) in the face of trials, troubles and life’s uncertainties.  It’s hanging in there, not giving up or giving in.

In Isaiah 40, the prophet declares ...
Even young people tire and drop out,
    young folk in their prime stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord will get fresh strength.
They spread their wings and soar like eagles,
They run and don’t get tired,
    they walk and don’t lag behind. (40:30-31, The Message & NIV)
And Paul encourages the Christians in Thessalonica saying: 
We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Th. 1:2-3)
Hope manifested in resilience and endurance looks like Jacob in Genesis 32 – alone, distressed, fearful and doubting on the evening before he’s to encounter his estranged brother Esau. Out of the deepening darkness of night and of his own anguish comes someone strong and muscular, coming at him like an Olympic wrestler grappling with an opponent.  Hour after hour they wrestle, neither one better-ing the other, until the sky shows streaks of light signaling dawn’s approach.
When his opponent realized Jacob wouldn’t give up or give in spite of total exhaustion, he struck Jacob on the hip socket, putting his hip painfully out of joint.  Still, Jacob hung-in and hung-on.
“Let me go; dawn is breaking,” said the unknown assailant.
Through his pain and sweat, Jacob replied: “No!  I won’t let you go until you bless me.”
“What’s your name?” his assailant asked.
“Jacob.”
“No longer will you be called Jacob, but your name shall be Israel (God-Wrestler) for you have wrestled with God and come through it.”
Jacob countered, “So, what’s your name?”
“Why do you ask my name?” came a sharp reply. And right then, the one with whom he’d struggled, blessed Jacob and disappeared – leaving him alone once more.   
Stunned, he named the place Peniel (God’s Face) saying, “I saw God face-to-face and lived to tell the story!” For the rest of his life, Jacob walked with a limp as a reminder to press-in hard with God, to never give up on the Lord or give in to fear.
Hope is resilient.  It does not give in or give up, even with the odds stacked against it.
In October of 1941, with Britain in the throes of World War II, Prime Minister Winston Churchill spoke briefly at his old school, as the country teetered on the verge of disaster. Surveying his audience, he reflected on lessons learned in the struggle up to that point, saying:
For everyone, surely, what we have gone through in this period ... this is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty — never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. We stood all alone a year ago, and to many countries it seemed that our account was closed, we were finished.
Very different is the mood today. Britain, other nations thought, had drawn a sponge across her slate. But instead, our country stood in the gap. There was no flinching and no thought of giving in; and by what seemed almost a miracle to those outside these Islands, though we ourselves never doubted it, we now find ourselves in a position where I say that we can be sure that we have only to persevere to conquer.    
The power of Churchill’s words lay in their simple, undeniable truth. Encapsulating the spirit of hope as resilience, they encourage us to persist in whatever God calls us to do, to face adversity with courage and determination. They’re a timeless reminder that challenges are an inevitable part of life’s journey, but succumbing to them is not ... and it’s hope in action that fuels the tenacity to not give up or give in when the inevitable crises smash into our lives.
Borrowing again from Churchill, there are times when hope in action looks like “blood, toil, tears and sweat” taking us through long days of struggle and of suffering.  Yet, as coach Vince Lombardi famously said: “It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get up.” 
Hope in action looks like resilience, endurance and determination.  When it’s knocked down, it gets back up and keeps on going.
X X X

1. However, there are times when hope in action seems placid, tranquil and still; appearances belying the energy exerted in being ever alert and watchful.  As the Psalmist reminds us with the image of a night sentry standing guard ... watching and waiting:

I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
    and in His word I put my hope.
I wait for the Lord
    more than watchmen wait for the morning,
    more than watchmen wait for the morning.
Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
    for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.
He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.  (Psa. 130:5-8)         [pause]
Hope in action often looks like waiting– which most of us are not very good at!  Tom Petty once sang: “Waiting is the hardest part;” to which most of us would say “Amen!”
Living in a world of Grub-Hub and Door-Dash, EZ-Pass and freeway express lanes, Netflix, streaming services, cell phones, Google and Siri, our motto is: Give it to me quick or forget about it!  We don’t like waiting in traffic, in line at the supermarket, at the airport, or when our computers don’t work fast enough.
Author Max Lucado calls us “the giddy-up generation.” We frown at the person who takes eleven items into the ten-item express checkout. We drum our fingers while the Keurig heats our coffee. In our “get it NOW” microwave mentality, we want what we want when we want it—which is usually immediately. We don’t like waiting! Afterall, waiting reminds us that we are NOT in control!
Jesus once described the Kingdom of God as a farmer who plants seeds ... and then must wait!  Day and night, whether he’s awake or sleep – he must wait for the seed to sprout and grow.  He doesn’t know how it happens and he certainly can’t make it happen any faster.  The earth does it all without his help: first a green stem appears, then a bud, then the grain. Finally, when the grain is ripe and fully formed, he can reap it at harvest time (Mk. 4:26-29).
Hope—certain in believing the promise that the seed will bear fruit, plants the seed ... and waits!  Hope waits!  It trusts in the certainty of an outcome it can’t control.
But that does not mean hope is inert, lazy, indolent or slothful. For a follower of Jesus, hope that waits is still active. Faithfully going about life as God orders it.
Speaking of the day when He would return to clean-up the mess, Jesus told His followers another story to encourage them to watch, wait, and stay alert. For you have no idea when the Son of Man is going to show up – but He will show up!
Using the image of what happens in a household when the Master goes away on a trip, Jesus said ...  
So, “who then is the faithful and wise servant that the master puts in charge of the other household servants in his absence, to give them their food at the proper time?  It’ll be good for that servant whose master finds him doing his job when he returns.” 
 “But suppose the servant only looks out for himself,” Jesus continued, “and the minute the Master’s gone he ignores instructions he was given and proceeds to do whatever he pleases—abusing his fellow-servants and throwing drunken parties for his friends. Then, when [not if, but when] the Master shows up at a time he least expects, it won’t be a pretty sight!” (Mt. 24:42, 45-51)
Hope empowered waiting keeps-on keeping-on, faithfully following the Master’s directions, constantly looking for his certain and coming presence in the time before He shows up—and He will show up! 
In fact, He shows up every day in seemingly small, sometimes inconspicuous ways that we often overlook but which we can discern if we remain alert and expect His presence with us. 
God shows up when we take time to notice a sunrise, the rustling of leaves, the warmth of sunlight or the appearance of the first crocus. For, as Paul says in Romans 1, since the creation of the world God’s invisible attributes are clearly seen and understood from what He has made.
God shows up when, in a world full noise, flurry and hurry, we keep space for stillness, quiet and peace. As Psalm 46 invites us to, “be still, and know that I am God,” so God showed up for Elijah not in a hurricane wind, the tumble of an earthquake or the roar of a wildfire but in the gentle whisper of a still, small voice. God’s peace and presence often come in moments of stillness.
God shows us when we savor life’s simple blessings—a warm cup of coffee or tea, the sound of rain, or in the laughter of a child.
God shows up in small acts of kindness given and received—the kindly smile shared with a stranger, the offer of a helping hand or an unexpected act of generosity.
And, one day He will show up in a way that’s not so small or inconspicuous! For Jesus says that sudden and bold, like lightning that flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other, will be His coming in that day (Mt. 24:27; Lk. 17:24).
Waiting in hope looks like trust.
     It believes, with certainty, that God will keep His promises--
          even if His ways and timing are not ours.
Waiting in hope looks like living out God’s good will for us:
     Following Gods Commands,
     Obeying His Statutes,
     Loving His Word.
It’s continuing to Do what Jesus tells us to do. 
     It’s keeping at our post—following orders.
Waiting is not doing nothing.
Waiting is to keep on ...
     Loving God with all that I am and have;
     Loving neighbor; and
     Loving brothers and sisters in Jesus.
Waiting is to continue
     To act justly, and
     To love mercy, and
     To walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8).
That’s what waiting in hope looks like!
Hope is built on the sure promises of God and waits on God to fulfill them. Hope keeps faithfully following orders until the Master returns.
“Wait, hope for and expect the Lord,” says the Psalmist. “Be brave and of good courage, and let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, wait for, hope for and expect the Lord.” (27:14, Amplified)
X X X
Resilience and Patience. Hope isn’t just a noun – a thing; it’s a verb – action we do.   Hope endures, waiting for the true and certain promises of God to be fulfilled, as it, often unglamorously but faithfully, keeps following Jesus and observing His commands.
"Hope begins in the dark,” says Ann Lamott, “the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: You don't give up."  That’s hope in action. 
In the name of the Father, and the Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen.