This week has been a highlight. Jesus has been working so tangibly around me lately; I’m in a place of thankfulness and revelation. Looking into the book of Luke, the gospel has become to me as clear as ever. There are so many unexplored, undiscovered and beautiful aspects of scripture; so many perspectives and applications- it excites me. I can look at everything within and see that it points to Christ, “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

I’ve had this sense of profundity lately; that things truly are dynamic, that the kingdom is growing, that there is hope. In the reality in which I find myself it is not always easy to think this way. Religious oppression, destitution, desperation, fear, mistreatment, preoccupations, misplaced priorities, and worldliness are the first words that come to mind. But hope? Hope?

Firstly, on Monday afternoon I witnessed the passion of my friend Anthony. This man has a vision to be in ministry as a full-time evangelist and it was awesome to hear where his heart is at. He desires to share in a community of believers, making disciples and impacting the community. We spoke at length over the centrality of Christ in the Bible and as he applies to our lives. It was absolutely inspiring; by the end I think we were both awestruck and driven by the love of Christ. A new fire was set blazing. This is where power starts; in the realm of the spiritual. Everything we see around us, after all, is the product of spiritual ambition. It is the most powerful force we know. This seed of determination within Anthony is hope indeed.

Secondly, I have started playing recreational football in the field near my house. The first day it was six of us, then fifteen, then over thirty. That things have grown like this in one week also spells out hope quite clearly to me. I say this because often the youth in this barrio find nothing better to satisfy themselves than drugs. I see this as a ministry opportunity; being able to enjoy this awesome sport together, encouraging, teaching and congratulating- displaying a joy and a love that transcends drugs altogether.

Thirdly, I have been discipling under a sixty-year-old Dominican man, who has hope written all over him. It has been really eye-opening to see his perspective; I have seen the trans-cultural nature of Jesus’ message through him. His real name is Pedro-Antonio, but he is better known as Moreno (dark man) or Boso (moustache). They have really descriptive nicknames here. Anyway, his outlook is contagiously hopeful. I mean, all of his hope is staked on Jesus; he is full of the assurance that God will bring to completion all that he has promised. He speaks of restoration and reconciliation as things that are currently happening, not as things that will come to pass in one short day when Jesus shows up again. Every time we study together, the encounter ends with an unshakeable sense of the solidity of God. What he did for us can never be taken away or destroyed; worries fade when we consider his sovereignty. We can rest in him; he is our Rock- the Hope of the Nations.

Even as I was praying alongside the believers in the El Camino church, I had this overwhelming thought enter my mind: ‘I will make all things new. Even now there is hope.’ That was all God had to communicate to me. I spent the rest of the night exulting in joy, contemplating the glory of Jesus, which will soon cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. Wow.