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We Had Hoped

There is a short phrase in the Easter story that caught my attention this year: “...but we had hoped…” These words from Luke 24 were spoken on the road to Emmaus and they are filled with lament from those walking that road.  Sadness that things had not turned out the way they thought they might. 

We had hoped.

Words that appear in the very same chapter as the impossibly joyful words, “He is risen!” And while I believe and rejoice in the Jesus resurrection, it's those words of lament on the Emmaus road that often surround us these days.


We had hoped.

 

With all of you, we had hoped that there would be less suffering and war in the world and that refugees could find their way home; that our cities would be less violent and their vulnerable populations could flourish; that environmental injustice would end; that the Church would reclaim it’s witness to the unending love of our risen Saviour…


We had hoped.


Jura Creek near Canmore, 2023
In the life that Kathy and I walk, we had hoped we could grow old together. We had hoped that we could live lives that embrace others– neighbours, friends, a church community, and family– but so often cancer’s toll means we have to hold people at arms length and hold very loosely to plans that we have. We had hoped  that we could travel a little, perhaps to stand on a shore in Newfoundland scanning the horizon for icebergs. We had hoped for a calendar that wasn’t filled with blood tests and unending chemotherapy appointments.

Kathy and I, along with each of you live in a story where we know Jesus is risen!  Many days we find ourselves walking the road of joy with the women coming from the empty tomb. But, because that story has yet to come to fullness, we also find ourselves walking, heavy-hearted, with those on the road to Emmaus.


We had hoped … 


May the certain presence of our risen Lord help us to keep the faith and to find hope, no matter the road we walk.


Comments

  1. Paul DeGrootApril 29, 2023 at 7:38 PM

    I'm writing from New Zealand, where we, too, are living in hope. As those who are "only watching" and not bearing the burden of cancer ourselves, we are still companions on this journey and thinking every day about your journey, Brian.

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    1. BrianApril 30, 2023 at 2:02 PM

      It's good to hear from you Paul. I don't think our experience is unique. I am sure that most of us live our lives on both roads. In fact, the metaphor is limited by the fact that many days we walk both roads at once-- knowing both the surety of Jesus' presence and the disappointment in the way things still are.
      Blessings to you and your family no matter what continent they are on!

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