Unquenchable Hope - Devotional Guide

Is there hope in the Bible for times like these?

When it seems like everything we’ve known has been lost, destroyed, or changed beyond recognition, our fear can be overwhelming. When those in whom we’ve placed our trust become threats to our health, safety, and well-being, hope seems like a distant dream. When the Bible is weaponised and its meaning distorted to justify cruelty and injustice, it’s tempting to discard it. But this is not the time to lose hope and it is not the time to give the Scriptures up to those who abuse it.

The message of Christ which the Bible contains does not offer a futile hope built on denial of harsh realities. It takes suffering and evil seriously and invites us to find hope not by escaping the turmoil, but in the midst of it.

The resurrection of Christ, which we remember in the Easter Season, is a call to hope in the face of tragedy and suffering. It confronts the violence and oppression of human tyrants and reveals that evil and death do not have the final word.

The Revelation

John, the writer of the Revelation, was in solitary confinement when he received and wrote his vision. He had every reason to give up, but instead, he called his companions in Christ to cling to hope. He reminded them of the meaning and power of Christ’s resurrection and encouraged them to keep working to make God’s reign a reality in their lives.

The truth of John’s vision is not just for the first century. Nor is it for some unknown future time. It is a vision of hope for all people in all times—and it speaks profoundly into our current chaos.

We need to hear John’s message again. We need to remember what the resurrection means for us right here and right now. And we need to commit once again to follow Jesus’ way of love and justice in our lives and relationships.

Unquenchable Hope
An Easter Journey through the Revelation

In Year C, the Revised Common Lectionary invites us to connect John’s Revelation with Christ’s resurrection. This combination is a recipe for hope and it is the inspiration for this new Easter series from Sacredise. Unquenchable Hope, An Easter Journey through the Revelation is based on the Lectionary epistle readings from Easter Sunday to Pentecost (including some extra readings from the Revelation for the main festivals). It contains everything you need to ensure that your Easter journey nourishes your hope and empowers you to stand against despair and cynicism.

Unquenchable Hope
is available in three options:

UNQUENCHABLE HOPE
Liturgical Guide includes:
● Purpose written prayers and liturgies for every service from Easter Sunday to Pentecost (including the Ascension);
● Sermon Starters for every service of the series;
● Gathering, Responding, and Integrating liturgies for all services in the series;
● A theme-based Table Liturgy that can be used at any service;
● Décor suggestions for your sanctuary (see Chapter One);
● Theme-based graphics for your projection software, including welcome screens and backgrounds for song lyrics, liturgies, and sermon notes.

UNQUENCHABLE HOPE

Devotional Guide includes:
● Preparing, Responding, and Integrating practices for every day of the Easter season to ensure that people can easily apply the message of each day to their own lives;

● Copies of the Sermon Starters for each service for quick reference in daily devotional practice;

● Daily reflection questions to enable people to listen more deeply to the message of the Scriptures and apply it to their lives and relationships;

● Suggestions for creating a personal altar or visual focus to support their devotional practice.

UNQUENCHABLE HOPE

Bundle includes:

Designed for communities that want to journey together, while also providing a meaningful personal journey for congregation members, the Bundle includes both the Liturgical and the Devotional Guides. It also includes a license to share the Devotional Guide through any or all of the following channels:

● Printed handouts to distribute to congregation members;

● Digital copies sent to members via email;

● Posted on your church's social media channels;

● Posted on your church's website.

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Unquenchable Hope
includes the following chapters:

Easter Sunday - A Reason to Hope
Now is the time to move beyond hope as an idea and to get obsessed with hope as a reality that can be real-ised in our homes, neighbourhoods, offices, and streets. Even now, when it is tempting to believe otherwise, the reality of resurrection reminds us that there is still a good reason to hope.

Easter 2 - All Is Not As It Seems
As we learn to open our eyes to see what we cannot naturally see—the small, hidden signs of God’s reign within and among us—we add fuel to our hope, strengthen our resolve, and set ourselves and our neighbours free to live boldly, authentically, and courageously. Because, when we have seen the reign of God, we know that in our world, all is not as it seems.

Easter 3 - Become What You Love
If we are committed to hope, we can learn from John’s descriptions of heavenly worship. We can keep a vision of the self-giving Lamb of God in our hearts. We can embrace and embody the values of God’s reign. We can be mindful and intentional of the dreams to which we give our hearts. And we can be deliberate in seeking to become what we love.

Easter 4 - Imagine
Right now is the time to work on building the life and the world we long for. There will never be a time when there isn’t tribulation. There will never be the perfect conditions to create the life we want or to build a community that models the reign of God. Now is the time. We live the dream even when the world is a nightmare. We live into the new world in the midst of the old.

Easter 5 - Real-ising Hope
Every time we change our attitudes to recognise the divine image in another person, the New Jerusalem comes to earth a little more. Every time we apologise for hurting a neighbour, or we come to the aid of a stranger, or we speak out for fair treatment of people who are marginalised, the New Jerusalem comes to earth a little more.

Easter 6 - Hope Beyond Religion
What if we did our religions differently? What if, instead of being consumed with ensuring the survival, power, and growth of religious institutions, we focussed on making the world more like the reign of God? What if in our own lives and relationships, we were less concerned about ‘converting people’ to our religion and more concerned about being kind, generous, and helpful to others?

Ascension Day - A Metaphor of Hope
God’s reign needs no palaces, thrones, or parliaments. It has no armies and seeks no conquests. It exists in the midst of every other structure, system, and organisation in the world and all it wants is to transform them into their most compassionate, just, and life-giving versions of themselves.

Easter 7 - The Return of Hope
But if we can keep praying, “Come Lord Jesus” and open our eyes to the signs of his appearing, we will recognise that there is beauty, truth, and goodness that is unbowed by evil. Resistance to the forces of destruction has not been silenced but continues to grow. Justice is being done and injustice is being opposed. Life is breaking out in the midst of death.

Pentecost Sunday - The Many Faces of Hope
What was born on the Day of Pentecost, was not an institution, an organisation, a denomination, or even a religion. It was a new way of connecting deeply with other people, regardless of beliefs, background, ethnicity, or culture. It was a new way of living in society which was based on love and a commitment to the common good.