Hope Beyond Today

In today’s reading from Mark’s Gospel, John has been arrested. His ministry has concluded, and Jesus has entered the stage of announcing that the time that John had been preparing people for had arrived—in him. Jesus preaches that believing and trusting God’s good news leads to changed hearts and to lives lived in hope.

This change may seem easier said than done, though. How do we change our hearts and lives when that may make us appear weak to others, as if we can’t make up our minds? How can we prepare to live in God’s kingdom when living in this world is often so difficult? Why should we trust God when we see so much hatred, violence, and anxiety daily? How can we be expected to believe in good news when we’re barraged daily with bad news?

Jesus doesn’t answer those questions. What he does do, though, is offer us the hope of faith. Though we live amid trouble and anxiety and need, those things are not the last words. God’s steadfast love is. Believing that to be true can give us hope and confidence that, despite the troubles we see and experience daily, God is still in charge. This hope can transform us because it reminds us that God can see beyond today, even though we can’t. Thanks be to God who sees today as well as tomorrow, whose power is leading to the final victory of love and good, and who calls us to live each day in that confident hope!