With Nothing to Lose....

In last week's essay, I wrote about the Foolishness of Christ and wondered aloud about the ways we might embody the Gospel of Hope "for such a time as this." It was a call to remember "that we have the capacity to do something significant, that we have the capacity to change the world by aligning with God, and not the world."

Today, as the beautiful fall sun slants through my office window, I sit with the weight of how much the world has changed. So many of us feel shocked, terrified, even furious at God. We find ourselves wanting to hide away, hoping to wake up from what feels like a nightmare unfolding before us. We see a world where so many align with worldly idols, placing their hope in leaders or systems as if they alone could heal the deep wounds we face.

We cry out, "Fix it, God! Make this pain go away. Make the suffering I see every day stop. Keep those I love from dying, from despair. Just make it stop..."

Just make it stop...

What can we do with this ache? How can we choose to live in faith, especially when it feels like so much has been lost? How do we keep moving forward in hope when there is so much that feels beyond our control?

In times of heartbreak and devastation, it’s natural to feel vulnerable, to want God to come in as a force of overwhelming strength and ease our pain. And yet, throughout Scripture, we see that God’s power often moves through humble, ordinary moments and small acts of love. God is with us not just as a divine comforter but as a guide who invites us to embody hope and healing for each other.

When we feel we have nothing left to lose, we become free to choose, unshackled from the fear of loss. We can be daring in our love, in our faith, in our choices. This isn’t a call to ignore the pain or turn a blind eye to injustice. Rather, it is an invitation to be bold in our hope, to risk faithful action even when the path forward isn’t clear.

Yes, the world may see this kind of hope as foolish. To have faith that God is still working, still calling us to bring light into dark places—this may seem illogical to some. But, as followers of Christ, we are called to embody this “foolish” hope. We are invited to believe in the promise of love, to trust that healing and justice are still possible, and to let that hope propel us toward action.

We stand here with nothing to lose. So, let us choose to do faithful things. Let’s choose to do big things, bold things, things that don’t just comfort us, but truly change the world around us.

What big, bold, foolish things would we do if we had nothing to lose?

The Gospel doesn’t promise us easy answers or quick fixes. But it does promise that God is with us, that God’s love endures even in our darkest times, and that we are part of a community that has and can continue to make a difference together.

So, let’s choose courage. Let’s choose hope. Let’s choose to love one another and our neighbors fiercely, to advocate for justice, and to be sources of healing. Even when it feels like all is lost, let us remember that we are not alone. Let us remember that we are called to be Christ’s hands and feet in the world, to lift one another up, and to act with the faith that God’s love is already at work in the world. All we have to do is follow.

What do we have to lose?

The late Rev. William Sloane Coffin was a chaplain, theologian, and activist in the tumultuous decades of the Civil Rights, Anti-War, and Nuclear Disarmament movements. His Benediction is an enduring call to risk big things for the sake of Love. He penned,

May God give you the grace never to sell yourself short; Grace to risk something big for something good; and Grace to remember the world is now too dangerous for anything but the truth and too small for anything but love.

In a world that often feels fractured and fragile, Coffin's words remind us that we are called to a faith of courage and action, a faith that risks and reaches beyond our comfort zones. Following Christ means stepping out in faith, even when the road is uncertain, even when the stakes feel impossibly high.

What do we have to lose?

Nothing, if we are held by a Love that endures and a Truth that liberates. So may we dare to risk big things for the sake of something good, trusting that God’s love will be with us in every step. Let us go forward, hand in hand, embodying a hope that the world needs now more than ever.

Hand in hand,

Pastor Robin