Finding Hope

I've been having an ongoing conversation with a woman who attended my church for a while. But she found that she couldn't stomach what she called the "Christian exclusivism." She's from a Roman Catholic background but has "big issues" with the church's claims.

We meet from time to time at Starbuck's to talk about this and that. One day I said I had to go because I was getting ready for a funeral. "That must be really hard to have to deal with all that grief and loss," she said. I explained that actually I find funerals one of the most rewarding parts of my job because people tend to be a lot more authentic and honest when they are struggling with that kind of pain. I told her that I get tremendous satisfaction from being able to bring a message of hope at those times.

"I know what you mean," she said. "It's the same with my work." She works with survivors of incest, many of whom are deeply traumatized. "Without hope, they can't make it," she said. "It's part of my job to give them some hope."

And so here we were, suddenly discovering a comman vocabulary and a common experience, even though standing (apparently) on very different ground.

"We've got to meet again and talk some more about hope," I said. And we agreed we would.

This is the kind gateway, the kind of open space where contemporary ministry has to take place.