ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
October 10, 2026
Tomorrow in worship, I will be inviting the congregation to drink from the waters of hope. As I was doing some reading this past week, I stumbled across an interview with the Rev. Dr. Cynthia Hale, the Sr. Minister of Ray of Hope Christian Church in Decatur, Georgia. Since Rev. Hale started the church, it has been one of the strongest congregations in our denomination, and she serves as a powerful voice for the Gospel. And I would add that like the name of the church suggests, she is a ray of hope. In the interview with the Alban Institute at Duke Divinity School, she said,
“The message never changes. The methods may change, but the message never changes. And my hope is that the church, that pastors and people, will clearly understand our responsibility as well as our privilege to represent God in the world. And that no matter what is going on, we will always be focused on that call, that unique call that is ours in Christ Jesus and never negotiate or play with that. That we’ll be serious about that.”
Rev. Hale spoke of a hope she has, and how the hope gives rise to a responsibility of representing God to the world. I do not believe in her mind this hope was wishful thinking, rooted in nothing more than a pipe dream. For her, it is rooted in Jesus, and for that reason, it inspires a deep sense of responsibility. It is often said, “I might be the only representative of Jesus that someone might encounter,” and if that’s true, what kind of Jesus is that person meeting? None of us will ever be perfect, but if we take the responsibility seriously, and recognize our hope rests on the unshakable foundation of Jesus, then I imagine we will do okay… maybe even better than okay.
Continue to provide me hope, O God of all good gifts. It is this gift that allows me to see what may not be easily seen in the chaos and hatefulness of this world. Because my hope is built on the life and teachings of Jesus, I find the capacity to live into that hope in such a way that others will catch a glimpse of your dream, the dream embodied in Jesus. Amen.
