Standing Firm in Hope – Pursuing Perspective

We crept up, up, up to the top of Sulphur Mountain, in the majestic Rocky Mountains, to pursue the perspective that awaited us, in the first hours of our inSPIRE Retreat. The clouds parted to reveal a panorama of mountain peaks, valleys and village, from our breathtaking view over 2 kilometers (7,500 feet) high.

Welcoming Wonder

The wonder began even before we arrived at the top. Ascending above towering trees and toward the heavens, looking in all directions from our gondola perches, we were reminded that we are SPIREs, with hearts intended to reach the heart of God.

We were there to experience both creation and the Creator. We knew in our hearts that the splendor before us was not some random collision of atoms. It was an awesome, imaginative, and intricate plan for life from the God who gives good gifts. The landscape before us was the work of one Lord, one Spirit, one God and Father of all; the Lord we would look to for perspective, on our retreat.

Pursuing Perspective

Just as the mountains call for us to look beyond ourselves, the Apostle Paul draws us to see a bigger picture. He reminds believers of the glorious hope – an eternal future prepared in advance for God’s people. We are all a part of a much bigger story than our day-to-day one with its details and distractions. We are invited to live in the hope of the larger story.

For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all. Ephesians 4:4-6

Paul emphasizes that we are more than individuals in a random world of isolated homes, workplaces, relationships, and families. We ultimately belong in one eternal family, united by one Spirit and one faith. He repeats the word “one” in these short verses, seven times. It would not be lost on Paul’s audience that seven is the symbolic number of perfection.

Where Hope is Found

Hope is found in this perspective of a perfection to come. Though we won’t experience every human hope or dream coming true in our lifetimes, we can look with anticipation to the glorious hope of eternity with one God, over all, and living through all.

We are all invited into this eternal relationship with God, made possible through faith in Jesus, and the wooing of his Spirit. Then, as we stand, dripping wet from our baptisms, the symbol of our participation in the death and resurrection of Christ, we live into the hope of a future as the children and heirs of almighty God.

Longing & Desire

We long for good things because we were made for holy wholeness. Our inSPIRE Retreat group pulled away from the base of the mountain to rise above our immediate surroundings and experience the view from the top. Our retreat was meant to awaken that sometimes hidden or crushed desire for holy hope and wholeness deep within us.

When we returned to our Canmore meeting location, we were ready to explore our true identities as children and heirs of God. From that bigger-story viewpoint, we could look with perspective and grace on our lives and reach out to others with the same grace we received. We could exchange hurt and unforgiveness for our freedom.

Rising Like SPIREs

I believe we left with the fuel to rise as spires, rightly reaching up to God for our hope, and pointing the way for others. I hope you’ll join us for the next mountain retreat, to pursue perspective and find your own hope and faith, for a whole life, for now and for eternity.

Meanwhile, let’s continue our journey through Ephesians, in this space. I hope you’ll add your thoughts, questions and comments, to the conversation, as we encourage one another to stand firm in hope and faith.