Thought for the Month - August 2014

"No hope here" by Barry Adair
(Sign for the times)

It is the 12th July as I write this on a wet and muggy Saturday. I can hear the bands from the annual "Twelfth" demonstration in the distance. To those readers not from Northern Ireland, the 12th July is an annual holiday and many band parades take place across the province in commemoration of King William's victory over King James at the "Battle of the Boyne" over 300 years ago. This event is celebrated mainly from within the Protestant tradition. Needless to say, tensions can and do arise between the Protestant and Catholic sides, especially at this time of the year. My Dad and others rightly refer to this month as the "mad month"!

I guess I should give some explanation for the photo used. The picture was taken on the Albertbridge Road in East Belfast, close to 'the Grove'. The large sign sits right on a so-called 'Interface area' which has seen much violence between Catholics and Protestants over the years.

But there is a story behind this "HOPE" sign which I would like to tell. The black lines making up the word "HOPE" hadn't been included in the original. Only the large dots (each showing a child's face) were there and you had to link up the dots, like in a dot-to-dot children's puzzle book, to make out the word H-O-P-E. However, apparently many of the locals and others hadn't been able to see "HOPE" in the original. Perhaps a telling statement in more ways than one! The solution was to connect the dots with thick black paint and to fill in the background with highlighter yellow for good measure. I can almost hear one 'side' shouting "no hope here!"

I'd always thought that the original large sign was clever and liked the idea that it took a little effort to work out "H-O-P-E". In fact, after the "Good Friday agreement", it was something of a sign for the times.

To me and countless others in the world today, the ultimate expression of hope is to be found in the Bible. And specifically in Calvary's cross. The cross, covered in blood, shows the love Jesus had for us in undergoing a tortuous death even though He deserved no such punishment. The sign of the cross is everywhere today but just like in the HOPE photo, many can't see the simple truth behind the sign.

And that simple truth? Jesus died for you.

No ifs, no buts, just a statement of fact.

The empty cross (and empty tomb) promises each born-again believer life after death and an eternal home in heaven. We can never obtain God's acceptance on our own merits. We can only come to God by way of the cross.

The cross is God's sign of hope to all of us.

Jesus died on that cross to take away our sin.

The cross points out the only way back to God.

So there IS hope here!

Please don't miss this sign today; the cross is truly a sign for the times.

…and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3-5)

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