Hope, part two

“In the sure and certain hope of the resurrection…” This phrase that has come to me in recent days is often included in a funeral liturgy. On those occasions, we take comfort in the promise of resurrection, we turn to the promise of life eternal, we remember that Jesus is “the resurrection and the life.” But I am lately thinking not so much about the “resurrection” part of the statement but rather what it has to say about hope: “sure and certain hope.” 

Really and truly, there is nothing sure and certain about hope. In fact, hope is the opposite of being sure and certain. Emily Dickinson wrote that 

“Hope” is the thing with feathers - 

That perches in the soul - 

And sings the tune without the words - 

And never stops - at all - 

And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard - 

And sore must be the storm - 

That could abash the little Bird 

That kept so many warm - 

I’ve heard it in the chillest land - 

And on the strangest Sea - 

Yet - never - in Extremity, 

It asked a crumb - of me. 

“Hope is the thing with feathers.” Hope is a fragile little songbird that sings even when there is nothing to sing about. Hope is a thing that can be blown away or frozen in a bad patch of weather; hope is a song so quiet that it almost cannot be heard; hope is fragile and faint. Hope is not knowing, not seeing, not even believing, and still vowing to go on, still singing in the storm. Nothing is sure and certain about all that. 

To have “a sure and certain hope” is to have faith, to believe where you cannot see, to go on when you do not know the way, to love and trust when the world preaches revenge and retribution. 

And although I did not think I was pondering the “resurrection” part of this bit from the liturgy, maybe I really am. Resurrection is life coming eventually from what seems like death. Resurrection is God’s promise of restoration and renewal. Resurrection is a miracle, salvation coming out of violence and darkness and death. And resurrection is hope! So these days, as Wendell Berry instructs, I will try, in sure and certain hope, to "practice resurrection."