Mineral Springs Church of Christ Podcast
Mineral Springs Church of Christ Podcast
Hope Anonymous
The room goes quiet when we admit it: some seasons don’t feel merry, and a new calendar can’t erase old pain. That’s why we turn to Isaiah 9 and Romans 8, not for platitudes, but for a promise strong enough to hold the weight of real life. We walk through Israel’s captivity, hear the startling announcement of a child who carries a government on his shoulders, and trace how that promise meets our own exile in bodies that ache, families that fracture, and hearts that miss those we’ve lost.
We talk about groaning without giving up—how Scripture names sorrow while refusing to crown it. The birth in Bethlehem isn’t nostalgia; it’s a pledge that the King has come and will come again to judge injustice, end sickness, and establish peace without end. Along the way we share honest snapshots—gray hairs that showed up early, beds that suddenly matter, late-night worries that won’t turn off—and we keep coming back to a simple anchor: hope that is seen is not hope, and yet it sustains us as we wait.
This conversation is for anyone who needs more than seasonal cheer. We explore how to practice hope daily, why new years don’t automatically make things new, and how a community can sound a bit like “Hope Anonymous,” telling the truth and holding fast together. If you’ve been carrying questions about suffering, longing, and the future, you’ll find a steadying word here: a child was born, a Son was given, and his Kingdom is not fragile. Listen, share with someone who needs courage, and if this helped you breathe a little deeper, follow the show, leave a review, and tell us where you need hope to meet you this week.
Let's read verse number 2, Isaiah 9 2. The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. Those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them. Verse 6. For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us, and the government will rest on his shoulders, and its name will be called Wonderful Counselor, mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of his government or of peace. On the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this. Now meet me in Romans chapter number eight. Romans eight. We'll begin at verse number 19 and matriculate to verse 25. Romans 8. Beginning at verse number 19. Says For the anxious owning of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to fertility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected its own hope. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves have been the first fruits of the Spirit. Even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption of sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see with perseverance, we wait eagerly for it. If you saw that with me, say amen. Hope for tomorrow. Hope for tomorrow. We began in Isaiah chapter number nine, and Isaiah nine is a text where Israel is in captivity. Israel have found themselves in Babylonian exile. They're slaves, they're no longer in the promised land, they no longer have the privilege of eating manna, the temple is broken down, things are in shambles. They don't know if they will ever go back home. Things are troublesome, things are messy, things are dark. That's where Isaiah writes. And then he writes in the midst of these circumstances to tell them of hope in the future. And the way he he tells them about this hope is is weird. The way he tells them about this hope, we know it, but we know it primarily as a story that prophesies about Jesus. But before it becomes a message about Jesus is actually a message of hope for Israel. And he tells them that that one day the Messiah will come, one day the messiah will be raised up, the messiah will bring them salvation, the messiah will cause them to be free. And the way he describes this coming hope, this coming Messiah, he says, For unto us a child is born, and a son will be given. They're looking for hope, they're looking for light, they're looking for things to change. And of course, things do change for Israel, but this was not just a story about Israel leaving Babylonian captivity. This was also a message for those of us who place our hope in God, place our faith and our trust in God, that there will be hope for us as well. And so this becomes at the same time a message of hope for them, a message of hope for us. It begins firstly by us looking to for a messiah. I don't know about you, but this is where the text of Romans, Romans 8 comes in. If if if you read this text properly, it says that life is not always great. Life is not always uh fantastic. Things are not always sunshine and rainbows. There are some downs together with the ups. There are some sad times, it's not always happiness. There, there's some moments where we're worried and anxious and frustrated. There, there are different seasons that we go through in life, different moments. And if you haven't had a down moment yet, just live a little bit longer. I promise you, you'll experience one. I'm telling you, you don't have to live long to recognize that it's not always warm weather out there. Sometimes we have a cold front coming in. Amen. And it comes in all the places that you may not expect it. Sometimes this frustration comes in marriage, sometimes it comes not just between husband and wife, but between parents and child. Sometimes it comes on the job, sometimes it's just the house is falling apart. There's frustration. And if it's not that it's sickness, it's disease, it's death. We too are in exile. We're in this exile of the flesh, exile of sin. We're in this foreign land as it will. There's an old song, I'm saying it's old, um, because I haven't sung it in a while. But it said, This world is not my home. I'm just uh passing through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond this. This is not home. I'm in exile. I'm a stranger here. And let me tell you why I'm a stranger so you could get this. See, I'm a stranger because as the days roll on, my my age rolls on as well. My age rolls on. I've now reached the age where the bed I sleep on matters. You're already hearing me, Church. I just sleep. I have no problem lying right here on this floor, going to sleep and being comfortable. A few months ago. Up till a few months ago, I could sleep anywhere, but I realize that now that the ages have rolled on, I need to be careful about where I lay my head. Because when I try to get up in the morning, what I lay down on that night could pose problems a few hours later. Some of you looking at me funny. I remember that I could stay up till three o'clock in the morning, go to sleep at 3.15, wake up at 5.30, and I'm good for the day. I went to sleep at 4 o'clock this morning. Struggled to get up, and I'm ready for my bed now. Now it's not just me. I've lost loved ones. I've lost loved ones that I felt have left me too soon. I've lost loved ones that were too close to me that have made me groan and wish death was not real. I've had experiences where life hasn't always been kind. And these experiences make me realize I can't call here home. I don't know about you, but these experiences tell me that I can't become comfortable where sickness, disease, and death is the norm. This is not where I want my home to be. And then I read of hope. I read of hope that he is not only a given son and a born child, but the government will rest on his shoulders. There will be no left, right, and center. There'll just be the government of the Messiah. I read that this government that will rest on his shoulder is resting on his reputation, and his reputation is wonderful, counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. And there will be no end to such a government. I say I want some of that. The government is described as one of peace. I want that. I hear him say that anyone who drinks the water that I provide for you will never thirst again. I want that water. I hear him say that he is the bread of life, and I want that bread. I hear him say, He who believes in me shall never die. And I want some of that. So as I think about this present life, I remember God's promise of a child being born and a son being given who will establish a permanent kingdom that everyone will want to be a part of. And I groan for it. I yearn for it. The more gray hairs that I get makes me want the kingdom more. I don't tell this story often. But I looked this gray at 15. See what happened was my mother grade early, my dad grade early, and so their genes came together, and I grade extra early. So by the time I'm 15 in high school, I'm already this gray. I did not get gray, I was born gray. And unfortunately, because I grade early, I decided to grow out my beard. I decided five years ago, I'll grow my beard out. When I grew my beard, it was jet black. Five years ago. And I don't know what happened. Woke up in the morning, looked in the mirror, and now my beard is gray too. That's what it feels like. And so now I'm groaning. Here's why. Because I'm still young, but I look old. Okay, you all miss it. I'm 15 like this. My nickname in high school was Gramps. Some of you will catch it on the way home. Right? Because I was a teenager cosplaying as an old man. Right? So I groan. I groan. When I see injustice in the world, I groan. But then I get the good news. Frontos, a child is born and a son will be given. I was debating with myself whether I would spend time to show you the difference between the two. Because he didn't say a child is given and a son will be born. He says uh son is born and a child is given. A child is born and a son is given. Now, here's the thing: the idea was there is someone who is going to be born, but the one who is born will also be the one who was sent, the one who was given. Even in Isaiah, the language already is that the child you're looking for is anointed, is sent, is purposed by God. He's given. This is God's plan of hope for your future. And he's going to become a son of David, so he'll be a king. And he'll establish his kingdom. Now we've seen that in action, but we're still waiting for it to be complete. Let me explain. That son was born. We know this story some time ago in Bethlehem. A virgin mother in a manger conceives a son. A star indicated his birth, and wise men came and brought gifts of frankincense and gold to this child, and and bowed and hailed him as king. Angels sang all that night, so much so that shepherds heard them singing. That born in Bethlehem is David's son, the Messiah, the king. And then we see him grow up, we see him grow up and change water into wine. He fed a multitude, he quieted storms, he he did miracles, the blind was able to see, the deaf, was able to hear, the mute was able to talk, the lame was able to walk. We saw him do awesome things, and we heard him say, I am, I am the one who God has sent. I am that I am, and then he was crucified. But then we saw the stone was rolled away and the grave was empty. We read that he ascended and is now at the right hand of the Father. But now, this is what Romans is telling us. Now we're waiting for him to return. We're waiting for him to return, and while we're waiting, we're hoping, we're hoping that his return is where wrong will be judged, right will be vindicated, hope will be restored, death will cease, sickness will end. Tomorrow never comes because it's always today, night no longer exists because we're always in the presence of the real son who gives us light. We're hoping that the truth we read in text, like I am going to prepare a mansion for you, is true. So waiting for us is a mansion robe and a crown. I've reached a place in my spirituality where I don't need a mansion in heaven. If I could just get a corner house, uh even if it's made of wood, as long as I'm there, I'll be happy. I don't need a mansion. I don't even need a rope or a crown. Just give me a spot. Well, I might need a good bed now, but just give me a spot as long as it's in this new kingdom. I'm good. Every time I read text like these, text that we normally attribute only to Christmas, I recognize that the message behind it is actually hope. The central message is it won't always be like this. God understands where we are, but he doesn't expect us to stay here. He has already planned better for you, and that better is in Jesus. He prophesied that Jesus would come in texts like Isaiah chapter. Number nine that we just read. Jesus came and he said, It is finished. Now we're just waiting for it to happen. He's done it. We're just waiting for it to unfold in our eyes. And so texts like these should give us hope. When you read unto us, a child is born and a son is given, and the government will rest upon his shoulders, and he will be called wonderful counselor, mighty father, everlasting father, prince of peace. When you read this, it's to tell you that regardless of where you are right now and what you're going through, God has already fixed it. So that better days are ahead. Brighter days are ahead. Where we realize what God has already accomplished in Christ Jesus. Because everybody needs hope for more seasons than just this one. After the season is long past, you need hope. You need hope. Let me give you a taste now. People get excited for the new year. But I've lived long enough to realize that the new year is just a date that's not always new. Because you could start the first of the first 26 with the baggage of 12th, 31st, 25. Oh, you all miss it. Let me say it this way: it's possible that January 1st meets you, and you still have debt from December 31st rolling over into the new year. You can still have baggage, heartache, bills from the last year coming to meet you in the new year. What makes it new is not necessarily that the day rolls over because the day rolling over doesn't necessarily stop all the things that happen to you in this year from affecting you tomorrow or next year. That's not what makes the year new. What makes the near the year new is my understanding that with this new year comes new hope. With this new year is a new opportunity for me to remain faithful to Christ and allow him to renew anything that I need in this life. You need hope for 2026. And then when 2026 rolls on, February, March, April 2026, when life really begins life all over again, you need that hope renewed. When trials meet you, when temptations meet you, when situations arise, you need hope. You don't just need hope for Christmas, you need hope every day that you live, every season that you walk into. That's why sometimes I'm saddened that the only time you hear from us, a child is born and a son is given, and the government shall rest upon his shoulders is when it gets close to Christmas. But when you hear, Behold a virgin shall conceive a child, and and and we shall call his name Emmanuel, which means God with us, the only time you hear that is Christmas. Because you need to be reminded, not just at Christmas time, that God has already answered your problem before your problem came into existence. God has already fixed life for those that place faith in Him through Christ. Everyone needs to remember there is hope. And the name of hope is Jesus Christ. Jesus the King. And so I don't know where you are, what you're going through. I don't know if you're excited for the season or this season is not a good one for you because you have less family to celebrate it with. I don't know what's going on in your space right now. But as I thought of this text, this text says, even when you're groaning, if you have hope, then even your groaning won't last always. Your pain won't last always. So like Paul says in Romans 8, we yearn and we groan. But he ends by saying, We have hope. I have hope, and his name is Jesus. I've been to Alcoholics Anonymous. I like saying that because everybody wants to know if he drank or not. Ask me after. I've been to Alcoholics Anonymous several times, and the first time I went there was amazed because everyone who spoke had to get up and say, Hi, I'm Anderson and I'm an alcoholic. And I loved that because it didn't matter whether you were sober five years or one day. Everyone inside there was an alcoholic. But it made me realize that the church should be something like Christ Anonymous or Sinners Anonymous or some kind of anonymous. Where every one of us is here and we're saying, Hi, I'm Anderson, and I have hope for tomorrow. Or hi, I'm Anderson, I sin, I have sinned, but God has given me a new chance. Hi, I'm Anderson, I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Some it just makes sense that we're some kind of anonymous, and that if we probably started our services like that before John or Don or Drew or anyone else gets up to sing, that we just all go around and say, Hi, I am whoever you are, and you declare that you have hope. You declare that you have faith in Christ Jesus. Yes, today may not feel like a good day, but I still have hope. Yes, I don't know what tomorrow holds, but I know who holds tomorrow. Yes, I'm in uncertain times and in an uncertain season, but God promises that things will turn around, and I could describe it as an era of peace. So I am no longer concerned about yesterday, today, or tomorrow. I'm just hoping that God continues to be God and do continue what He's already started. So I'm hoping that you reach that place too. So that as you read scripture, it fills you with hope, it fills you with confidence. Yes, I might be late on the bills, but one day I won't have a bill to worry about again. Yes, I'm worried about the medical report, but one day I'll hear the final report. Well done. And hearing that report cancels every medical issue I'll ever have. Yes, life is whatever it is now, but God still is. Life is, but God is too. And so you now have hope for tomorrow. Yes, I'm struggling in this particular situation. I feel the weight of it, I feel the burden of it. No one truly understands, no one is there with me. God understands, He's there with you, and He says, even in your situation, I have hope. I'll say one more contrary thing, then I'll be done. That this text is a text that deals hope to those that are hopeless with the intent that they become high on hope. Say that one more time. You read this and passages like these, and its sole purpose is to give you a shot of hope to your spirit, not to your vein, to your spirit, so that you become high on it. That this hope is what carries you through the day, and then tomorrow you get another shot of it by reminding yourself of God, his will, and his promise. So if you needed hope, remind yourself that God sent his son. They called him Jesus. He came to love, heal, and forgive. He lived and he died to buy our pardon. An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.