“. . . while optimism assumes things will soon get better, hope testifies that whether things get better or worse yet ultimately God’s good will for us and all creation will prevail. And rooted in that promise, we can take action today, standing with the good, opposing evil, and doing what we can, not because we expect or need to save the world, but rather because we believe that since God will save the world we are free to throw ourselves into taking care of the little corner of the world in which we find ourselves.”
David J. Lose, holder of the Marbury E. Anderson Chair in Biblical Preaching at Luther Seminary (Saint Paul, MN) and Director of the Center for Biblical Preaching, from an article titled “Hope” on his In the Meantime blog