Sermon – November 23^rd, 2025
Hope Lutheran Church, Port Coquitlam BC
Text: Luke 23:39-43; Colossians 1:13-20
Theme: “2 – Why we live in Hope”
Series: Certain Hope in an Uncertain World

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Introduction – Thank you Kindergartners for this powerful reminder of our Hope in Christ, God is our super glue! [see below]

We have been working with the theme “Certain Hope in an Uncertain World” and last Sunday we were reminded why, every Sunday, we leave this place in Hope to live that Hope in the word.

Hope is a word we use all the time. I hope my papers come through. I hope the housing market settles. I hope this relationship gets better. I hope this sickness passes.
And in everyday language, hope usually means uncertainty. A wish. A desire. Something we would like to happen but cannot guarantee.

But the Bible gives us a different kind of Hope. Christian Hope is not a wish, not a possibility, not a “let’s see how things turn out.” Christian Hope is a certainty, because it is anchored in a Person who does not change.

Let me give you a picture.

Imagine that someone told you—with absolute certainty—that in the year 2028 the deepest dream you carry in your heart will come true. Your immigration status is approved. Your home is secured. A relationship you long to see repaired is restored. Your health turns a corner. Your degree is completed. You know for a fact: it will happen.

And now imagine that between today and 2028 life unfolds the way life usually does. Markets drop. Laws shift. Illness appears. Conflict flares up again. Plans fall apart.
You would still hurt. You would still struggle. You would still have to walk through the difficulties. But something inside you would be different. There would be a steadiness in you. Because you know the ending.

When the ending is guaranteed, the journey changes.

This is a small glimpse of what Christian Hope truly is. Not mere optimism, not “I hope things improve,” but a future that God Himself has promised and secured in Christ. And today’s readings show us exactly why this Hope is so certain, and why it so deeply transforms the way we live.

In Luke 23 we are taken to a place where no one expects to find hope: the cross. Jesus hangs dying between two criminals. The leaders mock Him. The soldiers ridicule Him. The crowd sees nothing but weakness and failure. If there is anywhere in Scripture where hope should be absent, it is here.

But then something remarkable happens. One of the criminals looks at Jesus—not with mockery, but with faith. He sees a King when nobody else sees a King. He sees mercy when nobody else sees mercy. And he prays a simple prayer that has echoed through centuries: “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” That is a prayer of hope. A prayer spoken by someone who has nothing to offer, nothing to promise, nothing to present—only trust.

And Jesus answers him with words that leave no room for uncertainty:
“Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Not “perhaps.” Not “if things work out.” Not “I hope so.” A guaranteed ending. A promised future. Spoken by a dying King—yet a King whose promise is more solid than anything this world can offer.

Why can Jesus speak hope with such certainty? Why can He promise paradise to a dying man? Paul tells us in Colossians 1.

The One who hangs on the cross is not simply a good teacher or a noble martyr. He is “the image of the invisible God.” All things were created through Him and for Him. He holds all things together. He is the head of the Church. He reconciles all things to Himself by His blood. And Paul says something astonishing: God has already transferred us from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of His beloved Son.

Not will transfer. Already has. Past tense. Accomplished. Done.

This is why Christian Hope is different. It doesn’t rest on chance. It doesn’t rest on circumstances. It doesn’t rest on us. It rests on Christ—the One who speaks hope from a cross and rules the universe from an empty tomb.

So what does this look like on Monday morning? It means when the medical test comes back uncertain, you remember: my ending is certain. When the relationship feels fragile, you remember: I am held by Someone who cannot let go. When the future feels unclear, you remember: my future has a name—Jesus. You don’t generate this hope. You receive it. You don’t maintain it. Christ sustains it.

Even when today is uncertain, your tomorrow in Christ is not. It means that even when your “2028” dreams shift and change, the promise of Christ does not. It means you can walk through suffering without despair, because your ending is secure. It means you can face uncertainty without fear, because the One who holds all things together also holds you. It means you can live each day with courage, with peace, with steadiness—because your hope does not depend on what you see, but on the One who sees you.

There’s a big difference between living hoping and living in Hope. To live hoping is to live with uncertainty — wanting something but never knowing if it will hold. But to live in Hope is to live in Christ, who has already secured your future. One depends on circumstances. The other depends on Jesus.

Conclusion – Whether you have been walking with Christ for a long time, are a newcomer to faith, or are a visitor today—this word is for you: Hope in Christ is not earned, but given freely in Jesus Christ, who died and rose for you. It is for you, and it is given to you through faith in him.

In faith, we are Super Glued to this certainty and we can live every day in that Hope. Our world is uncertain—always has been, always will be. But God’s faithfulness is certain—always has been, always will be. But no circumstance — not the world, not your feelings, not your fears — can dissolve that bond.

This is why we live in Hope. Because Hope Himself lives in us.

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November 23, 2025. Hope Lutheran Church
Children’s Message: God is Our Super Glue

Theme: God’s Certainty Protects Our Hope (Based on 2 Thess 3:3 & Luke 21:28) Participants: 1 Teacher/Volunteer (T) and 3 Kindergartners (K1, K2, K3) Duration: ~2 minutes

1. Materials Checklist

• (Hope): A small, bright, happy toy or plush figure.
• (Worry/World): A piece of crumpled, dark construction paper or sandpaper.
• (God’s Guarding): A large glue stick or adhesive bottle (labeled simply “GOD’S FAITHFULNESS”).