Introduction. An 85 year old couple, having been married almost 60 years, died in a car crash. Though plagued by high blood pressure and high cholesterol for most of their lives, they had been in good health the last ten years, mainly due to the wife’s interest in cooking low-fat, healthy–if not very tasty--food. When they reached the pearly gates, St. Peter took them to their mansion which was decked out with a beautiful kitchen and master bath suite and Jacuzzi. As they "oohed and aahed" the old man asked Peter how much all this was going to cost.
      "It's free," Peter replied, "this is Heaven."
Next they went out back to survey the championship golf course that the home backed up to. They would have golfing privileges everyday and each week the course would change to a new one, representing the great golf courses of the world.
      The old man asked, "What are the green fees?"
      Peter replied, "This is heaven, you play for free."
      Next they went to the club house and saw the lavish buffet lunch with the cuisines of the world laid out.
      "How much to eat?" asked the old man.
      "Don't you understand yet? This is heaven, it’s free!" Peter replied with some exasperation.
      "Well, where are the lines for the low fat and low cholesterol foods?" the old man asked timidly.
      Peter said, "That's the best part...you can eat as much as you like of whatever you like and you never get fat and you never get sick. This is heaven!"
     With that, the old man went into a fit of anger, throwing down his hat and stomping on it, and shrieking wildly.
      Peter and his wife both tried to calm him down, asking him what could possibly be wrong. The old man looked at his wife and said, "This is all your fault. If it weren't for your blasted bran muffins, I could have been here ten years ago!" (http://jokes.christiansunite.com/Heaven/Visitor_To_Heaven.shtml)

Move 1. The Christian hopes that, at some time, all will be well. The Christian has the hope that maybe not now, but someday, all will be made right.One Christian might have hope for the after-life. She might have a picture of heaven similar to the one experienced by the 85-year-old couple. She hopes for the pearly gates, streets paved with gold, exquisite cuisine, year-round golfing, and eternal rest.

Another Christian might be looking for such a time in his own personal life. He hopes that a life of going to Sunday School and church faithfully, of tithing, of living clean and doing good deeds, might reap results. He hopes that such a life might reap the friendship and love of fellow believers, a sense of peace and balance in life, maybe even some financial blessings from God in this lifetime.

The Christian is characterized by hope, because the Christian believes in God. The Christian believes in salvation. The Christian believes that, through God’s power, everything will one day become new, if not in this lifetime, then in the after-life.

Move 2. But we live in the present. We live and move in this day, here and now. And the present sometimes seems hopeless. Many of us go through those times where it seems we have nothing but hope, if that.

This last week, a friend of mine discussed with me his present reality. Living in the aftermath of a failed marriage, and working hard but with the sense of getting nowhere, he seemed very unhopeful. He said, "I seem to have lost my center." We, too, lose our center at times.

Another friend, someone I’ve known for over 15 years, emailed me recently, the subject of the email being "bad news/better news." This 38-year-old man, already a cancer survivor with an amputated arm to show for it, recently learned he again has cancer. He has started chemotherapy. He said that the good news is that there’s a 75% chance of eliminating the tumor without surgery, and said, "Pretty good odds if you ask me." I wonder to myself, would I, could I, be so hopeful in such a grim situation?

Yes, we live in the present, and sometimes we find it hard to be hopeful.

Move 3. The passages from the Bible today give us two suggestions on these matters. First, they encourage us to make a radical investment in the future. 1Timothy tells us, "take hold, grasp onto, the eternal life to which you are called." (verse 12) And the passage from Jeremiah…well, Jeremiah deserves some explanation.

Jeremiah is a prophet who lives in ancient Israel, in the land of Judah, around 600 B.C., in troubled times. He lives and works in a nation which is about to be taken over by Babylonian Empire, the superpower of the day.

Typical of the biblical prophets, Jeremiah has good news and bad news. He gives the bad news first, to the king of Judah, who at that time is Zedekiah. He tells Zedekiah that the Lord is giving Judah into the hands of the Babylonians, allowing Babylon to take over; and not only that, but also is going to cause Zedekiah to be captured and taken to Babylon. Well, no king likes to hear of his own downfall, and so Jeremiah finds himself a prisoner of Zedekiah.

But then, Jeremiah gives the good news, not so much in word as in action. As directed by God, Jeremiah, from captivity, purchases a field, a piece of land, in the very place that is about to be taken over by Babylon. He does this because God informs him that the "right of possession and redemption" is his. He does something that might be comparable to investing in the stock market the day after the crash of 1929. He makes a radical investment, one without little if any rational basis or fiscal responsibility. And whether or not Jeremiah ever lives on his land, his people do wind up returning to and restoring their land, their nation.

The Bible is that way. It asks us to trust in God’s promises to us, promises for good and not evil, promises for life and not death. Though the Bible is full of stories of heartache, defeat, and death, it always shines a sure light of life at the end of the tunnel, and asks us to invest in that light.

Move 4. The second suggestion given, especially in our text from 1 Timothy, is to live "in the meantime."

"In the meantime" living is described in an article I recently received from Jan Appuhn, by a counselor at the University of Illinois, who in a conversation with a graduating senior listened as this young woman "lamented…that her job search had not produced the results she had hoped for," and continued with what she was doing "in the meantime," until she could find that "real job." Such living, like the young woman in between graduation and satisfying employment, according to the counselor is "where most of life happens."

While waiting for good things to happen, "life continues to unfold…and what unfolds ‘in the meantime’ is every bit as much of life as what (people) imagine (they) are waiting for. "In the meantime" is where people "continue to face tragedies and (find) causes for celebration." It is where people "experience the gains and losses that come" with the passing of the days. The "meantime" is missed, life is missed, if people are focused only on the happy endings. (John D. Powell, from a University of Illinois parents’ brochure, 2004)

In the meantime, the writer of 1 Timothy tells people, be content with food and clothing; pursue righteousness and love and gentleness; fight the good fight of faith; confess that faith in word and deed; do not look down your noses at others, but do good works; be generous and ready to share.

"In the meantime" living not only is good for the soul today. It can also help people begin to see a future held in the hands of a God who wants what is best for each person, who wants people to take hold of the life that really is life.

Conclusion. We all live in a world where the present, and even more so the future, is uncertain. We can let that sink us into despair. Or we can ignore the realities of the world and be "naively optimistic." Or, a third option, we can live "with a full awareness of what’s going on, but facing that with resourcefulness rather than fear." (Powell) And we have our greatest resources in our faith, in the words of Scripture, and in the one we call Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. May we always remember that God promises a glorious future, and then live each day as if we know that God means it.