A Living Hope – Reflections on Sunday’s Message

Sunday’s service at Rock Island Cumberland Presbyterian Church was gently and powerfully anchored in the theme of a living hope, drawn from 1 Peter 1:1–9. Even without hearing every word spoken, the spiritual thread was unmistakable: Christ’s resurrection, our tested faith, and the quiet invitation to follow Him again and again, even when life feels messy, uncertain, or unfinished.

The Scripture reminds us that we are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. It does not promise a life untouched by grief or distress. Instead, it tells us something far more honest and far more hopeful: that for “a little while” we may suffer, and yet still rejoice, because our faith—more precious than gold—is being refined, tested, and strengthened.

This idea was beautifully echoed through the hymns chosen for the service.

The opening hymn, “When We All Get to Heaven,” set the tone of anticipation and promise. It lifted our eyes beyond present struggles toward the joy of finally seeing Christ face to face. It reminded us that this life is not the end of the story, and that our hope is not rooted in circumstances but in a Savior who has already gone before us.

The middle hymn, “Since Jesus Came into My Heart,” brought the message inward. Its simple, joyful testimony—there’s a light in the valley of death now for me—spoke directly to the inner transformation that faith produces. Not the absence of hardship, but the presence of light. Not perfection, but peace. Not a life without sorrow, but a soul anchored in Christ.

The closing hymn, “I Surrender All,” tied everything together. It was not just a song; it was a prayer. A response to both Scripture and sermon. A reminder that faith is not a one-time declaration but a daily posture of surrender. Loving Jesus is not about never failing. It is about returning to Him again, just as Peter did.

The sermon’s reflections on Peter were especially meaningful. Jesus did not meet Peter after his failure with condemnation. He met him with a question: Do you love Me? And then, again and again, Do you love Me? Each time, Peter was given another chance to say yes. Another chance to declare his faith. Another chance to follow.

This was not a moment of shame. It was a moment of restoration.

Peter, who once impulsively declared loyalty and then denied Jesus, was not rejected. He was recommissioned. Jesus invited him back into relationship, back into purpose, back into love. In that exchange, we see the heart of the gospel: not a God who demands perfection, but a Savior who invites repentance, renewal, and recommitment.

And it is no accident that the same Peter later wrote the words we heard in 1 Peter 1. He understood, from lived experience, what it means to be tested by fire. He knew what it felt like to fail publicly, to feel like a mess, to wonder if grace had limits. And yet he also knew what it meant to be restored, protected by God’s power, and filled with a living hope that could not be destroyed.

The message asked a quiet but piercing question: What are the golden circumstances in our life? Not the easy moments. Not the victories. But the refining ones. The seasons of distress. The places where faith is tested. Because those are often the very places where God is shaping something eternal within us.

We were reminded that Christ is the firstfruits of the resurrection. That death does not have the final word. That our faith is not in vain. That what is perishable will pass, but what God is doing in our hearts will endure.

And in the end, the service did what worship is meant to do.

It did not just inform us.

But formed us.

It invited us to rejoice even in trial, to trust even when life feels incomplete, and to surrender again to the One who calls us, restores us, and walks with us through every fire.

This is what it means to live with a living hope.