Offer Hope When Preaching The Headlines
Offer Hope When Preaching the Headlines
We are in a series of posts that examine how to preach the headlines responsibly. The first of the series is here. In this post we will explore the principle that we should offer hope when preaching the headlines
Hope Is Based in God’s Faithfulness
There is a way to offer false hope. Last night I listened to a news program where they discussed life as it exists in the United States right now. The guest talked about everything that is wrong with our government right now, which is Republicans control. He then made the claim that everything will be better after the next elections if you just vote Democratic. That is misplaced hope. Lisa Thompson, in her book, Preaching the headlines, says this:
“Preaching the gospel in our time means helping people see God’s care and sustaining presence in the midst of ever-shifting headlines, rather than turning the pulpit into a platform for partisan arguments.”
This aligns with Thompson’s emphasis that engaging the issues of life should be done with faith and theological reflection, not as political stump speeches.
Offering Hope Requires An Thoughtfull Preacher
Yes, I know, I spelled thoughtful wrong. The point that I want to emphasize here is that the pastor who is going to offer hope when preaching the headlines will have to study well, reflect deeply, pray faithfully if he/she is going to talk about things in the headlines.
Our hope is not in whatever political party is in power. Rather, it is in a good who is omnipotent, who is omniscient, and whoo is omnipresent. Again, as Thompson puts it: “When preaching engages the realities people live through, it invites hope rooted in God’s goodness and care — not in the transient promises of political agendas.”
Another Thought
Here is another quote from an article on the site Christianity.com:
As the world becomes increasingly darker and darker, we can often get swallowed up in despair about politics. We may wonder if any good leaders still exist or if the systems in place have become corrupted inside and out.
When we start to feel exhausted from the news, we must remind ourselves that our hope is rooted in God, not politics. If you think Christians stand alone in their anxiety when it comes to leaders, we may not have made ourselves familiar enough with the leaders of the Roman Empire during the time of the early church.
Preaching Hope In Spite of the Darkness of the World
Here is an example of how this principle works. This is from a sermon based on Psalm 146:1–5 or Colossians 1:15–20.
For your information, ChatGPT created this example.
The news reports tell us—implicitly or explicitly—that everything depends on what happens next: the next election, the next policy, the next leader. Hope is framed as something fragile, something that must be won or defended at the ballot box.
Scripture’s Testimony
But Scripture tells a different story.
Psalm 146 does not say that leaders are unimportant. It says they are insufficient. Political systems rise and fall. Platforms change. Promises are revised or broken. When we place the weight of our hope there, disappointment is inevitable.
The gospel invites us to locate our hope somewhere sturdier.
Our hope is not rooted in who is in power, but in Who holds all power.
Colossians reminds us that Christ is before all things, and in him all things hold together. That means our lives, our communities, and even our uncertain future are not ultimately held together by legislation or ideology, but by the faithful care of God.
So when the headlines make us anxious, angry, or afraid, the church does not respond by baptizing one political solution as “the Christian answer.” Instead, we respond by pointing to a deeper truth: God is still good. God is still at work. God has not abdicated the throne.
This kind of hope does not make us passive. It actually frees us to act more faithfully. Because our hope is not at stake, we can engage our world with humility rather than fear, with compassion rather than outrage, and with courage rather than despair.
We work for justice, we love our neighbors, and we speak truth—but we do so knowing that the future of the world does not rest on our political success. It rests in the hands of a crucified and risen Savior who has already overcome the world.
That is hope the headlines cannot give—and cannot take away.
Conclusion
Offer hope when preaching the headlines, a hope that is based in the reality of a loving and all-powerful God.
