Let's play a game. What do you hear when I say train? Maybe it is the sound of a whistle blowing in the distance. Or the rumble of a locomotive chugging down the track. Should we try again? What do you hear when I say rooster? I hear the sound of Rodney the Rooster, a chicken we met in Honduras, who daily forgot to sing his rooster song (he soon became roasted Rodney). One more time. What do you hear when I say trumpet? I hear Louis Armstrong and my dad, in the last week of his life, with his eyes closed and smiling, whispering, "Now that old Satchmo made some real music."

Happy = we hear laughing.

Sad = we hear crying.

Angry = we hear yelling.

What does HOPE sound like? Okay, I'll give you a second to think of it. We know the sound when hope leaves. "This is the doctor. I am afraid it is cancer." "This is the police. Does your son drive a…" you fill in the blank. Maybe when you were a kid, the sound that made hope leave was when your pops got home, and you knew a few drinks later that all you would hear is yelling between your parents. Maybe it was the sound of shoes clicking on a tile floor as you walked into homeroom, signaling the group of bullies to begin the merciless words that sucked all security from your soul, and along with it - hope.

In my life, I have heard the sound when hope leaves. It sounded like a door closing, leaving eight-year-old me alone with nothing more than my self-doubts. It was the sound of a respirator winding down as my closest friend took his last breath. It was the sound of a car driving away as I dropped my kids off for college. Each of these sounds has made a home in my memory, reminding me that when hope leaves, it makes a sound.

Now back to the question, "What does HOPE sound like?" In front of the local Target at Christmas, it sounds like change hitting the bottom of a red bucket as a Salvation Army bell ringer says, "Merry Christmas." While driving, it sounds like a Chris Tomlin song reminding me that my Father is indeed a good Father. On Sunday, it is the sound of the ninety-year-old man whose voice somehow gets stronger as he sings to his Savior. In the Bible, it is the sound of Jesus' voice saying, "I forgive you." On a mission trip, it is the sound of kids with barely a stitch of clothing laughing and singing because their joy is found in Jesus.

When I read these words from Paul, a friend of Jesus, I hear the sound of hope.

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

What are the sounds you hear when you hear hope? Take time this week to listen for the sound that brings hope, and when you hear it, thank God for it!