February 15 @ 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
“Begin with Hope”
One of most iconic phrases from scripture comes from 1 Corinthians 13: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Love is often seen as the ultimate goal—caring for people and affirming the worth and dignity of all, as expressed in our first UU principle. Faith can be understood as a system of belief that helps shape our lives and sustain us through life’s challenges. This talk suggests, however, that hope must come first, because without hope, faith and love cannot endure.
In a time when many people are losing hope, this talk explores the important distinction between realistic and unrealistic hope, and invites reflection on what hope means in today’s world.
Harold W. Beu is a retired Unitarian Universalist minister who served congregations for over 30 years in California, Idaho, New Hampshire and Michigan. He has also worked as a high school teacher, teaching history, civics, psychology, and math.
For the past decade, Harold has taught the history of Israel/Palestine for organizations including the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, as well as churches, senior centers, and libraries. He has long been active in the peace movement, working to quell the corrupting effect of militarism in America and to advocate for human rights for all oppressed people.
Harold lives in Kalamazoo with his wife, journalist Julie Mack, and has three grown children.