Kurt Willems - Echoing Hope: How the Humanity of Jesus Redeems Our Pain

Does the inevitability of pain rob life of its goodness? Or is it possible for God to redeem pain through Jesus Christ? This is the question addressed head-on in Echoing Hope. With the mind of a theologian and the heart of a pastor, Kurt Willems walks us through the problem of pain without resorting to worn-out clichs. This book will help many people.

Brian Zahnd , lead pastor of Word of Life Church in St. Joseph, Missouri, and author of Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God

Kurt takes us on an authentic, vulnerable journey into faith, hope, and love. He translates our deepest pain, confusion, joy, hope, doubts, fears, and emotions in a way that can make us all feel less alone. Well all be better by not just reading but also meditating on this terrifically genuine, relatable book.

Ben Higgins , star of ABCs The Bachelor (season 20), founder of Generous Coffee, and author of Alone in Plain Sight

In Echoing Hope, we find a rare and generous invitation into the areas of our own lives where pain understandably raises questions about Gods power, love, and nearness. As you dive into your own humanity and vulnerability, you will gently encounter God. As you dive into the humanity of Jesus, you will gently encounter yourself. May this careful look at pain in the context of Jesuss life and ministry open up avenues of discovery and healing.

Mindy Caliguire , cofounder and president of Soul Care and executive team member at Gloo

Kurt Willemss book provides an approachable framework for understanding and carrying pain in light of Jesus Christ. I loved the practical invitation to apply and practice Kurts insights in our own lives through helpful formation exercises. Echoing Hope gives us something to hold on to in the midst of suffering.

Sarah Bessey , author of Jesus Feminist and Miracles and Other Reasonable Things

More than ever we need the encouragement and insight of Echoing Hope. We need enthusiastic reminders of Jesuss humanity and his acquaintance with our vulnerabilities. Every page of this book asks us to ponder, What if Jesus actually gets it? What if Jesus really empathizes with us because he experienced life just like us? You can see Kurts pastoral heart as he invites us into the humanity of Jesus to learn from him and love him anew. This is very good news.

Osheta Moore , pastor and author of Dear White Peacemakers and Shalom Sistas

Echoing Hope captures the paradox of the life of Jesusthe God who suffers so that suffering doesnt get the final word. Jesus absorbs the violence of the world to subvert it with love. In Jesus, God leaves all the comfort of heaven to join the struggle here on earth. As a brown-skinned Palestinian Jewish refugee baby, God came into the world. He experienced the pain of the world, from his birth as a homeless baby in a manger until his imperial execution on the cross, where he hung naked and humiliated, crying, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46, NIV ). This is a book about the enduring hope that God is with usno matter how bad it gets.

Shane Claiborne , author, activist, and cofounder of Red Letter Christians

Kurt has written a hands-on pastoral guide to engaging gospel faith. This book will be of special interest to those who seek entry into the grace-filled wonder of the gospel and those who yearn to grow in their faith. Kurt is in deep touch with the pain that marks our world and sees the way in which Jesus is present amid that pain in his transformative humanity. This work is an important corrective to faith that lives in an innocent bubble of otherworldliness. Readers who hope for more from the gospel will be informed and empowered by this generative rendering of the truth of Jesus.

Walter Brueggemann , professor emeritus at Columbia Theological Seminary

The question of pain has long stood as one of the great challenges to understanding the meaning of our human experience. What am I to do with the hurt, loss, and tragedies of life? Kurt Willems offers us a gift in this book. Rather than giving trite answers, he guides us with care and precision through beautiful storytelling, rich yet accessible theology, and a captivating vision of hope. This is a book for any and all whove tasted the bitterness of pain and long for the sweetness of hope.

Jay Y. Kim , pastor and author of Analog Church

Spend time savoring this book. If you do, Echoing Hope will change you. Kurt Willemss heart is on every page, gently teaching us the important truth that there are no silver bullets in this life but only the gradual transformation of ourselves into Christlikeness. Let this be a guide that brings you closer to life in all of its fullness.

Bruxy Cavey , teaching pastor at the Meeting House and author of The End of Religion and Reunion: The Good News of Jesus for Seekers, Saints, and Sinners

Often, Im overwhelmed with the simple truth that God came to us. God didnt just fix things from afar. He connected with us here on earth. Im so thankful for Kurts ability to help leaders grasp the importance of Jesuss humanity and the role it plays in our day-to-day faith! Echoing Hope is such a crucial work for the season we are living in today!

Tyler Reagin , author of Leading Things You Didnt Start and The Life-Giving Leader, founder of the Life-Giving Company, and cofounder of 10Ten Project

In Echoing Hope, Willems deftly weaves together theological ideas and biblical teaching with personal experiences and historical realities to invite us to trust our whole selves to a Savior who gave his whole self for us. Because Jesus is fully human, he is our reliable source of hope. Having served as a pastor for many years, witnessing the trials and triumphs of hundreds of people, I believe that Echoing Hope will be a needed balm, a prophetic push, and a practical theological guide for many.

Dennis R. Edwards , associate professor of New Testament at North Park Theological Seminary and author of Might from the Margins

Kurt Willems represents a new generation of theologians who dare to let their own vulnerability, courage, and pain inform their beliefs about God. Echoing Hope is no exception. As Willems leads readers into clearer understandings of ancient Jewish customs and culture, his pastoral roots gently usher in an embrace of the subversive power of Jesuss true nature. Ive no doubt Kurts words will change the way readers interact with themselves, with their neighbors, and with the God who stands in solidarity with them all.

Cara Meredith , author of The Color of Life

Nothing is as transforming as entering into the experience of Christ in his context and finding our own healing in his presence. Echoing Hope helps us do that!

Jan Johnson , author of Abundant Simplicity and When the Soul Listens

Echoing Hope is integrated and honest, attending to both the inward and outward dimensions of faith. Willems weaves theology with spiritual practice in ways that beckon the reader to bring their own pain and hope into a living conversation with Christ.

Meghan Larissa Good , teaching pastor and author of The Bible Unwrapped