Ritualized hope is a term tied to living a lie.  Hope is no hope at all without the actions necessary to carry out our hope.  For instance:  If I say I’m going to go to work and remain sitting on the couch, I’m living a lie.  When I get up and move toward my work, then I’m living a truth.  It’s not appeared yet (me working), but I’m doing the things necessary to make my hope a real experience.  Three terms are tied to this idea.  We have “present tense”.    This is the obvious reality we’re used to knowing.   I am typing in my blog right now and I can prove it by actions that are happening.  We have “post tense”.  This is represented by the words I typed that led up to the following period.  Then we have a connecting term that I have never heard applied to the first two:  “Pretense”.  When we use that word, we use it as though we live a lie.  What we’re referring to is actions which are not real and can never be real.  “pretending” is a related word.  So, also is “pretentious”.

When we say that we have a hope in Jesus, and we don’t do anything about that hope, we are living a lie.  Many (including myself) are often living in Jesus under a pretense.  Pretense can never become present tense.  And therefore, pretense can never become past tense.  Unless, of course, you die and realize you have lived your hope without the actions necessary to accomplish your hope.

By His Grace.