Like many millions of Englishmen I hoped that last Sunday’s game would turn out differently, any Italians among us would have different opinions naturally. But we have hopes don’t we? For ourselves, for our children, for the wider world. What is it that makes our hopes authentic? A week ago it was “In Gareth we trust”; on Monday morning not so sure.We can lose hope if we focus on our battles and dwell on our failures. How might hope flourish if instead we resolutely focus on God himself? What  if we focus on God himself, on His character, His power, His great love for us? What might happen if we fixed our eyes on Jesus who is the author and perfector of ourfaith?Authentic hope blurs the lines between what we think is possible and what we think is impossible. Could we ever come to a time when swords would be beaten into plowshares? When the predatory people in power – the lions – would lie down in peace with the vulnerable and the poor – the lambs? When God’s justice would flow like a river – to the lowest and most “god-forsaken” places on Earth? When the brokenhearted would be comforted and the poor would receive good news?If you think, ‘Never – it’s impossible’, then maybe you need to think again.