Hope

 

The first Sunday of Advent has come and gone.  It arrived so fast.  We still have Fall decorations from Thanksgiving out which somehow manage to clash wonderfully with the large Christmas tree that we just put up in the living room a couple of days ago.  I can hardly believe that it's already December 1st!  And I still haven't found my VeggieTales Advent calendar in the boxes of Christmas stuff...

Christmas is such a wonderful time of year!  I think that there are few people who would disagree with that.  Just the simple act of listening to Christmas music as I sit here typing, or of walking into the living room and seeing the partially decorated Christmas tree shining brightly brings joy!  But why?

Christmas is all about the joy of hope.  The joy of anticipation. 

I’m not going to lie and say that I’m not looking forward to the gifts I’ll receive.  Of course I am!  But that is probably the last thing on the long, long list of things that make me happy this time of year. 

I look forward to singing Christmas carols at church, in the car, by myself, with my family, with my friends.  I look forward to watching Christmas movies with family and friends.  I look forward to baking cookies and pies and breads with my mother.  I look forward to spending time sitting around and just talking or playing games with my family.  I look forward to reading Christmas books to my little niece who is almost a year old and will be celebrating her first Christmas.  All typical things that many of you are likely looking forward to also.  Your traditions may be different than those of my family, but we all have Christmas traditions.  And we look forward to them with joy.  We have hope that this year our Christmas traditions will not fail to bring us joy, because they haven't failed us yet.

There’s nothing wrong with any of that, but the most important thing to remember in the midst of all of that is what we are celebrating.  Why do we gather?  Why do we decorate?  Why do we prepare special meals?  Why do we give gifts?  What are we celebrating?  You know the answer.  I don’t even have to say it.  But how often does the reason for the celebration get lost in the celebrating?

In reading the Old Testament for the last few months, I’ve seen example after example of the fact that God’s gift of His Son is something that He was planning from the very beginning.  The hope of the coming Messiah was born immediately after humanity's darkest moment.  Right after Adam and Eve committed the first sin, God pronounced His judgment on them.  But at the same time, He also promised redemption.

The birth of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, is something that has been looked forward to with hope throughout all the generations of the earth.  Some generations may have longed for it more than others, but all those who loved God looked forward to the day when He would redeem humanity and all of creation.  We no longer hold on to the hope that one day the Messiah will come, because we know that He already came, born modestly in a manger in the small town of Bethlehem (side note: the Bread of Life came to us as He was born in a town called “house of bread,” kinda funny, huh).  We remember the hope of God’s people as they waited in anticipation and we look forward with hope to the day when He comes again and we will join Him in His Father’s house for eternity.

We also need to remember those who have no hope; those who do not know that their Messiah has already come and has already redeemed them.  Those without hope have nothing to look forward to this season except what gifts, if any, they may receive.  But true joy doesn’t come from stuff, so that joy only goes so far.  Pray for those in your life, or those you may not know around you, who do not have the hope that we carry in our hearts.  Remember them and that God sent His Son to die for their sins as well.  Show them what the Christmas season is really about through your actions of love and mercy.  And when they ask you why you do what you do, you can tell them that it is because God did it for us first.