Hope

"Don't be afraid; just believe."

Mark 5:36b

Jesus spoke to reassure Jairus, the synagogue ruler. His daughter was near death and he needed Jesus to heal her. But while with Jesus, word came that his daughter had died. Jesus, John, James and Peter went to Jairus' home. They and the girl's parents went in to the room where she was lying. Jesus took her hand and told the girl to get up. And she did.

That is the message Jesus sends us during this holiday season. His birth was to give us hope. He came to fulfill a promise that those of us who believe will never truly die, but will spend eternity in His presence.

It is so easy in the hustle and bustle of the season to forget that the greatest gift of all was a baby who came to proclaim the message of hope.