Hope
May the God of hope fill you with all
joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the
power of the Holy Spirit. – Romans 15:13
Today is the first Sunday in Advent. We are preparing
the way in our hearts for Jesus. We are filled with hope because the Messiah has
come.
It’s easy to forget what Christmas is all about. Oh,
we know what to say. We understand that it’s really Jesus’ birthday. We know it’s
not about presents and tables laden with food. But, well, our actions
frequently tell a different story.
Would Jesus make lists of gifts? What would that list
look like? Would He tell us to be compassionate with those who have failed?
Would He remind us to love those we don’t particularly like? Would He encourage
us to give beyond what we’re comfortable with?
We are quick to say we love Jesus and want to serve
Him. It’s just that we want to do it on our terms, with little to no
sacrificing on our part. We just don’t want to be bothered too much with the
work that needs to be done.
But doesn’t everyone deserve to know the hope that
rests deep inside our hearts? Do we really think Jesus would have us pick and choose who we want to go to
heaven? God loves everyone equally. He wants everyone to be saved by the blood
of Christ.
Three years ago a sweet friend lost her son to cancer.
She clings to the hope, the belief, the certainty, that she’ll see him again
one day. It’s what gets her through the hard days when her heart aches for a
child who never really got to be a man.
Have you lost someone you love? Do you know that ache
that rests deep inside, that longing for those you’ll never again see on this
earth? But we have hope that we’ll spend eternity with them. Jesus is the
reason for that hope.
I love Christmas. I do. I love the trees and
ornaments. I love the gifts and the desserts and the joy and laughter. People
seem happier at Christmas, even those who don’t know Jesus. It’s like the world
somehow understands that a Savior was born to save us all from our sins.
For in this hope we were saved. But
hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But
if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. – Romans 8:24-25
We long for what we haven’t yet seen, for a future
that hasn’t yet unfolded for us. We strain toward the hope of Jesus, toward our
eternal home, toward days without sorrow or tears.
Today is about hope. Share it with someone you know.
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