HOPE…NEXT YEAR THINGS WILL BE DIFFERENT
Isaiah 2: 1-5
Romans 13: 11-14

           As the year draws to a close, it is natural to begin reflecting upon the year that was. For some of us, it has been a pretty good year—we’ve had joyous moments in our lives or in the life of our family, work has gone fairly smoothly, there haven’t been many, if any, health concerns, etc. For some of us, the opposite can be said—it’s been a rough year; we’ve lost loved ones, work has been anything but smooth, some might have lost a job or entered the stage of life of retirement, health issues have come one after another, and so on. Regardless of whether it has been a good year or a rough year, deep within us we cling to a hope that next year might be better than this year; next year, things might be different from this year.

           Hope is a funny thing. Where hope is present, it is a source of strength that has the ability to defy human understanding or reasoning. We are constantly exposed to stories of those who find themselves in dire circumstances. It is interesting to hear the stories of those involved, after the fact. Those who come out of those circumstances often attribute their resiliency to a measure of hope with them. I heard a story of a woman named Ruth from Liberia (I promise I won’t bring Liberia up all the time!). During the civil war in Liberia, Ruth witnessed and survived atrocities that would make our stomachs turn. No one would have blamed her if she would have tried to flee her homeland. Yet she stayed, because she carried with her a hope that, someday, things would be better in Liberia. The hope she had served as her strength to endure all she witnessed and experienced.

           Just as hope can be a source of strength, the absence of hope can be a cause of despair and lifelessness. I have heard countless stories of churches that were existing, but its people had lost any hope the church could survive and thrive, as in years gone by. As a result, many of those churches closed their doors for good. Hopelessness doesn’t just afflict churches; it can afflict any part of society, including individuals. It is no wonder that doctors view a sense of hopelessness as one of the first signs of depression.

           For the people of ancient Israel, their hope and strength was God’s promise of a Messiah, a deliverer sent from God. They saw this Messiah as the one who would expel the foreign rulers and influences from Israel. In addition, the Messiah would be the one through whom God would fulfill the promise that David’s throne would be established forever—a descendant from David would always rule Israel. Their hope was a political Messiah who would restore things to the way they were prior to the conquest of Israel by its enemies. This wasn’t exactly what God had in mind. God’s intention for Israel was a Messiah that would deliver the people from their sins and would show them how to live as God’s people in this world. Consequently, Jesus didn’t quite fit into their mold of who or what the Messiah would be and do.

           As we enter into this Advent season and prepare for the celebration of Jesus’ birth, and focus our anticipation on His return, perhaps we need to pause a moment and consider how, in fact, Jesus is our hope for a brighter and different tomorrow. When we start thinking of the hope that Jesus brings to us, it is not uncommon to automatically jump to thinking about eternity. We hold to the promise that by virtue of faith in Christ, we will inherit eternal life. While this is very true, it only seems to nurture a hope that will be realized at a distant, future time. God’s desire, I believe, is for our hope to not only be in something that happens later on; instead, God’s desire is for us to have a hope each day. Jesus is that hope. Jesus is the Savior of today, not just eternity. Jesus offers us hope and assurance each day of forgiveness of sins, and the hope and the assurance of God’s presence with us. Paul’s message to the Romans is that our hope, our salvation is nearer than we think. The hope of eternity is getting closer with each day, while still being the hope of today. As a result, his encouragement to those who read and hear his words is, to paraphrase a bit, to nourish the hope that is within them, that they might be prepared for Christ’s return and also prepared to live each day as a follower of Jesus.

           We are, then, faced with the question of how we go about nourishing the hope that is within us. The answer, quite simply, is to stay connected to God; to make God a priority in our life (this is a theme that I hope you have seen in everything I have said since I have been here). If God is not a priority for us, we run the risk of losing touch with the hope we need for now and eternity. I am fond of the analogy of a houseplant when talking about nourishing our relationship with God. When seldom nourished, the plant begins to wilt and lose the ability to live into its God-given potential. Nourished frequently, though, the plant can thrive and display God. The same is true for each of us. As we engage in prayer, Scripture, and the other means of grace, we open ourselves to God so that God might nourish us and renew within us our hope for today and for eternity.

           During the holiday season, we have so many other things competing for our time and our attention. We have homes to decorate, parties to plan and attend, and shopping to do. Here is my question, though: Do any of these things offer a single ounce of hope to us? I’m not saying these things are bad, if they are in the proper perspective. If they are our top priority, though, they rob us of the hope God wishes to give to us, the hope we celebrate at Christmas. For Christmas to mean anything at all to us, for us to experience God to the fullest this Christmas, we MUST make some room in our busy lives to tap into the source of all our hope.

           I have a challenge for each of you for this Advent season; it is a two-pronged challenge. The first part is to challenge you to find some time each day to ground yourself in Christ Jesus, that the hope that is within you might be nourished. The second part is for you to find a person/family/charity for whom you can be an agent of hope, a reminder of God’s presence and care. My deepest prayer is that this holiday season may be a time that each of us is rooted in the hope that comes from God, the gift of our Lord Jesus Christ. AMEN.



           || Home || Welcome || Pictures || Sermons || Maps || Special Sprouts || Opportunity || Missions || Newsletter in pdf || VBS || Women of Promise || Easter || Links ||