Advent: Hope Awakens
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power (Heb 1:1–3)
The season of Advent, for Christians, is meant to remind us of the birth of Jesus, a grand and glorious event anchored in history. For some two thousand years since, followers of Jesus have celebrated his miraculous birth as a moment in time that transformed the course of history.
Advent begins on December 3rd this year and is wedged between Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday, and Black Friday all over again. While it appears as though Christmas exists solely for the consumer—Americans have already spent an estimated $18,000,000,000 (yes, 18 billion dollars) and it is barely December—Advent serves as a steady reminder that, in fact, Christmas is meant to celebrate the birth of God Made Flesh whose name is God With Us.
I am grateful for this season of Advent. I am praying that this post and the three that follow will help us to remember why we deck the halls and sing Joy to the World! God knows we need to awaken hope, especially when the hopelessness that fills our newsfeeds and maybe even our very lives feels unbearable.
So, here in this first of four posts, I provide a simple survey of hope.
Hope Awakens
We tend to treat hope as something like a “cross-our-fingers” sense of wishful thinking. We hope Target has Mrs. Meyer’s Peppermint Scent in stock, we hope against hope that the Broncos might win again, and we hope, hope, hope it will snow on Christmas Eve in North Carolina. Even though these things may or may not happen, we hold out hope, nonetheless. The dictionary.com definition for hope goes like this, “The feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.” Here, there is a sense of positive optimism, but no guaranteed outcome.
Yet, a biblical hope is a confident expectation that rests, not in unpredictable circumstances, but in the triune God of the universe. The true story of the whole world though fraught with chaos and uncertainty is held together by God’s steadfast love and faithfulness. In fact, the birth of Jesus recorded for us in the New Testament (Matt 1:18–2:12; Luke 2:1–21), confirms the words of the Old Testament prophets who strained to understand the future events about which they prophesied (Gen 3:15; 12:1–3; Isa 7:14; Micah 5:2; Hosea 11:1).
Amazingly, we have historical records that confirm that Jesus, the flesh, bone, and breath of God, fulfills those prophetic words. Therefore, ours is a confident hope, and since God guarantees to fulfill his promises, we are free to celebrate the birth of Jesus and to anticipate his return even in the worst of times.
The Face at the End of the Tunnel
Recently, and in a surprising way, I experienced this sense of confident expectation on a trip that took me from Raleigh to Orlando, then a few days later, from Orlando to San Antonio where I met my husband Bob. We planned months in advance to attend a conference there together.
Upon reflection, I discovered that far more encouraging than the conference itself, was the expectation of meeting Bob at the airport. In fact, the most memorable moment of the entire trip was the gradual emergence of Bob’s familiar and beaming face as I made my way up the jet bridge and stepped into the airport.
Now, please understand, I knew full well that he would be there—we booked our tickets for the sole purpose of meeting at the airport. In fact, that very day we traded lots of texts, even before either of us boarded our flights, in anticipation of meeting in Texas. Bob let me know when he left for the airport, when his flight took off, and the moment it touched down in San Antonio. Similarly, I kept him informed about my whereabouts that day leading up to my flight, which arrived in San Antonio a few hours after his.
As I wheeled my bag up the jet bridge, my sight was fixed on the light at the end of the tunnel—I knew without a doubt that Bob was on the other side. The hope and expectation of seeing him carried me along.
In a simple yet profound way, Advent is meant to remind us, similarly, that our hope is anchored in a Person. Even today, in the midst of global conflict, soaring inflation, in some cases hopelessness and despair and in others too much to do and not enough time, wherever we are, we can and must hold fast to Jesus—he is the light at the end of the sometimes very long tunnel.
Someday, when we finally see his radiant face, we will exclaim, with a sense of unbelievable relief, “I knew you would be here!”
Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure (I John 3:2–3)
Hope Awakens in Unexpected Places
Reawakening hope in this season of Advent might mean taking time to read the familiar story of Mary, Joseph, and the birth of God’s son, Jesus, and noting some of the otherworldly aspects of this seemingly familiar event.
Jesus is like no other.
Remember, an angel announced Jesus’s arrival one starry, starry night to a small band of shepherds doing what they normally do—keeping watch over their flocks.
Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger (Luke 2:10–12).
The baby Jesus, born of a virgin and lying in a manger, is a sign—there is Hope.
Sometimes, when we least expect it, in an everyday place like a field at night or on a jet bridge, we see light at the end of the tunnel and hope awakens.
