As this post is made, many of you are either in the midst of hunting for some amazing Black Friday deals or are recovering from an all-night shopping spree. Thanksgiving is over and the march towards Christmas has officially begun. While it’s the most wonderful time of the year, this is also the busiest time of the year. In fact, a lot of us will wake up on January 1 and wonder where our holidays went. The busyness of this season makes it all too easy to miss out on the beauty and wonder of Christmas.
There is so much potential for joy bound up in the Christmas story. So much potential for love. So much promise. So much hope. Dictionary.com defines hope as “the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best; a particular instance of this feeling; grounds for this feeling in a particular instance; a person or thing in which expectations are centered; something that is hoped for.” Amazingly, the hope of Christmas fulfills every nuance of this word’s definition.
We who desire a relationship with God have hope that such a relationship is available to us through Christ. And, we hope that because of Jesus things will inevitably turn out for our good. We hope and long for a closer relationship to the Father, to be transformed into the image of Christ. And, we live in constant hope of Jesus’s return. Our hope in Christ is the basis for what we think, believe, and do. In fact, it is the very foundation upon which our lives are built. All of this because we know that Jesus is the only hope we have of being justified, sanctified, and glorified in the presence of an almighty God! Our hope is that Jesus will work through us to glorify Himself and grow His Kingdom; that He will empower us to walk in holiness through the indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit; that He will return and complete his victory over sin and death; and that He will take us home to the place He has prepared for us to live in His eternal presence.
Hope isn’t just an important aspect of our faith, hope is the fuel for our faith. Without hope, faith has no power. You and I do not exercise faith in things we don’t hope for. When I get on an airplane, I’m exercising faith in its ability to stay in the air, but that faith is founded upon the hope that it actually will stay in the air. If I don’t hope the plane will fly, I have no need for faith that it will fly. When a loved one is ill, my hope for their recovery gives fuel to faith that they shall be healed if God wills it. When the Bible tells me that I can be saved through confessing Christ and accepting Him as Lord (Romans 10:9-10), hope is ignited inside me and gives rise to faith that Christ will, in fact, save me if I act on what I’ve read.
Hope is vital to faith. In fact, without hope, it is impossible to be a true follower of Christ! Scripture puts it this way, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). The only cure for a hopeless world is the hope that is bound to faith in Christ Jesus. Hope fuels our faith! And, hope is central to the celebration of the Christ Child! I hope and pray that, as you prepare for the wonder that is Christmas, your “hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.”