Advent: Hope

Today is the first Sunday of Advent, and on this day we have the opportunity to look at the theme of Hope.

Hope can be looked at from many perspectives. It can be characterized as joyful anticipation or excited desire for something. It is looking forward to something good in the future. At Christmas, children hope for a visit from Santa. We hope for a certain gift on Christmas morning. We hope it snows or maybe we hope it doesn't. Hope is excitement. It is looking forward with wide expectant eyes.

Hope is also a prod. It is an encouragement and a reason to keep moving forward, even when things look dim. Hope for the future is what allows you to get up and put one foot in front of the other when the world and life's circumstances weigh heavily on your shoulders.

Hope is always forward. We look forward to what is ahead. We move forward. Hope is life.

Thousands of years ago, humanity fell into a dark and despairing pit. We became separated from our maker, from the God of the universe, from Light, from Life. There was no moving forward from that point. We had nothing to look forward to and nowhere to go. We were hopeless.

Yet, immediately, God stepped in with Hope. He promised salvation, reunification, light and life. He gave us Hope.
 
For thousands of years, humanity looked forward with hope to the coming of a Savior, and that hope was fulfilled when Christ was born at Christmas.

We now look back to that moment and celebrate, but we still get to look forward with hope, because of what Christ did. We have, not a moment of happiness, but an eternity of joy to look forward to, in perfect union with God if we accept the gift of salvation He offers.
 
We have Hope!