Hope

Happy New Year!  No, this is not a prewritten post that accidentally got scheduled. We are in the first week of Advent. Advent marks the start of the church calendar year. The church begins her year not by paying off credit debt from presents she has already forgotten about or by getting in a few extra sessions on the treadmill to shed off the love handles she has put on from all the holiday parties. No, she begins her year by waiting. Waiting for the return of Jesus Christ. Throughout the generations, the church has meditated on a different theme each week of Advent as we wait for Jesus to return. Traditionally, those four themes have been hope, peace, joy, and love.    

Since this is the first week of Advent, we are going to PAUSE and reflect on what it means to be a people marked by hope.

Hope.

Hope seems to be in high demand but short supply these days.  

Tomorrow morning, I am burying the husband of one of my parishioners.

Living in a colder climate, I can’t help but think about the houseless people I drive by on my way home as the temperature continues to drop. Where will they sleep? How will they stay warm?

Last night I found out that my mom’s Alzheimer's is progressing much faster than we originally thought. Two years ago, she was driving to work and performing technical tasks at her job. Now she can barely hold a conversation. On a good day, she remembers who I am for a moment. Last night was a good night. All she could say to me was, “Please don’t forget that I love you.” I won’t, Mom.

Hope.

What does it mean to hope in a world that seems to be getting darker by the day? Is hope a bastardized slogan coopted by politicians to gain votes? Is hope some emotional state we try to psych ourselves into? Is hope just wishful thinking?

I’ve come to find that Advent helps us understand what it means to hope, even in the darkness.

Advent directs our attention to three places. The past, the present, and the future.

We look back to the ancient prophecies of the coming Messiah that were passed on from Israelite to Israelite. Through seasons of feasting and fasting. Through times of expansion and exile. We remember that what kept them going was the promise given to them way back in Genesis that one day the Messiah would come and crush the head of the snake. This promise gave them hope.

In the present, we, the church, remember these promises of old. We retell them to one another through the reading of Scripture, the singing of beloved carols, and by the lighting of Advent wreaths gazed upon by children’s enamored eyes. But we just don’t remember, we give thanks that the prophecies our spiritual ancestors hoped in have been fulfilled. God kept his promise. The Messiah came.

Remembering the past fuels our hope in the present.

But the Messiah will come again.

As we live in the present, the here and now, we know Jesus has come, but the world is still broken. Sin still wreaks havoc on God’s good creation. Our loved ones’ minds and memories are still stolen by incurable diseases. Houseless people still can’t get warm. A grave will be filled in the morning. Sin is still here.

Yet, we hope!

We hope that one day Jesus will return and put an end to all of this. Is this just wishful thinking?

No.

But how?

Because God kept his promise. God always keeps his promises, and he promises that his Son will return to make all the sad things of this world untrue.

My son and I finished reading his children’s bible this evening. The author paraphrased Revelation like this.

“I’m on my way!” said Jesus. “I’ll be there soon!”

This is why we hope. This is what we hope for.

So, take a moment to PAUSE.

What are you hoping for?

What are the sad things in your life you long for Jesus to make untrue?

Hold those before him this week, knowing that God always keeps his promises.

“Come quickly, Lord Jesus.”

To receive the Mid-Week Pause in your inbox each week, please subscribe to our newsletter below.