Discipleship, Advent and our living hope

When I decided to take the last four days before Christmas to write on the four advent themes hope, peace, joy and love, I had not realized how appropriate it is that we are taking about hope on the darkest day of the year! Isaiah, who (speaking of Messiah) prophesied that “Unto us a child is born,” is the same one who tells that “darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people” (Isaiah 9:6; 60:2). We were saying that it is the worst of times, the world is going to hell in a hand basket! But is it also the best of times (18 December). I am sure that you are aware that for many Christmas is a dark, dark time, even for some (perhaps many) Christians. But no matter where we are, as Christians we need to remind ourselves, especially in this season, that we have been born again into “a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).

The Christian life is perhaps best described as a series of deaths and resurrections, whether it be reckoning ourselves dead to sin but alive to God (Romans 6:11), or with Paul despairing of life as he was pressed beyond measure (2 Corinthians1:8). He continues “we had this sentence of death so that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us ... does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will deliver us” (verses 9, 10). All such “deaths” are in fact crossroads. Will we trust in God who raises the dead, or will we despair. I'm not saying that any of this is easy! But does not God allow these things to test and strengthen our faith , giving us the ability to stand up under trial (James 1:2, 3)? And has He not promised, that when we trust Him, He will not allow us to be tested beyond endurance, but will with the trial provide the means of escape whereby we may be able to endure it (1 Corinthians 10:13). 

 

So then, because we belong to the God of resurrection, we can find hope where there is no hope, even when hope has died. And reason the Bible describes this as a living hope, is because it survives the death of hope. Nobody' s saying its is easy! Even Abraham, of whom it's said “contrary to hope, in hope he believed (Romans 4:18), failed many times before he got there (Genesis chapters 16, 22). And the Lord never calls to do something that He does not with it give us the Grace to do it. We are practicing! The end of the quote from Paul is important, he says “you also helping together in prayer for us” (1 Corinthians 1:11). In particular it is incumbent upon those of us for whom Christmas is a delight, to remember in prayer and charity, those for whom Christmas is difficult!

Father, the Carroll “Come thou long expected Jesus,” comes to mind this morning, as I write. There was such a delay in His coming. There were in fact four hundred years of silence before “Unto us a child is born” was fulfilled. Many of our promises feel delayed equally long, Father, and there is so much pain at this time. Help us to live the living hope to which You call us, so that the World may see the reality of “Christ in me, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27), in His precious Name Amen