Now that it’s almost over, let’s consider the traditional theme
of this first week of Advent: Hope. Does that seem inconsistent with the
earlier posts of the week? We’ve spent a good chunk of time considering how not to be a Christian, and that doesn’t
seem especially hopeful. But what is hope? It is the desire for, and possibly
even the faith in, a better future. By definition, it implies at least some
dissatisfaction with the present. There’s nothing wrong with being dissatisfied
with our faith lives, with feeling that somehow they fall short of what they
could be. Such feelings may even be essential to prodding us into deepening our
relationship with God. It doesn’t mean our faith lives are not good and rich. Such
dissatisfaction today, this week, this season, is an indicator that we hope they will be even better in days to
come.
For hope to be more
than a sentimental notion, we must face the things that we hope will change.
Some of those things will be external, such as injustice, poverty and
discrimination. Others like resentment, fear and hypocrisy will be internal. But
being brutally honest about these things doesn’t mean we hand them power over
our lives. Being able to name them takes that power away. The beauty of hope –
a hope that is backed by the promises of Christ – is that it tells us we and
the world are not defined by how we have failed, but by who God has created us
to be. Many people – far too many, Christian and non-Christian – let mistakes
and failures define how they see themselves and get trapped in those
definitions. Hope is what we have when we can believe if only for an instant that
God sees us as better than we see ourselves.
Isaiah had to show the Israelites their many failings and
the inevitable consequences before he could show them the hope that lay beyond.
Paul admitted the Thessalonians would have to confront danger head-on before
finding the glory of God. Jesus told his listeners: “By your endurance you will
gain your souls” ( Luke 21:19). Hope exists not because we are in denial about how bad things are today, but because God helps us see tomorrow.
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