Rocky; Lord of the Rings; Rudy; Remember The Titans; Gladiator; Cinderella; Beauty and the Beast – stories of apparent and certain despair turned into hope at the last moment. We all love story lines of this nature. Why? Well, if we’re honest; they often mirror our lives in some way or fashion. We identify with the main character’s trials and triumphs. Desmund Tutu said, “Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all the darkness.” Truth! It’s difficult to notice at times isn’t it? Oh yeah! You betcha! But come to think of it, biblically there are numerous story lines which resemble this same theme: Noah, Abraham, Gideon, Daniel, Joseph, Esther, David, Nehemiah, Job, Paul, Jesus. Again, apparent and certain despair turned into hope at the last moment. As Charles H. Spurgeon said, “Hope itself is like a star – not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity, and only to be discovered in the night of adversity.”
This is the story of Jesus for each one of us as Romans 5:1-2,5 says, “Therefore since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith…and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God…and hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” Hope IS the faithful trust in God’s promises for the future despite and in the midst of life’s trials! For the Christ follower, hope is derived from God; modeled by Jesus and inspired by the Holy Spirit giving confidence that God’s purpose and plan will prevail and be realized through it all! As one scholar said, “Where there is belief in the living God, who acts and intervenes in human life, and who can be trusted to implement His promises, hope-in the biblical sense becomes possible.” Truth! As Theocritus said, “Where there’s life, there’s hope!”
Romans 15:13 says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Friends, I hope each of us personally experiences this hope that the Christ of Christmas brings to all.
Living in the Hope of Jesus!
Pastor Doug
