HOPE “Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God. “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem. Tell her that her sad days are gone and her sins are pardoned. Yes, the Lord has punished her twice over for all her sins.” Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting, “Clear the way through the wilderness for the Lord! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God! Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills. Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places. Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. The Lord has spoken!” Isaiah 40:1-5 Where would we be without hope? Some say that hope is a meaningless emotion. Some say hope is for the desperately weak. But is that really so? Without hope tomorrow is as empty of potential as yesterday. Without hope the tragedy of failure puts us in handcuffs and leads us into an even darker abyss than we find ourselves in now. Without hope fear would grab us by the throat and choke any life we have left out of our miserable existence. Without hope our eyes would never see, our legs would never walk, our hands would never hold, our heart would never leap, and our mind would never find peace. Without hope we would surely die; physically, emotionally, and spiritually. This journey of advent begins with life giving hope. Just because the ground is hard because of the lack of showers of blessing doesnt mean it will never rain again. Just because the the winds of opposition have taken the roof off our shelter of life doesnt mean calm breezes will never return. Just because the heat of trials and temptation have scorched the ground that we walk on doesnt mean there will never be rejuvenation found in the wells of refreshment and strength that are now dry and dusty. Just because our strength fails and our steps become increasingly slow doesnt mean there will never be a pep in our step or hop in our skip ever again. Hope is the one commodity that was introduced the night a baby took his first breath and announced his arrival in the comfort of barn mice and donkeys, camels and lambs. When the midnight Angels gave a private concert to the less than desirable members of their community, hope was born and the miracle of inclusion didnt stop with those that left their flocks to find the babe of hope. The miracle of inclusion, the miracle of possibility, the miracle of hope has made an incredible journey all the way to our living room.
Posted on: Mon, 01 Dec 2014 12:18:24 +0000
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