As we enter the season of Advent we begin with something so central to the human experience, hope. There is such anticipation, even excitement in hope. Each of us hopes for something on a daily basis. We hope for steady employment, for success in our endeavors, and that our family remains healthy and safe. But for Christians, hope that rests in the eternal, in the person of Jesus Christ, goes beyond any earthly expectation. In this sense we hope for something we don’t completely understand yet we know is so glorious it will be worth all the frustrations and disappointments of this life.
Through the centuries there have been many traditions surrounding the season of Advent. The Advent Wreath is probably the most well known. Advent Calendars began to be printed in the 1900s. As beautiful as these traditions are they become empty and meaningless unless translated into a real hope that flourishes in each believer.
For centuries the Rabbis taught the Jewish people that their Messiah was coming. And Christians believe he did. Isaiah 9:2 says, “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.” Advent not only celebrates the first coming of Christ, but with great hope looks to his second coming as well.
In a time when we see war, poverty, and man’s own miserable failings it may be difficult to maintain hope. May we cling to the eternal hope that is found in God who dwelt among us. Just as this hope was fulfilled the first time, Revelation 7:9 tells us it will be again. We ultimately wait and hope for that day when our Lord and Messiah returns.
