Rethink Hope

So as you have undoubtedly noticed. Today is different. A group gathered last Monday to decorate the sanctuary, and they did a wonderful job doing so. I am now beardless, and even got a haircut. I am wearing a different robe, as I talked with the kids about earlier. We all ate our turkey and saw our family, and now we are back. College students are gearing up for final exams, and we are gearing up for Christmas.

Today is different.

Because Christmas is a big deal. If you are hosting your family, you want everything to be perfect. If you are going somewhere, you have to make travel plans. There is shopping to do. There is decorating to do. And there is baking to do. All of it comes in this season. You want to make sure that you get the right gifts for people, ones that they will use, and not stick in a drawer somewhere. And sometimes it seems, that every year gets harder. We try so hard to keep the magic of Christmas, but for many, it becomes an extra chore in our already busy lives.

When Paul wrote this letter to the church in Rome. He fully believed that Christ was going to return during his lifetime. That is why his message is so urgent. Wake up and get dressed, he says, because Christ is coming back, so have your things packed and your affairs in order, because its happening.
Well like the boy who cried wolf, the more Paul said that, and the longer Christ delayed his return, the less prepared people seemed to be. It’s understandable. If someone keeps telling you to run to the window to see something, and nothing is there, eventually you are going to stop running to the window.

So every year that it didn’t happen. The less excited people get. So here we are, 2000 years later, and the magic of Christ’s return is no longer there.
But Today is different.

Because what we have realized together is that Paul is not wrong in his urgency, and he is not wrong in his timing. But the point of talking about Christ’s return is not to talk about a date on a calendar, but it is to talk about the hope that Christ gives.

What do you hope for? Is it health? Is it safety? Is it happiness? Is it love? What do you hope for?

One of the things I always loved about this season is the advent wreath. My dad would always light the candles of the advent wreath on its appropriate day, and we would have tapered candles, much like these. And the first candle that is lit, burns down further than all of the rest. And it just keeps getting shorter and shorter all throughout the season of Advent. So as a kid I watched that candle, because I was so sure that it was going to burn so low that it was going to catch the wreath on fire! I was really trying to make sure it didn’t happen, so my advent was spent watching candles. I just waited in anticipation every year, but it never happened.

But that feeling of anticipation is a wonderful feeling. The feeling that something remarkable is going to happen, so we can expectantly sit and wait. Knowing, that our patience will pay off and we will be rewarded. Anticipation is a good thing.
We need to get that anticipation back. Remember when you were a kid and you looked forward to Christmas so much that you couldn’t fall asleep because you were wondering what would come the next day?

Remember the feeling you had when you asked someone to marry you, and you waited on their answer?

Remember when you took a major risk, not knowing what the outcome would be, and hoping for the best?

We need to get that feeling back…the anticipation of Christ breaking into the world. Because that is what he has done, and is doing. We are in the present, the point where past and future collide, and in anticipation of all that Christ is going to do in the world, how can we not be excited? How can we keep it to ourselves?

So Paul says, wake up, and get ready! Don’t do things that are going to numb your senses, because you need to stay alert. Don’t do anything to harm your relationships with others because you are going to need them, as they need you. Christ is coming, and it is a good thing.

Christmas is coming, and it is a good thing.
Even with lists, and decorating, and cleaning, and everything else that goes on, we don’t need to forget what an incredible opportunity Christmas brings. Christmas brings God among us. Christmas brings hope.

Hope is a good thing. Here is what we hope for.

We hope for a world that does not learn war anymore. That’s not reality for us right now. One of my former youth is stationed in South Korea right now, and with the attacks perpetrated by North Korea and the grumblings of the world’s super powers, the hope of a world that does not learn war anymore looks bleak.

We hope for a world that has no tears, and no pain. We prayed for people this morning that they would experience this in their lives, and we hope for their healing.

We hope for a world where no one is hungry, and all are satisfied. Where equity and justice rule in our world, rather than stratification and class.

We hope our church honors God, in everything that we do, and we pray for His blessings upon our ministry for doing so, and that we have joy in being a part of this community.

What do you hope for this Christmas?

It is so easy to get caught up and bogged down in the busyness of the season that we forget that hope is coming. So wake up, and get dressed.

This past week, while we were at my parent’s house, my dad asked me what we wanted for Christmas. I pulled out my iphone, where I have been keeping a running list for a few months of things that have piqued my interest that I didn’t want to forget just in case this scenario ever were to come up. Because it drives me a little crazy when you ask somebody what they want, and they don’t know. And while I was reading this Christmas wish list of mine…I realized that I had left off a bunch of things.

Here are the things I added to my Christmas list.

That my daughter continue to grow and learn and become the wonderful person I hope she will be.

That the new baby be born healthy.

That my marriage will be strong and joyful throughout our lives.

For health of all those I love.

That God continues to inspire me every day with being called to be a Christian, and to accept the responsibility that entails.

That God bless and use this church to be a shining light to this community, and help make disciples of Jesus Christ.

That God establish his Kingdom on Earth, and war, pain, and fear is gone.

You see, when we make our Christmas list, we should ask for the things we hope for. Because our hope comes from Christ, and the anticipation of Christ’s coming is so exciting, because our hopes will become reality.


What’s on your Christmas list? I have placed a note card in every bulletin. I want you to put this note card in a prominent place in your home. On your kitchen table, on the refrigerator, somewhere. And I want this to be your Christmas list. What do you hope for this year? Pray about it, write it down. Use this note card like you use your other to-do lists…when you think about something, write it down. I think you will realize, that the things that are important to hope for, are not material things, but eternal things that we hope for in Christ.

Christ is our hope. And the magic of Christmas is still there. And the joy of our hope in the coming of Christ is still there. Today is different. What do you hope for this year?

One of my hopes is that this church can be as excellent as it can possibly be. That is why I have taken the note cards that you all allowed me to read from our visioning meeting two weeks ago and made them into a “Christmas list” on our altar. That our visions and hopes are rooted in Christ.

This Christmas, instead of depleting our energy and bank accounts, Christ can renew our spirits and hope.

Let us build our hope on Christ. Let’s build our Christmas list. And when we know what our hopes are…let us lean on Christ, anticipating our help in making them a reality.