“I hope…” we each can fill in the blank with many of the hopes and desires we have this Christmas season. Maybe you are hoping for peace, for a tattered relationship to be repaired, for a financial burden to be lifted, or simply to see your family this year. No matter what we hope for, we can find hope in Christ.
Love Holds It All Together
In 1 Corinthians 13:13, Paul says, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13 NLT). Faith, hope, and love are the foundations of a Christian life. We have faith in Christ, hope in eternal life and love holds it all together. The Greek word for hope is ἐλπίς, (elpis) which is derived from the word elpo, meaning “to anticipate, usually with pleasure” according to Strong’s Concordance G1680. (G1680, n.d.)
Hope Was Born in Bethlehem
Bethlehem was an important place in the big-picture story of the Gospel. The lineage of Jesus includes five women: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Uriah’s wife (aka Bathsheba), and Mary. The 5 women in Jesus’ lineage (Matthew 1:1-16) are important parts of the hope we find in Christ. Ruth, David’s great-grandmother, met Boaz in Bethlehem. (Ruth 1:22-2:6). David was born and raised in town (1 Samuel 16:1,12-13; 2 Samuel 5:2) fulfilling the prophecy in Micah 5:2, “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf.” (Micah 5:2 NLT). Generations before Jesus was born, Bethlehem was making a name for itself.
We Find Rest in the Hope of Jesus
We can strive for fame, material goods, money, or a picture-perfect Christmas, yet these things don’t produce rest or hope.
Misplacing hope in people will disappoint us, material things decay, and satisfaction fades. However, the eternal hope that we find in Jesus brings us rest.
Hope At Christmas
We no longer strive for picture-perfect things; we strive for perfect Jesus. Our goal is to live like Jesus, showing love to God, others, and ourselves. We have hope in the second coming of Jesus, where we will find our eternal life. We will live with Jesus in a new place, without sin, pain, or discord—this place gives me hope. I anticipate the day I can look at Jesus and be in His presence in heaven.
Christ is our hope to share eternal life with him at his second coming. As you eagerly await Christmas this year, take time each day to lean into the scriptures and meet Jesus amongst the pages.
Thank you for making this year beautiful. We will take some holiday rest and join you in the new year. Blessings to you and your family this holiday season.
- Hope at Christmas
- Letting Go of Control
- Don’t Get Your Tinsel In A Tangle
- Freed from the Spirit of Anger
- Love Never Fails
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