Anchored in Hope: Living the Gifts of Advent
Throughout the Advent season we traditionally focus our attention on hope, peace, joy and love.
Hope was born a long time ago as recorded in Genesis 3. Adam and Eve failed miserably and God removed them from the Garden of Eden. They knew they had really messed up yet they left the garden full of hope because along with the banishment came the promise of a redeemer that would strike a fatal blow to the head of the serpent who had deceived them. Waiting in hope began, and stretched over the centuries until the promise was fulfilled with the birth of Messiah.
While waiting in hope righteous people often displayed a deep inner peace despite their circumstances. One example is Noah who spent decade after decade preaching and building an ark. Despite the societal rot around him he continued his work knowing deep in his heart that God had called him to his work.
In the book of James we learn about joy where it is written: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
The word "consider" is an interesting word choice. We are not told to "feel" joy. We are told to recognize a divine purpose in suffering. Then the statement is ramped up by adding the word "pure" to the sentence. "Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials..." The first disciples of Jesus faced astonishing punishments and even crucifixion but they faced these challenges with joy because they knew this was the path to maturity and completion where they lacked nothing.
God is love. The definition of love is God. God loved humans so much that He created us to look like him and be like him. Then when we failed and did not live up to his standards we are told that He loved us so much that the Son came to wipe away the penalty for all we had done wrong.
Not only at Christmas but all year long, disciples of Jesus need to be taught to have hope. Our ancestors had hope as they waited for Messiah. We now live with hope as we wait for King Jesus to return. In the meantime we can live at peace even though everything around us is falling apart. When the turmoil of the world impacts us, personal tragedy is our reality, or life has big challenges, we face it all with joy because we know the trials and troubles are preparing us to be people who are complete, lacking nothing.
