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Hope drives us. It keeps us going. We work hard at school, hoping to get into the college of our choosing. We hope that we will one day meet that special man or woman. We hope to have children or not have children. We hope we are on the right career path to meet our aspirations for success and meaning.

All these hopes are important. They give us reason to get out of bed in the morning. But what happens when these hopes do not materialize? When, despite our best efforts, we do not get into that school, meet that special person, or find what we are looking for? Is there a compelling hope that will see us through all the trails and hardships that are incidental to life?

This is where the hope of Christmas comes in. It is good to strive to improve ourselves and this world. However, none of us will are able to bring about the brilliant future we long for. We need someone who is both human and more than human to do this for us. On that first Christmas, God came down, took on human flesh, became a baby lying in cradle who would one day take on a cross and bring about the future we could never achieve on our own. For all who trust in this unusual gift of hope, nothing the world throws at them can takes it away. This hope is so compelling that a man named Paul in the Bible once said, “…I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18).” Yes, there is a compelling hope, and I hope you find it this Christmas.

Prayer: Dear Lord, you made us to do wonderful things. Yet, the thing we need most of all we are not able to achieve on our own. You, however, have done it in Christ. Help us welcome into our hearts the wonderous hope of Christmas: your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.