Christmas Wish or Christmas Hope?featured

This past Sunday was the first Sunday of Advent and in churches all over the world, the first candle in the Advent Wreath was lit.  In the reform tradition, the first candle is the Hope candle.  The lighting ceremony prompted to me to reflect a bit on the hope that the candle represents. My mind tends to wander when I spend time reflecting, and I started to think about the difference between hoping and wishing.

I went to Bible Gateway to see how often the root words (hope and wish) are used in the Bible.  I checked the NIV, which is the version I use the most.  Hope is used 180 times and wish 42 times.  I then checked the Merriam-Webster definitions of hope and wish.  Let’s compare the definition of the two words as verbs:

Wish: to have a desire; want.

Hope: to desire with expectation of obtainment or fulfillment; to expect with confidence.

I am not a Biblical scholar or a theologian, but it seems to me that the word hope has more spiritual significance than does the word wish.  Wishing seems to be a bit more transient and fleeting, reflecting earthly wants and desires. Wishing doesn’t seem to be grounded in a firm confidence in the outcome.  I think the phrase “wishy, washy” reflects the nature of our wishes!

On the other hand, our hope is based on no other than that the Creator of the heavens and earth.  There is no phrase with word hope that is equivalent to “wishy washy” and for good reason!  Psalms 62:5 says, “Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.”  And Psalm 33:20 tells us, “We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.”  Our hope is our eternal God whose unfailing love manifested itself in the birth of our Savior over 2,000 years ago.  Our knowledge of God gives us confidence that our hopes will be fulfilled.

The Apostle Peter reinforces our confidence: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you. (1 Peter 1:3-4).   Just in case we haven’t absorbed the message fully, Paul tells us, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” (Hebrews 6:19)

The familiar words from O Little Town of Bethlehem, “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in Thee tonight,” all of a sudden had fresh meaning for me.  All of our eternal hope is in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  Our souls can rest on these truths.  We can stand firm in the storms of life based on this anchor.  Our hope is living and will last into eternity.  How can we not be filled with awe, wonder, and gratitude when we think about the baby in the manger?

My hope is that your Christmas season is full of hope!  May God bless you with a fresh sense of awe, wonder and gratitude for His indescribable gift, Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World. [jetpack_subscription_form]