An Advent of Hope By Adri Roos

Published: December 9th, 2008

"People of faith are prisoners of hope"

Archbishop Desmond Tutu thinks that hope is fundamental to the way we, as Christians, live our lives. I tend to agree with him because I know that when my hope fades, or even shifts to someone other than Jesus, that I'm walking on sinking sand. It was Jim Wallis who said, "Hope always precedes change'", and that the spiritual chain of events in history works as follows:

Faith – Hope – Action – Change

In a time when we are bombarded with messages of fear, hope is crucial. It fuels our thoughts, inspires our actions and ultimately brings change. The current messages of our time tell us to fear, to cling to what we have and try and make our own way to the top.  The recession tells us to stop giving, and store up what we have. The HIV epidemic tells us 33.2 million people are living with HIV globally and that there's no cure. The staggering numbers of people being trafficked across this globe tells us the world is morally bereft and nothing can be done. It's all a horrible lost cause.

1 Peter 1:3 talks about a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus. As followers of Jesus we're called into the reality of God's kingdom where the massiveness of the problem shouldn't make us hopeless, but our lives should be grounded in our living hope: Jesus. In God's kingdom we have the promise of more than we can imagine and ask for. (Eph 3:20)  This means that as a people of God we can live counter-culturally in times like these. When everyone is clinging on to what they have, we can freely give, because we know He is our provider. When everyone is filled with despair by shocking economic indicators, we can pray and act with hope.

As we enter into this Christmas season we're reminded of Jesus: born in our midst and his life showed us the ultimate love. We know that there is hope, and that it's found in Jesus.
 
It was said of Jesus that he was often moved with compassion. Mark 8 tells the story of Jesus feeding 4000 people with 7 loaves of bread. Jesus wasn't just feeling emotional or thinking thoughts of goodwill towards the hungry people, but had a compassion that moved him into action. He didn't just pray for the people who were hungry, give them some money to buy food or have a hopeful thought towards his Father in heaven.  Jesus used what he had and shared that with others. The ordinary actions of Jesus turned into a miraculous event where four thousand were fed.

Our hope should not just stay on our lips, in the carols we sing or the Christmas cards we write.  It should flow over into our actions. We're not only called to give to the hungry, but to come alongside them. To share with them this hope we have. I had dinner with a homeless guy a couple of weeks ago. I dread to even say homeless because it's so stereotypical. I saw him begging in London and simply decided to ask him if he was hungry. He answered with a quick and loud yes and the part which I enjoyed most was that he allowed me to take him out for dinner! However, I knew that I had something to share with him that was more than just food. It was a glimpse of hope, that there is someone who believes he is actually worth the food and the time. You see, his biggest struggle isn't his constant hunger pains, but the hopelessness he feels when people ignore his very existence. I believe that we are called not to only live with this hope at the centre of our lives, but to also share it with others.
 
As we enter into this Christmas season we're reminded of Jesus born in our midst and His life that showed as the ultimate love. We know that there is hope, and that it's found in Jesus, and this living hope should move us into action. There's a myth that says we can't do anything to help. The problems are too big.  Nothing will ever change. This is maybe even more than a myth. It is a blatant lie.  We know that with Jesus we can feed thousands.

Let's live differently this Christmas and maintain this living hope at the centre of what we do.  Here are some ways you can respond with the hope:

1. Pray: Let your prayers be filled with hope. If you don't feel hopeful or struggle to believe that there is hope in God, ask Him to restore that hope in your life. It's okay not to have hope! the life of Job was a struggle to restore hope.

2. Actions: Think of creative ways to love your 'neighbours' this Christmas.  Everything from baking cakes for your office, making cards for the neighbours, or even buying a homeless person some lunch. In 1 Pet 3:15 Paul tells us to be prepared to give a reason for hope that we have.  People will ask you why you are being so nice to them. 

3. Give: maybe you can give some money this year to a charity: check out Tearfund for ways of getting involved with communities affected by HIV or Stop the Traffik if you want to help free people from slavery.

4. Buy: maybe you can think twice before you buy this Christmas and instead of buying the discounted stacks of chocolate, you can choose a brand that's Fair Trade.

I truly believe that our small prayer filled actions plus a hope in Jesus will equals the miraculous on our doorsteps. Let us be reminded of this living hope during the Christmas season. A hope that is far more than just a wish to Santa, but a hope that will change our lives.

Afterthought:  Strangely the Pharisees came to Jesus just after the miraculous feeding of the 4000 and asked Jesus for a sign from heaven. Jesus responded and said no sign will be given to them, maybe because they just missed the miracle that happened on their doorstep? Let's not miss the miraculous this year!

Adri Roos originally hails from Paarl, South Africa, spent a few years serving 24-7 Prayer in the UK and now lives in and loves the walled red light district of BoysTown, Mexico.  Adri loves friends, food, live music and writing. Having travelled widely, she often finds herself at home in the forgotten places.

Post to: Facebook del.icio.us digg Newsvine