What Are You Hoping For? (2nd Thursday of Advent)

Note: Once again, I’m having trouble cleaning up the psalm to appear nice and pretty, so here is the link: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2037;&version=31;

"Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future for the man of peace." This verse jumped out at me when I read the powerful 37th Psalm. This psalm, written by David is full of hope for those who are upright and blameless before the Lord. Yet David is also honest enough to note that such hope seems a long way off in the midst of all the evil that was around him. He wasn’t afraid to ask God why the wicked seemed to prosper while the righteous were crushed. Yet in his asking David never lost sight of God’s ultimate justice. He recognized that one day God would bring peace and redemption for those who had remained faithful to Him even in the midst of great trial and tribulation. So it is that David speaks confidentially of the inheritance the righteous and holy will one day receive.

As Christians, we know that our inheritance is secure because of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Though the baby Jesus was born some 2000 years ago, in a very real sense his birth is not a relic of the past, but the hope of the future. When God entered time and space to become one of us, He gave meaning to the past, present and future. No longer is life here on earth meaningless. Yes, death, decay and destruction remain on this world. Yes, sin and evil still too often triumph over good. Yes, we continue to struggle for peace in the midst of war. However, we who struggle for God's righteousness do not struggle in vain, for one day Christ will return triumphant over evil and injustice. When governments fail to cease their warring, when the UN fails to keep the peace, it is t hen that God will prevail!

During His short life here on earth, we got a foretaste of what life is like with God as Lord. Christ’s birth then, is a timeless event that gives us a glimpse into the future, when the world itself will be reborn. We truly have reason to celebrate this Christmas season!