For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already
sees? – Romans 8:24
“The celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves
to be poor and imperfect, and who look forward to something greater to come.”
~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
The season of Advent is one of preparation and expectancy. While Bonhoffer’s quote above
may seem a bit extreme, it does point out that unless we acknowledge something lacking in
ourselves and/or lacking in our lives, we really can’t experience the hope and expectancy
that it might actually come into our lives anew this Christmas.
During our weekly worship services in Advent, we light candles signifying hope, love, joy,
and peace. If we are not deliberate in our personal prayers and meditations during the season,
these words can simply stand for rather general and fuzzy “Hallmark” sentiments. While the
world will always need more hope, love, joy and peace in general, it would behoove us all to
invest specific expectancy into each of these larger, broader terms. Christ came to bring
these gifts from God into the world, but part of the preparation that we must do in order for him
to be born in our hearts again this Christmas is to admit that there are some very specific reasons
that we need him to be born there.
If you remember back to the Christmases of your childhood, you of course looked forward
to gifts in general in your stocking or under the tree. But, you also had hopes of some very
particular gift or gifts that added to your excited anticipation of Christmas morning.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have that same eagerness and hopeful anticipation of the gifts of
hope, love, joy and peace coming into our lives this year? My hope for each of us is that we might
name a very specific aspect of hope, love, joy, and peace that we are (using Bonhoeffer’s terms)
troubled without, that we are impoverished and imperfect without.
What might we have given up hoping for? What dreams have we allowed to die within us?
How might God rekindle those hopes? What love (Agape love of caring acts, not romantic love…
that’s a different hope!) might God work in us and through us and for us this year? What is there in
our current life that might be deadening our joy? What changes could we make in our routines to
permit more space to experience the large and small joys of our daily lives? What conflicts exist in
our life that God might work in and through us to resolve and bring about peace for ourselves and
for others? How might we become agents of reconciliation in our personal lives, our families, and
our community?
The more specific we can become the greater the likelihood that God will be able to give us
the guidance, strength, comfort, and energy we need to bring about changes in our lives that will
result in the Christmas gifts that we would like to open and cherish throughout the coming New
Year and beyond.
Peace to you, hope to you, joy to you, and love to you,
Pastor Layne