Hope has a Name

One Christmas many years ago, when I was about three years old, my mom stayed up all night hand-making a babydoll bassinet for me. It was white, with a sweet dotted swiss bed skirt, and handmade pillows and a blanket, and inside she carefully placed brand-new babydoll. My mom could not wait for me to wake up Christmas morning and completely fall in love. It was too big to wrap so it sat carefully arranged under the tree — picture perfect in all its sweetness.

So imagine her disappointment when Christmas morning came, and little Melissa ran downstairs and beelined it straight for the stockings hanging by the fireplace. I didn’t even see the bassinet. As I dumped out the goodies before me, what do I discover but a chocolate covered marshmallow Santa. This was the best and greatest thing I could have possibly hoped for.

To my mother’s dismay and despite the beautiful bassinet and brand new babydoll inside, all I could focus on was this marshmallow Santa. To hear my mom tell it, I asked over and over again if I could eat the Santa . After repeated “no” answers, and after repeated efforts to divert my attention to the bassinet and baby inside, I finally resolved to ask my mom in my tiniest most desperate voice, “Well if I can’t eat the Santa , then can I please just smell it?” It was at this point she gave up on me entirely and we moved on with our Christmas.

The reason I share this with you, aside from the fact that I was clearly adorable, is that there is a something in this story that rings true for every single one of us, and its this: what we choose to focus on will ultimately shape what we hope for. And all too often, it is far too small and immediate —like 3 year old me dying for even just a smell of a chocolate marshmallow Santa when there was a gorgeous baby doll just waiting in the periphery to be noticed and played with. We set our sights too low and our gaze too narrow, and this is especially true when it comes to God.

The Jews in the first century are a perfect example of this. They had been awaiting the Messiah for thousands of years. What they had been hoping for in the Messiah was all about their expectations of what the he would do for them — a narrow focus that determined their hope.

Their expectations portrayed this coming Messiah as an all powerful, all-conquering king who would defeat their enemies and restore Israel to its rightful place as God’s people dwelling in security and prosperity. As a result of passages like Davidic Covenant found in 2 Samuel — in which God promised David a future son would reign over Israel forever — their narrow focus shaped what they hoped for. Isaiah 9:6-7 is a famous prophesy that helped construct their vision of the Messiah. It says this:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

Even amidst these beautiful words, the bigness of the Jews’ expectation of the Messiah was razor thin compared to God’s plan. The jews were hoping for a famous conquerer, and as a result most of them missed out on seeing Jesus for who he truly is, because a poor child from a podunk town like Nazareth did not fit the their regal description. What they hoped for was far too small.

God’s hope and love for this world is so much bigger than we can possibly imagine. Instead of a king on throne to save the Jewish people, he sent a baby in a manger to save everyone. This baby would grow up to a man who lived a perfect life, died on a cross, and rose again to make a way for every single one of us to become not only his people, but his children, co-hiers with Christ. The Jewish people dreamed of and hoped for a regal and unparalleled conquerer — but Romans 8:37  says, “We are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” God’s plan was bigger. Only in God’s kingdom would a baby in manger be of greater value than a king on throne.

As we focus our hearts this week to celebrate the day hope was born — let me ask you this: What is it you are hoping for? Or perhaps this the more important question: What are you placing your hope in?

Time again in the scriptures, hope is referred to as a solid concrete thing. It isn’t contingent on how we are doing, or what we want see come to pass. It is completely connected to the person and achievement of Christ. He is not only the way, the truth and life — he is also our hope.

Hope based on our own narrow vision and our own expectations is no hope at all. We will always bend these things to ourselves. Our hope will last only as long as our predictions are proven right. Hope based on ourselves or others will inevitably fail. When we choose to define hope for ourselves we will always make God too small, too tame — and we will always make ourselves as comfortable as possible. The times in my life where I’ve seen God’s hope shine the brightest have always been the most difficult seasons to weather. His power is made perfect in our weakness, and our hope is realized when we see him at work in our lives..

There are two scriptures lately that keep resurfacing as I’ve been thinking through the hope we have in Christ. The verses were written hundreds of years apart by two different authors, yet their meaning and the hope they are writing about is one and the same:

Psalm 62:5-6 David writes this:

Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
    my hope comes from him. 

Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
    he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

The second set of verses is one that is less looked at when discussing hope, but I think you’ll come to find it here nonetheless. In Matthew 7:24-25, Jesus say this:

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”

According to these verses we are wasting our time hoping the rain will stop falling, or hoping the streams won’t rise, or the winds won’t blow. The storms of life are going to come. David tells us his hope is a fortress built on a rock. Jesus invites us follow his word and build our homes right next to King David so we can withstand the storms together. Our hope is bigger than clear skies because it’s not based on the weather; it’s built upon one who helps us weather the storm. Our hope in Christ is a firm, solid thing. It’s not fragile or fleeting, but powerful, with the miraculous ability to change lives. It’s worthy of building our lives upon because HE is worthy.

For many, the Christmas season is also one of heartache, and I want you to know I see you. Sometimes even hope is hard. There are real things that hurt and challenge us. Grief is magnified and trials seem particularly unfair. And you have every right and every invitation to lay those before God in the fullness of their heartbreak. You have every right to pray for healing and restoration and I will do so alongside you if you need a friend. But for those of you who know my Jesus, please know that that this trial is not your story —  and it is certainly not in charge of your hope. You are worth so much more than that, and God in his goodness is fighting for you in ways you don’t even know; I am sure of it. Your future is secure; you will see healing and restoration. It is only a matter of time.

And if you don’t yet know Jesus as your savior, let me ask you this: Where are you building your house? Where are you placing your hope? Jesus has saved a plot of land on the rock for you. He’s waiting for you to stop watching the skies, and to start building your house on the rock of his love and hope. He is a firm foundation; with him your hope is secure.