It
is dark inside the church, and hushed, but with the background rustling
and breathing of many people waiting in silence. A match is struck, and
at the same time a soloist sings forth ‘Come Lord Jesus’. As candles
are lit from one another, the choir sings, and light blazes through the
building.
This is one of my favourite times of the year – the
beginning of the Advent Carol service. Listening to readings and singing
together, we celebrate the dawning hope of Jesus’ coming. The Bible
readings speak of God’s relationship with his people, of his
faithfulness over the centuries, and the promise that one day everything
will be made new. It is a wonderful story of hope.
We live in a
world where spiritual things are often conveyed by physical means; human
beings are creatures within time. So we need signs of hope – the
tangible things and occasions which help us to look beyond the immediate
situation. We need stories to tell which change the narrative, moments
of encouragement which renew our energy.
Such incidents strengthen
hope, yet we do not base our hope on them. Christian hope is grounded
on the character of God – a God who, as we hear in Advent, keeps his
promises and is faithful. Advent calls us to believe that history
belongs to God, that the Kingdom of God will come, and that the whole
world will be healed and renewed. So Christian hope is not fleeting or
uncertain (I hope I will win the lottery!) but firm because it is based
on who God is. Even when the way ahead is unclear, or troubled,
Christian hope makes the decision to trust in God. As a Cardinal once
said:
To hope is a duty, not a luxury.
To hope is not to dream but to turn dreams into reality.
Happy those who have the courage to dream dreams
and who are ready to pay the price
so that dreams take shape in other people's lives.
