The first Sunday of Advent is Hope. Hope is defined as a feeling of expectation and desire for certain thing to happen and a feeling of trust. In our world there is no shortage of distrust and dread. We only need to consider the news stories to know about all of the darkness in the world. Almost every day seems to bring another negative news story; military conflicts, extreme weather reports, unwanted sexual attention, violence, substance abuse, greed, and every imaginable crime. It's easy to see why so many of us feel downtrodden, distressed, and hopeless.
It is in this season of Advent that we are reminded that we still have Hope. This is not some abstract, dreamlike, pie in the sky hope. This is the substantial, concrete Hope that we have as followers of Jesus Christ. As the Apostle Paul wrote in the beginning of his first letter to Timothy, Christ Jesus is our hope. It is the hope in the knowledge that we don't have to go through the times of strife and struggle alone. It is the hope that reminds us that nothing isn't happening that our God has not allowed to happen. And it is the hope in knowing that we are in relationship with God and God's people.
As we ready ourselves for Christmas, let us be reminded that it's not about the Christmas lights, or even the lighting of the candles of the Advent wreath. It is about the coming of the Light of the World, Jesus Christ. And it is in His light that we find Hope.