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The world can seem like a pretty grim place. Flashpoints across the globe look increasingly perilous, with hostile powers at odds with one another. As if that is not enough, cultural and socio-political wars are driving deeper wedges and drawing wider lines of demarcation between families, friends, neighbors, and anyone who does not think like “us.”
A few years back, there was a national bumper sticker campaign that raised the following question: “Got Hope?” The quick answer could very easily be “Not Really!” Interestingly, however, for those of us who follow the Christian liturgical calendar, this time of year is awash with hope.
Hope is infused throughout the entire seasons of Advent and Christmas. Whether in the lessons of the prophets’ predictions that rough places will be made smooth and the crooked places made straight, or in the anticipation of war’s weapons transformed into the tools of harvest – hope lives during this time of year.
Even though at times it may seem as if it doesn’t, hope also abounds in our day-to-day lives. It is there in the eyes of our friend or loved one who has recently learned that the mass on their lung is benign. It is there in every toy drive and every hour volunteered in a soup kitchen or a shelter. Hope is there in the launching of new programs and initiatives like aviation and aviation management on our campus. Hope is present for that student who procrastinated throughout the course of the semester and is now playing catchup on assignments. Hope flourishes in the wishful thinking of children who write long lists of all the things they want, and may possibly get, for Christmas. Hope lives!
Yes, hope lives, and not only does it live, but the Apostle Paul reminds us that there is really only one way to hope. He notes, “hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?” (Romans 8:24). None of us hope for what we already have.
In these dark days of winter, we are all hoping for something different. We are hoping that our loved ones will not become ill. We are hoping that our fellow citizens will exercise care and precaution not just for themselves, but for others as well. We are all hoping – on tiptoe – that the Christ child will surprise us in ways that none of us could ever imagine. Hope lives!
Nobel Peace Laureate Desmond Tutu noted that “hope is being able to see that there is a light despite all of the darkness.” Having lived through the darkness and evil of South Africa’s former Apartheid regime, Tutu, perhaps better than most, knew the importance of clinging to hope.
May you and yours remain hopeful as we once again celebrate the birth of the Christ child, and may you even proclaim, “Hope lives!”
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