Rejoice in Hope

The Christmas trees stand tall in our windows. The lights twinkle, dance. It’s that time of year again. Standing before the tree, we see it’s easy to lose the joy of it all – and it’s easy to lose our light. The light that shines radiantly from our hearts – from the place we hold our hope.

There are times when rejoicing is hard. And yet, we’re commanded: Rejoice in the Lord.

We hear the songs of children, we hear the Christmas carols – and we wonder – why can it be so hard to hold that simple joy? Where is it that hope begins to unravel?

Seasons turn in our lives and we can turn our eyes, and start listening to the wrong voices.

Seasons have a way of rushing in and whispering the lie, this circumstance is going to consume you. But God whispers that it is He that seeks to consume us – with His love.

The seasons can whisper the lie – hide, hide until you figure it all out and only then are you worthy of love and understanding. But God whispers – come out of hiding, my daughter. What you’re looking for is me.  I make you worthy.

The seasons can threaten – work harder, work harder. You’ll never be able to keep up fast enough with this world. And God whispers – you aren’t meant to keep up with the world, but to keep company with me.

The seasons we walk through blare their demands and worries– and the things that deflate our hope.

But God always whispers so gently, into the very place we need hope the most.

I am here. Right here.

We can hear it if we pause and linger by the tree, by the twinkling lights as they radiate something truer, deeper, than the voices we listen to.

GOD has come to come right into our cracked places. The places of deflated hope, the places of worry. The places we wonder where God is.

His presence is here.

And it’s better than any present we will ever receive.

We have a “God with us” – Emmanuel (Matthew 1:23). A God who didn’t stop leaving heaven for you – and who wouldn’t come in to this world flashy. He came in so small and vulnerable that we could hold Him. And by the tree, we see He wants us to come to Him, small and vulnerable too.

He was born to save us from ourselves. And to become our hope – the living hope that will never die.

No matter what you’re going through this Christmas, we can hold tightly onto this:

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?…

I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

-Romans 8:35-38

God whispers this truth to us beneath the tree, as close as our very breath. God’s love will fight for us. Jesus came in so close to us – and He always wants to be close.

“The Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son..”

– John 1:14 NLT

Jesus came right to us, and His presence asks, will you hold me?

Our God wants to be held by us.

He asks that we stop holding the things we hold instead. The lies. The worries. The places we’re trying to perform and perfect and just get it right. We can take a breath and let it all go.

When we let go of our situations and worries, and hold Him instead – we find we are holding hope itself. A hope that breathes like a little baby but conquered the grave and blazes with glory.

And joy, it bubbles over again and we can rejoice.

We can rejoice because nothing is impossible with this God. No situation is too vulnerable that He hasn’t come right into it – and brought us the greatest gift. The one gift we always need and the one gift He never stops giving.

Himself.

 

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

-Romans 15:13