A Thrill of Hope

Preparing our house for Christmas has always been my favorite thing. When I was a little girl, I stood on chairs to hang lights around my room. I hung mini ornaments on a mini little tree while blasting Trans-Siberian Orchestra and The Carpenters. My mom and I always put up our family's tree the day after Thanksgiving and not a minute later.

Now that I'm a mom, I've been more intentional with how we celebrate and decorate each holiday, especially Christmas. I want my girls to understand that each holiday is set aside to focus on a different aspect of the Gospel. We have hot chocolate and watch Christmas movies and give gifts like most families this time of year. The world tells us that this is a season of giving, family, tradition, and fun. I agree; it is all of those things...and so much more.

Our family chooses to focus on Advent during December each year. The Gospel of Jesus is good and relevant every second of every day, but this is the special time each year that the church puts extra thought into the time when God himself came into the world in the most vulnerable way. It's the time when we consider a world before Jesus, before His teachings, before He earned the salvation of His people through His death.

Oh, how weary the world must have been, knowing that they could do nothing to be reconciled back to God. There was no way out of the brokenness and mess of a life apart from God. There was no escape from the burden of the Law, no way to please God.

But God, being so rich in mercy, sent hope into the world. What a thrill it must have been for that handful of people who knew His identity and the role He was going to play in healing the world.

It wasn't a grand entrace, with fireworks and parades and headlines.

It was quiet, as quiet as a sigh for those who knew.

Finally, He's here. This long-expected Jesus. The one who will make peace between God and His creation.

This Christmas season, remind yourself and those around you of the Gospel with the songs you sing, the decorations you hang, the gifts you give, and the words you say.

I pray that you who are weary this Christmas will feel the thrill of hope that only Jesus can bring.