In preparing my sermon on the first Sunday of Advent’s theme of hope, I thought about how we use the word hope, as well as its compound cousins – hopeless and hopeful. When we say a situation is hopeless, we are not reporting that there is now less hope than there had been previously. No, what we are saying is that there is no hope at all. None.
Similarly, what do we mean when we say that we are hopeful? It is not that we are full to the brim with hope and confidence in a certain outcome. Rather, what we are saying is that we are optimistic, “We’re hopeful.” In our usage the word “hope” and “wish” are synonymous.
I suppose that our nuanced use of the word hope, ranging from hopeful optimism to hopeless despair, is owing to the fact that we live in a world where nothing is certain but death, a world in which we ultimately have no control over circumstances.
For the Christian, there is a wonderful light that shines into that dim prospect, a promise that changes everything: in Christ we have hope now and forever. This is not the “hope-so” hope of our usage. No, when the Bible speaks of our hope in Christ, it is conveying full assurance and absolute certainty because the object of our hope is sovereign God, who is in control of every circumstance and who has made sure promises to us in Christ.
The text I have been studying for my sermon describes Christians as “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” Were Christ a relative or friend returning from a trip, our hope would not be a sure hope. Bad weather comes. Flights get cancelled. Accidents happen. But this is God the Son, whose plans and promises are not contingent on anything, and he has promised he will return.
In this, Christians can be hopeful, that is, truly full of hope, regardless of how hopeless the circumstances we face may seem. Our sure hope in Christ assures us of eternal joy and peace beyond our present circumstances. His glorious return is the lens through which we should view those circumstances. Though difficult, they are temporary and cannot compare to the greater weight of glory that awaits us at Christ’s return. Amen.
