Hope has a name

2 December 2020

The same hope that appeared that first Christmas is still with us today

Words Sandra Pawar

The year 2020 has been a doozy, hasn’t it? A worldwide pandemic, nationwide lockdowns, a ban on hugs and handshakes, quarantine, financial hardships, restrictions, isolation and sorrow. Sadly, this past year has not brought very much hope our way.

The word ‘hope’ is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as, “a feeling of expectation and desire for a particular thing to happen”. Webster’s Dictionary defines it as, “to cherish a desire with anticipation: to want something to happen or be true”.

I think this year we have all waited in anticipation for some good news, whether that be for borders to reopen, family members being allowed to visit, restrictions lifted, employment gained and COVID-19 infection rates decreasing. We have all looked for hope.

We are now heading into the Christmas season. At this time of year, the stores and shopping centres are beginning to put up their Christmas decorations, sparkly lights and tall Christmas trees. Songs will soon be playing on the radio with joyful voices singing, “Joy to the world!” and “’Tis the season to be jolly!”. Christmas is usually seen as a season of hope but this year, these traditions could seem a little shallow.

I encourage us all, though, to approach this season with hopeful anticipation because, thankfully, it is not the season that brings hope, but who this season represents that matters.

His name is Jesus, and he is our hope.

In the Bible, the Old Testament prophet Isaiah wrote, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah chapter 9, verse 6). This prophecy came true, and the greatest miracle possible happened that very first Christmas. Hope arrived in human form and entered an imperfect and suffering world. He appeared in flesh, as a baby, the one we call Jesus.

The book of Matthew in the New Testament shares, “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which is a Hebrew name that means ‘God with us’)” (Matthew chapter 1, verse 23).

Friends, hope is found in the truth that Jesus is Immanuel – God with us. God is not ‘out there’, God is here. We can celebrate Christmas not because of the carols we sing, the gifts we buy or the trees we decorate, but because Jesus is with us, right here, right now. Jesus did not just give us hope that first Christmas, but his presence gives us hope today.

Jesus is hope – to the person who has lost their job, to the single parent fighting to provide for their children, to the person who feels isolated and alone, to the one who is fighting secret addictions and to the one who is struggling with depression and anxiety. Jesus is your hope today.

I pray that these lyrics from ‘Above It All’ by the band Phillips, Craig and Dean, will bring some hope and encouragement to you this Christmas:

There is freedom in prison.

There is a light in the dark that will swallow the shadows and carry the night from our hearts.

There is a peace in the chaos.

There is a grace for the flame.

A strength for the battle, a shield for the arrow, a faith that endures everything.

Our hope, our hope has a name.

Jesus, Jesus is with us.

Sandra Pawar is a Salvation Army officer (pastor) in New South Wales.