November 29 marked the first Sunday of Advent. A simple Google search tells us that “Advent” means “coming” and is the time of preparing and waiting for the coming of Jesus into the world by his birth.
The Advent wreath is the widely recognized symbol of Advent and is made of a circle of evergreen branches laid flat to symbolize eternal life. The circle reminds Christians of eternal life and the endless mercies we have in Christ. The green of the wreath speaks of the hope that Christians have in God, the hope of newness, of renewal, of eternal life.
Four candles stand in the circle and each one represents one of the four Sundays of Advent. The candles symbolize the light of God coming into the world through the birth of His Son, Jesus. Each outer candle has a theme: Hope, Peace, Love, and Joy. In the center of the circle sits a fifth candle, the Christ Candle, which is to be lit on Christmas Day.
As we embark on this week dedicated to hope, my seven-year-old son recently took an online quiz about synonyms for school. One of the words was “hope.” Even though he has heard the word related to the Advent wreath since his birth, it really is hard to define to a child. He asked me what I thought about the word joy as a synonym. I see why he would think that. So, I said sure. It wasn’t correct or exactly what the teacher wanted. But in reality, we have hope because of the joy we have in Christ, right? Anyway, the correct answer was wish or desire. Hope is defined as a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen, a feeling of trust.
But too often, Christians confuse the word hope for wishful thinking. Like if we hope something will happen, we have no control over whether or not it will take place. Thinking back, I hoped to get married one day. I hoped to have a great career one day. I hoped to learn how to cook. But the biblical sense of hope is very different.
Hope exists and can only be placed in our trustworthy Father. Because God has not failed me in the past, therefore, I can trust he will not fail me in the future. This hope is so much more than the hope of a marriage, career, or certain abilities. In Scripture, God made and fulfilled many promises. And if God has fulfilled those, I can believe and trust he will do that in the future as we await the return of Christ. I can have hope that any promise made will be fulfilled. Hope waits and endures. It isn’t merely wishful thinking. It can withstand anything.
Why is that important? When I place my hope in Christ, I know that he will sustain me in the times of joy and trials. I know that he is with me in the lonely times, the parenting fails, the drama of life, and the pandemics we face. Throughout my life, there have been times of greatness, and times when I wondered where God was.
As a kid, I could quote the Bible but was so far from God. I truly believed that God was like Santa. He was in the clouds keeping a list and checking it twice to see who was naughty or nice. Because I could never live up to his expectations, I didn’t even try anymore. It took hitting rock bottom and feeling completely lost and forgotten at age 17 for reality to hit. I had a completely wrong view of God. In that moment, I cried out to God for salvation and realized he is not a feeling. He is a relationship. He is not a list-taker—He is a forgiving God. He is not a Santa gift-giver but the giver of eternal life and hope through his Son’s sinless life, death, and resurrection. At 17, I gave my life to Christ and placed my hope in him.
With that hope, I have security in God and though I may not see him now, I know I will see him face to face one day. “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). Life may not always be easy, but with Christ we have hope and security.
Just like the hope candle recognizes the Old Testament prophesies which were fulfilled—Israel’s yearning for the Messiah to save them from their enemies—we also have hope that one day Jesus will return for us. We light the candle knowing that Jesus will save us from the darkness of sin for his glorious light. If you haven’t experienced this hope, reach out. Let this Christmas be more than gifts and decorations. Let it be the beginning of a deeper relationship with Christ.
Beth Howe
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