hope

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My neighbors have hung Christmas lights. Friends have decorated their trees. Christmas music wafts down the hall from my daughter's bedroom. This is more than the normal commercial push. After months of social isolation, brutal protests, and ugly politics, people are craving Christmas this year. 

We need a little Christmas, right this very minute...

Good tidings and warm fuzzies. Twinkle lights and mistletoe. Romantic movies and Santa.

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

Misers give generously. Unkind people learn to love. Damaged relationships are mended.  

Have yourself a merry little Christmas...

Families gather. The decorations are flawless. The perfect gift is found. All our troubles disappear. 

The world's idea of Christmas crumbles beneath our expectations. That Christmas, for all its shiny promises, misses the mark. Hope wrapped in pretty paper and ornate ribbons will always disappoint. True hope was wrapped in swaddling cloths.
 
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices...
 
These are days of lament and weariness. These are days when our drifting souls need a sure and steadfast anchor. Faith looks backward; hope looks ahead. Hope promises riches far greater than any gift found under the tree. Hope gives us strength. Hope thrills. Hope brings joy.
 
O come, O come Emmanuel!
 
we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
~Romans 5:2 


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