Mary, a young girl, was likely in the throws of planning her wedding, anticipating her future, when her life was interrupted. Having a baby out of wedlock could easily have left her feeling hopeless.
Yet, when faced with the unexpected, Mary did not appear to lose hope. Instead, she responded to the angel, “Let it be; I am the handmaid of the Lord.”
At the time of Jesus’ birth, the shepherds were labeled sinners; they were not well-regarded people. Being a shepherd may have felt like a hopeless occupation.
The shepherds may have lacked hope in their world, yet they received a VIP invitation to find hope in Jesus.
Faith invites us to live wonderstruck-a journey marked
Margaret Feinberg
by holy courage and irresistible hope.
We make plans and hope for a certain kind of future. Then our lives are interrupted, and the unexpected makes what we hoped for feel impossible. We lose hope.
Or, the life we have lived has been hard. We feel stuck and have long ago lost hope for anything better. We see no hope.
What if, like Mary, we decided to hold onto hope regardless of circumstances?
Or when we’ve already lost hope, we choose to accept the invitation of advent to find hope in the story of Jesus?
Advent is an invitation to remember there is always hope,
Joy Marker
even when the world feels hopeless.
Questions for Reflection:
What do you hope for in this season?
Where have you found yourself losing hope?
Where have you found hope in the story of Christmas?
A Prayer:
As we pause and reflect on this advent season, God gives us the courage to pray with hopeful expectations.
Help us to hold in our hearts the gift of Jesus’ birth and the hope of his anticipated return.
In this broken and war-torn world, may we not lose hope. Nor, let us become complacent in our hope. But, give us the strength to actively engage in bringing your hope to others.
Give us listening ears,
Noticing eyes,
Compassionate hearts,
Open hands,
So that we might see hope and carry hope through our ordinary days.
May we find our hope in you and share that hope with others.
Amen
May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace as we live fully present in this season of anticipation. May we overflow with love, knowing we are so very loved.
