Sunday's Message - A Season of Hope

The Christmas Season is special regardless of your age. It's a time both to celebrate but also to meditate, a unique period when we're able to put aside some of our frustrations and disappointments and to enjoy all the sights and sounds that surround us for about a month and a half. Of course, for Christians, it's even more important, because we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. And for that reason, we have good reason to experience some very special feelings during this time of year.

And so, with that in mind, for the next seven weeks, we'll look at some of the reasons the Christmas season is special. You see, during what the church calls the Season of Advent and the Season after Christmas, we'll define this time in the following ways:

• November 28 – A Season of Hope (Luke 21:25-36)
• December 5 – A Season of Peace (John 14:23-29)
• December 12 – A Season of Joy (Luke 1:39-55)
• December 19 – A Season of Generosity (Matthew 1:18-25)
• December 26 – A Season of Love (John 15:9-17)
• January 2 – A Season of Glory (John 1:1-10)

During this first session, we'll look at Christmas as a Season of Hope.

Luke 21:25-36 [Contemporary English Version]

Strange things will happen to the sun, moon, and stars. The nations on earth will be afraid of the roaring sea and tides, and they won’t know what to do. People will be so frightened that they will faint because of what is happening to the world. Every power in the sky will be shaken. Then the Son of Man will be seen, coming in a cloud with great power and glory. When all of this starts happening, stand up straight and be brave. You will soon be set free.

Then Jesus told them a story:

When you see a fig tree or any other tree putting out leaves, you know that summer will soon come. So, when you see these things happening, you know that God’s kingdom will soon be here. You can be sure that some of the people of this generation will still be alive when all of this takes place. The sky and the earth won’t last forever, but my words will.

Don’t spend all of your time thinking about eating or drinking or worrying about life. If you do, the final day will suddenly catch you like a trap. That day will surprise everyone on earth. Watch out and keep praying that you can escape all that is going to happen and that the Son of Man will be pleased with you.

A Season of Hope

I hope everybody had a wonderful Thanksgiving, in other words, that you had enough food, football and family to last you until next November rolls around. And since Thanksgiving Day is now in the rearview mirror, I think I’m safe in saying that we’ve officially entered the Christmas season. Of course, having said this, I understand that, according to the church calendar, we’ve actually entered a season called “advent” and that the season of Christmas doesn’t start until the twenty-fifth, but let’s get real, regardless of what the church calendar says, this is the season of Christmas, at least it is in our hearts. I mean, give me a break, we don’t wait to sing Christmas carols. And we don’t wait to set out Christmas decorations. And unless we’re Eastern Orthodox, we don’t wait to exchange presents, although given all those post-Christmas sales, that’s really not a bad idea. No, we don’t do that. Instead, this is all stuff we take care of before Christmas morning. And so, for most folks, since we’ve passed Thanksgiving, right now we’re moving into the season of Christmas, right? And this is where we’ll remain until the carols have lost their punch and the decorations start looking a little tired and the presents have either been worn, eaten or returned. 

And so, with that in mind, this morning, we’re going to start a new sermon series that focuses on the Christmas season, and in particular six feelings that I think we generally associate with this time of year, and right now I’m talking about hope and peace, joy and generosity, love and glory. And to define and explain each of these feelings, we’re going to focus on a passage from the gospels that sort of ties each one with the coming of Jesus. 

And this morning, we’re going to start by looking at how Christmas can be a season of hope, you know, a special time of anticipation and expectation and promise. Of course, I recognize that this is something every child understands. I mean, remember back when you were a kid. Hope is to Christmas like noodles are to mashed potatoes, or for this southern boy, collards are to salt pork. For children, hope and Christmas belong together. For example, just think about that movie TBS plays every year from, I think, 9:00 pm on the twenty-fourth to 9:00 pm the next day, and of course, I’m talking about A Christmas Story. My gosh, that whole movie is about hope, isn’t it: Ralphie hoping he’ll get an “official Red Ryder, carbine action, 200-shot, range model air rifle, with a compass in the stock and this thing that tells time” and his mother hoping he “won’t shoot his eye out.” But it’s not just in the movies. For most children, hope is really what Christmas is all about. And I’ll tell you, I think that will always be the case. In other words, even though we may spend hours teaching them about God and Jesus and the “reason for the season,” generally it still comes down to hoping that Santa puts something really special under the tree.

Of course, as we grow up, well, this kind of hope starts to fade, doesn’t it, being neatly replaced with stuff like worry and frustration and sadness. And I think we’d all agree, that’s particular true in our modern world, as we’re still struggling through this pandemic. I mean, we just don’t seem to have a lot of good reason to feel hopeful. My gosh, people are still getting sick and dying from a disease that we’d never heard of two years ago. Prices are rising and the climate is changing. The Chinese are launching hypersonic missiles, while in the last month, there have been active shooters at shopping malls in Boise and Charlotte and Lancaster. Let’s face it, if life really is a rat race, the rats seem to be winning. And because of that, coming up with reasons for hope, man, that seems as remote as The Ohio State playing for the National Championship. For a lot folks, hope has given way to depression and desperation and despair. And that ain’t good, not this time of year.

And you know, because these feelings are at odds with the Christmas season, we’re going to spend some time this morning talking about hope, and in particular, why the coming of Jesus Christ can make Christmas a genuine season of hope. In other words, in my opinion, there are three things that we can do that can change any depression and desperation and despair we might be feeling into anticipation and expectation and promise. And I’ll tell you, I think we can see all three in the passage we just read this morning.

For example, if we want make this Christmas a season of hope, we can trust that Jesus will not only return, but when he does, man, he’s going to set us free. Now, for me, that’s the first thing we can do. Of course, to do that, somewhere down the line, we need to believe that Jesus meant it when he said this to his disciples.

Strange things will happen to the sun, moon, and stars. The nations on earth will be afraid of the roaring sea and tides, and they won’t know what to do. People will be so frightened that they will faint because of what is happening to the world. Every power in the sky will be shaken. Then the Son of Man will be seen, coming in a cloud with great power and glory. When all of this starts happening, stand up straight and be brave. You will soon be set free. [Luke 21:25-28, CEV]

Now that’s what he said. And I’ll tell you, if we avoid getting tripped up by all the graphic, symbolic language, you know, like the stuff going on with the sun, moon and stars and the roaring sea and tides and of course the powers in the sky shaking, if we sort get pass that, the message is really straight forward, isn’t it? I mean, one, Jesus Christ, the one whose birth we’re going to celebrate in about four weeks, man, he’s going to come back. And two, when he does, we’re going to be set free. Now I’ve got to admit, I really don’t exactly know what this freedom business is all about. I assume it has something to do with being set free from all the stuff that limits us right now, you know, like time and space and smarts. But as to the specifics I don’t know. But I think that’s probably OK, because I’m not sure the Apostle Paul understood it either. Just listen to what he said was going to happen:

I will explain a mystery to you. Not every one of us will die, but we will all be changed. It will happen suddenly, quicker than the blink of an eye. At the sound of the last trumpet the dead will be raised. We will all be changed, so that we will never die again. Our dead and decaying bodies will be changed into bodies that won’t die or decay. The bodies we now have are weak and can die. But they will be changed into bodies that are eternal. Then the Scriptures will come true,

“Death has lost the battle!

Where is its victory?

    Where is its sting?” [1 Corinthians 15:51-55, CEV]

Not exactly a detailed description. Let’s just say, according to Jesus himself, he’s coming back and we’re going to be set free. And when we trust that it’s going to happen, I believe that’s the first step in claiming Christmas as a season of hope.

And second, right along with trusting, we can also recognize that not only is all the rotten stuff temporary, we can actually choose to see those things that seem so discouraging as reminders of a better world that’s coming. In other words, as they say, “this too shall pass.”  But for us, we also know something a whole lot better is on its way. And I’ll tell you, I think that’s what Jesus was getting at when he continued to teach his disciples in the passage we read a little while ago:

Then Jesus told them a story:

When you see a fig tree or any other tree putting out leaves, you know that summer will soon come. So, when you see these things happening, you know that God’s kingdom will soon be here. You can be sure that some of the people of this generation will still be alive when all of this takes place. The sky and the earth won’t last forever, but my words will. [Luke 21:29-33, CEV]

In other words, trees aren’t static; they change. Every autumn, leaves change color and fall. And every winter, trees are bare and leafless. That’s just the way it is. But when you see them budding and just starting to put out leaves, you know that a new season is on its way. And for Jesus, that’s the way it is with the world. You see, the world is constantly changing. And right now, it may seem pretty bleak, and whether we like it or not, life continues to be challenging. But suppose, instead of seeing this kind of change as a sign of inevitable decline, suppose we saw it as a sign of something better coming, something that’s not dependent on us but rather something grounded in God himself. Just listen Paul wrote to the Corinthians:

We never give up. Our bodies are gradually dying, but we ourselves are being made stronger each day. These little troubles are getting us ready for an eternal glory that will make all our troubles seem like nothing. Things that are seen don’t last forever, but things that are not seen are eternal. That’s why we keep our minds on the things that cannot be seen. [2 Corinthians 16-18, CEV]

It’s like the Greek philosopher Hereclitus said, “The only constant in life is change.” According to Jesus, this world is temporary and a better world is coming. And when we recognize that reality, I believe that’s the second step in claiming Christmas as a season of hope.

And finally, third, if we want to be more hopeful, we can live the kind of lives that offers hope to others. In other words, instead of wasting time doing very little outside of worrying, we can set our minds on doing the very best we can with what we’ve got and on taking what we have and putting it to good and effective use and on working as hard as we can to make the world around us a better place but not just for us, also for our children and for our grandchildren. And I’ll tell you, I believe that’s exactly what Jesus challenged his disciples to do in the last part of our passage: 

Don’t spend all of your time thinking about eating or drinking or worrying about life. If you do, the final day will suddenly catch you like a trap. That day will surprise everyone on earth. Watch out and keep praying that you can escape all that is going to happen and that the Son of Man will be pleased with you. [Luke 21:34-36, CEV]

You know, we always have a choice. I mean, we can choose to find all the reasons to believe the world is headed for Hell in a hand basket. And then we can use those reasons to justify sitting around feeling hopeless. Or we can decide that we’re not going to give in to depression or to desperation or to despair. Instead, we’re going to work together in order to make a difference, one that probably isn’t going to change the whole world but that just may improve the life of our neighbor. It’s like what Paul wrote to the Philippians:

Christ encourages you, and his love comforts you. God’s Spirit unites you, and you are concerned for others. Now make me completely happy! Live in harmony by showing love for each other. Be united in what you think, as if you were only one person. Don’t be jealous or proud, but be humble and consider others more important than yourselves. Care about them as much as you care about yourselves... [Philippians 2:1-4, CEV]

You see, we can live the kind of lives that offers hope to others by working to make their lives better. And when we choose to do that, particularly during this time of year, I believe that’s the third step in claiming Christmas as a season of hope.

Now, I think children will always feel hope this time of year. But I’ll tell you, I don’t believe that’s something we have to outgrow. You see, even though we’ll continue to live in a world where bad things happen to good people and as a result many folks will allow themselves to be dragged into hopelessness, that doesn’t have to be case with us. Instead, as we enter this Christmas season, we can trust that Jesus will return and set us free. And we can recognize that all the bad stuff we see in our world is only temporary. And we can live the kind of lives that offer hope to others. I’m telling you, this we can do. And you know, if that’s a decision we make today, I believe this Christmas will truly be a season of hope.