We receive many gifts during Christmas. One we may not think about is Hope. This is a different kind of hope than our secular understanding. Our everyday hope is found in our desires and fueled by the power of human ability. But true Hope is found in our relationship with Christ. Isaiah 64:1-9 is written for the Israelite people held captive in Babylon. Yet, as the Bible often does, it speaks to the times when our fears or needs move us to call out to God for help. Like Isaiah, we can remember how God moved within our lives to bring us out of past crises. The memory of divine work in our lives or the faithfulness of God in the lives of the people in scripture brings us hope. It is a hope that reaches beyond our resources.

The Lord is still there for us, even if we have forgotten how to listen. Our habits and desires may have left much of God’s teaching and wisdom behind. The wisdom of God has a hard time competing for our time in the noise of our lives. Like the people in Isaiah’s writing, we may need to consider where we have left or excluded the Lord. As we distanced ourselves from God, we may have forgotten that hope in the Lord goes beyond the current events, even beyond death. Hope in the Lord is an everlasting gift, even when we forget.

May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Pastor Rick