Christ is our Hope

The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight

These words from the carol, “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” capture two different reactions to the coming of Christ. Those who turn away from the Lord may rightly fear his coming and judgment. On the other hand, those who receive the Christ, watching for his coming, can see his arrival as the fulfillment of hope. God’s promises are met in Jesus.

St. Paul calls Christ Jesus our hope (1 Timothy 1:1), encompassing past, present and future. Jesus came as the fulfillment of hope. His gracious presence with us today sustains us in hope. And, trusting God, we continue to hope in his final return and a joyful, blessed life in his presence forever. 

St. Peter describes the reason for our hope in Christ saying, 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

(1 Peter 1:3–5)

The birth of the Messiah certainly fulfills hope, because it is beginning of something more. He comes to redeem the world from sin and death, dying and rising so we may have life. His resurrection gives us new life. We are born again through that resurrection and, in our baptism, we die and rise with him (Romans 6:4). Through his work, we are now children of God and heirs of heaven. Not only that, God guards our faith with his power to ensure we receive that inheritance. That is the firm ground of hope!

Hope sustains us in our daily lives. Even so, Paul reminds us that hope’s promise reaches beyond today. In fact, he cautions,

If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied

(1 Corinthians 15:19).

Nevertheless, in fact, the hope we have in Christ is for today and forever. Christ is our hope. Always.

We have hope now, and hope eternally. Colossians teaches that we have

the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

The Savior, who is our hope, has chosen to dwell with us. Our Hope lives in us.

The hopes… of all the years are met in Bethlehem.

Or, as Kip Fox sings in a new Christmas song,

Hope has an answer, the Savior is born.

You can hear this new song “Psalm 65 (Hope has an Answer)” on this year’s PBS special, “The Thrill of Hope: A Concordia Christmas.” Musical charts for congregational use can be found at the Psalm Library webpage.