Hope
Hope
This time of year the world loves to fan the flames of faux hope, and good will, at all costs. In the almost breathless desire to keep the jollies going, people everywhere do what ever is within their power, to pretend optimism, fearlessness, and promote happiness. Spend whatever it takes, do whatever you can, eat! drink! be merry! It is the years' final concert to drown out, and distract from, the bitter hopelessness of empty lives.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. (Jn. 10:27-28)
My fellow sheep, this is really the time for true hope. Christ knows you. The trusted institutions of man are crumbling before our eyes, the props and tools maintaining imaginary hope, are failing. Every single thing our craven flesh and corrupt natures trust in, and desires, is exposed as smoke.
Rejoice. Christ knows you. Our God is washing the earth not with a destructive flood, but a cleaning baptism of sorts, not yet one of fire, but that may come soon. Rather it is a cleansing of our man-made hopes and wishes, leaving only, indeed a sardonic ONLY, only hope in Christ. And once again: Christ knows you.
Yes, there once was a babe in a manger. The world would like to keep the infant Jesus, safe, unassuming, easy to control. Christ is not a babe. Christ became a man, continues as the God-Man, conquered death, took the guilt of our sin, and as our mediator intercedes for us continuously.
Our hope in Christ is not one-dimensional - ONLY eternal salvation. Our hope in Christ is a forever ocean - going in all directions at once: seeing the end of disease and death, experiencing the full exposure and pardon of our sin, the delightful sloughing off of our corruption for ever, and eternity with our Maker in happy communion.
The Confession describes the Hope we have in Jesus, the bringer of gifts that give us true hope:
What benefits do believers receiver from Christ at death? The souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory; and their bodies, being still united in Christ, do rest in their graves, till the resurrection. WSC 37
What benefits do believer receive from Christ at the resurrection? At the resurrection, believers being raised up in glory, shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted in the day of judgement, and made perfectly blessed in the full enjoying of God to all eternity. WSC 38
I leave you with this wish, I wish for you to hear Christ's voice, to believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life (1Jn 5:13a) and that you, with me, can hope confidently for the glory that is ours in Christ; that glory which came into this world at the incarnation. That is our Hope.