When my wife and I returned from an out-of-state funeral this past spring, we found that some tree limbs had fallen, blocking our garage and front door. We became especially concerned as we realized the potential danger that was still present, large branches dangling precariously, including over the house of our neighbors with four young children. Given our worry and the lateness of the hour, we reached out to the person who cuts our lawn for recommendations about someone who could remove the limbs. To our surprise―and out of the blue―it turns out that he had already driven by our house and noticed the tree situation earlier. Unbeknownst to us, while we knew him as the guy who cuts our grass, he actually is a professional tree cutter, with his own tree cutting business. The end result was his being at our house until well after midnight, rectifying the situation, and making things safe.
Much worse than dangling branches were the realities present in biblical times and continue to be present now: brutal oppression, injustice, poverty, discrimination, and inequality. Especially in the Old Testament, various biblical writers reference a longing for the one who would defeat the forces of evil with overwhelming power and might.
Yet instead of this conquering warrior hero violently vanquishing enemies, God sends us hope in the form of an infant to an unmarried young teenage Jewish woman, one of society’s powerless persons.
In the coming of Jesus we see the radical hope that he brings to us. Jesus shows us how to transform both ourselves and the world through love: loving God first and whole heartedly and loving our neighbors (all) as ourselves.
Jesus manifests hope in showing us that God the creator of the universe is also God our parent, who loves us deeply (and wants us to love God’s other children as well).
This unexpected and radical hope continues to transcend the ages and is not defeated by the bleak and horrific conditions of this world. The hope through Jesus is this: he continues to show us the way, and we can have a deeply personal relationship with God through Jesus. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5).
Prayer: Loving God, we thank you for the hope that Jesus brings to us, and for your constant presence in our lives.
Ken Burke and his wife, Dawn, along with his brother, Rob, and mother, Ruby, are members of HBC. Ken works for the Volunteers of America Mid-States, a multi-state social service agency which is also classified as a “church without walls.”