Hope

Did you set up your Christmas tree early this year? In amongst the drizzly rain (and wet washing!), pulling out the sparkling, happy ornaments reminds us of Christmases past and can’t help but fill us with childlike delight, joy and hope for good things to come. Perhaps you are more of a traditionalist and waited for the first Sunday of Advent.

Last Sunday we gathered as a community of faith, listened to scripture encouraging us to prepare for the coming of the Saviour and lit the first candle on the Advent wreath: The candle of hope.

This year has been another big one: lockdowns, family separation, floods and extreme weather events, community division around vaccinations, the Plenary Council, COP 26… even nuclear submarines! A few years ago, Chris Lowney shared with our Diocese an acronym that was developed by US Army students to describe the world during the Cold War: VUCA - Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity. We can certainly apply this to our current world predicament. Within our Church context, Pope Francis says, “We are not living in an era of change, but a change of era.”

So how will we react to these changes and challenges? It is a personal choice that we need to make every day. It is easy to become fatigued, bitter and resentful and it is normal and healthy to recognise and acknowledge these feelings. But we also need resilience, faith, trust and hope for the future.

There are many stories in the bible that seemed like hopeless situations - the Israelites wandering in the Desert for 40 years, wars, floods, famines and crucifixion. What we need to remember from these stories is that God never breaks His promises. He never forsakes His people. God’s plan always defies human expectations. 

This Advent, as we commence our new Liturgical Year, may we be graced with our own personal epiphanies and learn to find signs of God’s grace, love and hope in all things. God is found in unexpected places and working through unexpected people. And so we wait with hope-filled hearts for God to bring about a future that is as surprising as the Messiah, God of the universe, coming to us as a small, helpless infant... as surprising as a crucified man rising from the dead.