Hope: A Transcendent Reality

By: Brandon Cleaver

“And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.” – Ps. 39:7

The meaning of hope can be misleading.

Hope’s value is often placed in the distant future. Its footprint in the past and present are less notable. Yet in Christianity, hope is transcendent. Its significance is timeless, and its relevance is inescapably woven into the Christmas narrative.

Advent is a communal time of looking to the past. Of remembering when God saw fit to live among us. To teach us. To love us. To suffer for us. 

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Is. 7:14)

Immanuel means “God with us.” The Lord of the heavens, the Savior of the World, came to humanity in the most modest of manner, “wrapped in swaddling clothes.” (Lk. 2:7) His entrance into this world was as humbling as His final act. This past reflection holds present promise.

But even as we remember this event, many people struggle in the present. Pain and suffering plague many of our lives, and we find ourselves echoing Augustine’s words: “The tears . . . streamed down, and I let them flow as freely as they would, making of them a pillow for my heart. On them it rested.” 

While Jesus doesn’t promise that the present pain will be removed, the power is in His presence. As Emmanuel, our present hope is that our Creator is with us in the pain. He is not disinterested and aloof, yet He is intimately present, because the cross shows His familiarity with pain and desertion.

Furthermore, as God cares about our present circumstances, virtues such as righteousness and justice should be present pursuits of all Christians. William H. Petersen, founder of the Advent Project, made this connection to the Christmas season: 

“While there is scant hope of changing the culture around us, the Church need not be a fellow traveler. The call is for the Church to reclaim for the sake of its own life and mission Advent’s focus on the reign of God and, in so doing, to hone once again the counter-cultural edge of the Gospel at the very beginning of the liturgical year.”

Though the past and present are implied in the Christmas season, our future hope is where the emphasis of our promises lie. The resurrection of Jesus, though communally celebrated during Easter, cannot be wholly displaced from Christmas. While gifts are part of the Advent season, Jesus gave us the benevolent gift of His presence in a manger, then the gracious gift of His sacrifice on the cross. Our reward for our allegiance to Him, is everlasting life in His presence. This is a hope worthy of praise. (Ps. 71:14)