Hope

It seems to me that faith is about hope. Like many things in life, hope is at the same time really easy and really difficult. It is easy to hope that it will (or won’t) rain tomorrow. It is quite difficult to hope that, in the throes of a crisis, all will turn out the way you “hope” it will. We hope for what we want, we hope for better … we “hope.”

Jesus is looking for us to prepare a mansion for him, within us, meaning open space in our hearts not only for love, but for hope to thrive. God’s countenance. brilliant light, is a sign of unity with creation, which is the ultimate expression of hope. Apostleship means taking up the cross of Christ, which means learning to turn hope into action, which is love.

And the essence of Matthew’s version of the birth of Jesus is not the details of conception but rather that Joseph did what he was told by God, which was to have hope, and to name his child “Jesus,” which means both “Emmanuel” or God with us, and “God helps,” which is hope, for sure.

God is with us and God helps, except when we close the door.

We open the door with love.

This is the message of the coming of Christmas, that we must open our doors of love.

(4 Advent Year A 2022 RCL (Isaiah 7:10-16; Psalm 80: 1-7, 16-18 Qui Regis Israel; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-25)

©2022 The Rev. Dr. Richard P. Smiraglia. All rights reserved.