Friday, December 16

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Rev. 21:3-4
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Arguably the most famous Christmas poem in the English language is “T’was the Night Before Christmas,” written in 1822 by Clement Clarke Moore. Most of us can quote the opening stanza by heart:

T’was the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

Hope. In many ways Christmas is about hope. Children hope for toys under the tree. Parents hope their children will know they are loved. Parents also hope their credit card bills in January will be manageable. And everyone hopes do find a brand new Lexus with a bow on it in the driveway on Christmas morning!

But while this kind of hope is good and fun – it does not last. The toys eventually break; the credit card bills arrive; and the Lexus is never in the driveway. So where can we find real hope? Where can we find a hope that lasts; a hope that never disappoints? A hope that is …eternal?

“Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Here, with the eyes of faith, the Apostle John is peering into the mysteries of heaven itself. He is saying that heaven is our hope; that heaven is our true home. Heaven is the place where our God will dwell with us and we with him. Heaven is the place where all our tears and pain – and even death itself – will be swallowed up by his great joy and love. Heaven is the hope that never fades; never breaks; never disappoints. Heaven is the hope that is forever.

But notice something. Notice that the hope of heaven is actually in the Christmas story!

Matthew tells us:

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” – which means, “God with us.”
Luke tells us that the angel proclaimed to the shepherds,

I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

See it?

The God who is with us.

The Savior who brings great joy.

These are glimmers of heaven offered to us while the child is still lying in a manger. This is the hope of heaven come to us in almost unimaginable humility.

Yes, Christmas is about hope – but not just the hope of St. Nick! Christmas is the glad and glorious good news that God has into the world – to be with us through Jesus Christ. Christmas is God interrupting - breaking into this grim and often cruel world with hope. Christmas is hope because Christmas – Christ – makes heaven possible.

Pastor Brian Coffey