The Hope of Christmas

At Christmastime, we celebrate Jesus’ birth—

as we live the life made possible through His death and resurrection—

while we look forward with hope to His return.

We focus on His Nativity, but we know that event has already happened. Christ’s birth is in the past, not something we hope for now. We celebrate Jesus’ birth at Christmas the way we celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, adoptions, and other annual celebrations of one-time events.

But Christmas is more than a birthday celebration. Christmas is a remembrance of hope. We no longer hope for the promised Christ child. He has already come. Instead, we hope—look forward to—the second coming of our grown-up, mission-fulfilled, crucified, resurrected, and glorified Savior and King for eternity. The remembrance and reality of the first event is our hope for the second. We live in this hope every day.

Just as God was and is and is to come (Revelation 1:8), through Advent, we celebrate what happened in the past, what is happening in us now by the work of God’s Spirit, and the future God has promised will come. How perfect that the first Advent—a baby in a manger—is also the analogy for our hope.

Left to nature, babies come when they come. We hope. We anticipate. We study the signs. We become impatient and think the baby will never be born—and then the baby is here. We celebrate the child’s birth. In John 16:21-22, Jesus Himself compares this experience to what His disciples will experience when He returns. Verse 22 says, “Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.”

Long ago, Jesus came.

Now, Jesus lives in us as we live in His light.

Someday, Jesus will return.

He’ll come, as before, not as a baby but at just the right time.

Christmas is a time to celebrate God’s promise kept while anticipating His promise of Christ’s return fulfilled. Romans 13:11 says, “And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.” Every year we celebrate Christmas brings us another year closer to the day of Christ’s return.

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“There’s a day coming
    when the mountain of God’s House
Will be The Mountain—
    solid, towering over all mountains.
All nations will river toward it,
    people from all over set out for it.
They’ll say, ‘Come,
    let’s climb God’s Mountain,
    go to the House of the God of Jacob.
He’ll show us the way he works
    so we can live the way we’re made.’”

--Isaiah 2:2-3, The Message

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Photo by Philippa Lowe on Unsplash