DECEMBER 11 HOPES AND FEARS By Jesse Johnson Pastor, Immanuel Bible Church
Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation. (Luke 2:29-30)
Inside the human heart, there is a powerful connection between hope and fear. As expectancy increases, so does fear. The more we put our hope in something, the more we fear its possible failure. The two are inextricably connected, and they osculate in unison. Children understand this connection, particularly at Christmastime. If there is a certain present a child wants, then there is also a particular fear his/her parents won’t get it right. That childlike connection between hope and fear grows and matures right into adulthood. The more important a promotion is at work, the more intensely the fear is felt. When a mother who has longed for years to have a child finally hears she is expecting, she needs to stand guard against the fear that something may go wrong. This relationship between fear and hope is revealed in Advent. Ever since Adam and Eve salted the earth with their sin, God sowed hope in the human heart with the promise of the Savior. As sin increased in the world, the promise of the Savior was amplified. In keeping with human nature, fear grew as hope increased. “What if the Messiah is not what we expected? What if He doesn’t come in time? What if He fails to deliver God’s people?” God delivered His promise when Mary delivered her child. The skeptics would have certainly scoffed; after all, a baby is no match for the Roman Empire, and a nursing child cannot vanquish sin. Yet, those with faith looked upon the baby and declared with Simeon, “I can depart in peace, for now my eyes have seen your salvation” (see Luke 2:29-30). Jesus met every faithful doubt with His wonderful power, which in turn caused hope to increase all the more.
Thus, it is a true Christmas expression that “the hopes and fears of all the years are met in Thee tonight.”
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