Hope, a term which has unfortunately lost much of its meaning amid the present world of chaos, has the profound power to open up prospects of limitless possibilities. Walking through the rough paths of life often brings us to points where the guiding light begins to grow dim and the step ahead begins to look hazy. However, the knowledge of a Creator who holds within his omnipotent palms the power to bring beauty out of ashes can become a huge source of strength for someone, enough to expect a miracle out of mayhem.
The good news of Christmas, which we celebrate today, is that the Lord of creation is not only a powerful being but also the author of mercy and kindness. Paving a way out of hopelessness, he sent into the world the embodiment of eternal hope for mankind on that blessed night in Bethlehem. Looking back at the time when Jesus was born, his parents had to trudge through distant lands because of a government-mandated census, had no room for the woman in labor and no means to bring the baby into the world. Fighting poverty, shame, condemnation, and death, Jesus Christ came into the world to be the reason for all of us to continue living with hope.
He came as the captivator of sin and pain. The Bible tells us:
Surely he hath borne our grief,
and carried our sorrows:
yet we did esteem him stricken,
smitten of God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions,
he was bruised for our iniquities:
the chastisement of our peace was upon him;
and with his stripes, we are healed.
It is hard to envision a solution stemming from a situation as hopeless and difficult as the time of Jesus’s birth, where genocide and tyranny were at an apex. However, history is open for all to see – the Savior was indeed born and he taught humankind that all battles can be won when they are placed in the palms of a God who is capable of turning any mess into a message. This is why whosoever believed in His eventual sacrifice on the cross have been filled the hope of eternal life ever since.
This sacrifice has evinced much amazement from anyone who hears the story. Jesus, the only son of God, came to die a ruthless and shameful death. For the uninitiated, it seemed a sight of great defeat. But where the wits of humans end, the wisdom of God begins. Jesus’ birth in the most unglamorous setting and death in the most disgraceful one was God’s design to identify with the suffering of humankind and pave the path of glorious redemption through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, a resurrection that is promised for all who believe in him to share in.
Much needed message