GodReflection: God Breaks In Monday

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1)

Culture and current language usage have turned hope into an anemic word. I hope for sunshine instead of a cloud covered day. I hope we elect a good leader. I hope the store has peach ice cream.

As a follower of Jesus, hope comes to me as a much stronger word. It brings with it promise and expectation based on evidence. Evidence comes from God’s faithfulness that includes the birth in a stable of baby hope.

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord, rang forth the Angelic announcement to shepherds of Jesus’ birth.

It occurs to me that Joseph and Mary—struck by the miracles of Angelic communication, a virgin birth, and a supernatural star—knew the manger baby was special.

They—like other devout Jews—were awaiting the Messiah. The one in his name the nations will put their hope (Isaiah 42-4 and Matthew 12:21).

The manger baby was the long awaited Messiah.

At the manger God broke in with hope for all humanity, but it started small—small as a baby.

Judging by the narratives of the Gospels I suspect when Joseph and Mary looked at the swaddling clothed babe their hope was limited to a day when freedom of Israel from Roman rule might become a reality. It must have taken a lot of faith to even consider the possibility of political freedom.

Their hope in the baby could see only to the borders.

I look at Jesus’ apostles taking inventory of swords on the night of Jesus’ capture. Their immature hope was in a nation free of outside rule. Hope died with the death and burial of Jesus.

Resurrection not only renewed hope but for the first time disciples of Jesus caught the vision the Holy held for the freedom of all nations.

That freedom became reality through faith and trust placed in Jesus. Their hope now took on a new vision that included other nations and an eternal expectation.

With the Acts of the Apostles and the Letters, hope that broke in as baby size in a manger grew to become the hope of the world.

Let me go to the manger for my take away from baby hope.

When I think about the bundle in the manger as the hope of the world, I realize that baby hope grows over a lifelong encounter with Jesus. What was a nebulous “hope” at the beginning of my walk I find to have morphed into a confident expectation.

Baby hope grew to maturity.

In my quest to know God I find that layer after layer reveals a greater knowledge of Holy realities.

Like a tasty onion, each time I peel off an outer layer a juicier layer appears as I move toward the core.

It is neat to realize that I never have to know it all. Like a small beginning hope, walking with Jesus comes in baby sizes.

He takes us where we are and grows us step by step as we learn to walk with him.

And it is all possible because God broke into a Palestine stable with baby hope.

Stay tuned.

Dr. Gary J. Sorrells – A GodReflection on God Breaks In With Baby Size Hope.

Gary@Godreflection.org     www.MakeYourVisionGoViral.com