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Room for Hope


It warmed my heart just to see this one light shine into the growing darkness late one afternoon this week. As far as garden
solar lights go, I think this one is an overachiever. Despite the snow covering its small solar panel, it still managed to
produce some light. Perhaps its the very image of hope as we enter the Advent season. No matter how crazy things become
all around us, there is still room for hope.

Revisiting the Advent readings again this year, I tried to imagine how this story was first received. Into a world of disparity, poverty, and brokenness, enters this radical word of hope that defies all the odds. We begin with the words from Jeremiah, “The days are surely coming . . .” God hasn’t forgotten the people and is about to break into the darkness of their reality with hopeful signs of a new beginning.

These Advent readings come around again for us in our own time of challenges. We are reminded that still, God hasn’t forgotten the people. We just need to be prompted to look for the signs of hope that are often hidden under the snow and cold that settles in at this time of year. We aren’t alone on this journey. The days are surely coming for relationships to mend, for healing among the brokenness, for conflicts to cease. We have to be deliberate about making room for hope before we can see the possibilities. What could hope look like for you this year? What do you need to make room for amid the clutter, in order to see thelight in the darkness?

Peace and joy,
Nancy