Hope

Isaiah 11:1-10
Luke 10:21-24

The season of Advent is a second of hope and expectation. A tome of preparation to receive God into our lives in a special way. For his birth, we know but for His coming we do not know..We begin to live in Christ when God the Holy Spirit convinced us of sin, and when by grace we were brought to see the dying Saviour making a propitiation for our guilt.

From the moment of the new and celestial birth we begin to live to Christ. Jesus is to believers the one pearl of great price, for whom we are willing to part with all that we have. He has so completely won our love, that it beats alone for him; to his glory we would live, and in defence of his gospel we would die; he is the pattern of our life, and the model after which we would sculpture our character and joy is a reality we can experience in the presence of God

Our first reading from Isaiah is “classic” in the prophetic tradition so fully witnessed by Isaiah himself.  A budding shoot from a dead stump; the Spirit of God transforming life; God’s involvement with the least / the last / the lost – all life is a gift from God to be both treasured and freely shared.  With God, all things are possible…Life rises from the least likely sources…and we have reason to hope!

The Gospel passage from St. Luke invites us to be “the fly on the wall” as Jesus prays to His Father His heartfelt words of praise, gratitude, openness, service, Jesus then turns to his disciples and encouraged them to be generous and diligent in their discipleship…they were privileged to witness first-hand the Love and Life enfleshed in Jesus’ every word and deed.  They – and we – have reason to hope!

This season of Advent serves to spark renewed hope in our lives that love triumphs over evil, that Jesus comes to share transforming love for all of creation.  In Jesus, we have reason to hope…in our homes, our parishes, our cities, in our world. May we join the Prophet Isaiah and those early disciples of Jesus in opening our eyes and our hearts to the Hope and Life shared in the person of Jesus.  We pray that in Jesus justice shall flourish…and fullness of peace…forever!  Come, Jesus.

Credit:

Fr Joseph Osho