Advent-ure Day 20: Hope

The picture of Jesus born as a baby, lying in a manger, is a picture of hope and brings a powerful message.  The cross and the empty tomb communicate the idea that God loves us so much - He sent His Son as a child, who grew up, died, and rose so that we can know Him, so that we can walk in
hope and bring hope to others. Romans 15 states:
13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
14 Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.

So, here's the progression: as we have been filled with hope, experiencing God's joy and peace, we can go forward and admonish those around us.  We can experience God's hope, which helps us to have endurance in tough times, and demonstrate that He lives in our hearts, that He is actively working in us, and that we are strengthened by a power beyond ourselves.  Because we know Jesus, we can be hopeful that He is in control and that He goes before us.

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What marvelous things Jesus has done for us!  When we reflect on His fulfillment of prophecy, aspects of His personality: who He is, the promises He's given, and His performance: what's He's done, we can worship Him.  He is our loving Lord who has brought us into a relationship with Himself and with God our Heavenly Father.  Jesus has come to be the hope of the world, and in Day 20 of 25: A Christmas Advent-ure, let's reflect on that hope.  Hebrews 6:19 says: "This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil..."

In the midst of turbulence, we have an anchor.  And, in times of grief, loss, and disappointment, we can find the strength to carry on.

Christmas can be tough for a number of people - it may be because of the loss of a loved one during the past year and this is the first holiday without that special person.  It could be that someone is feeling lonely in the midst of celebrations going on around him or her, but that person is not included. It seems as if emotions, positive and negative, might be intensified during the Christmas season.

And, there is a group of ladies in Franklin, TN, outside Nashville, who have decided that they can use physical food to "feed the soul" in a time of loss.  I came across an article at the Baptist Press website, a story published in the Tennessee Baptist and Reflector, originally in Southern Exposure Magazine.

Evelyn Pearson had an idea - following the deaths of her father-in-law and her mother, she began to attend a non-denominational ministry called GriefShare, being held at her home church, Oak Valley Baptist.  The story says:

Her healing became a catalyst for personal reflection. How could she be a comfort to others and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ? "It was the Lord that gave me this idea," she said.

The idea: to provide cookies for people who had lost a loved one - she connected with Pam Stephens at a local funeral home, and the idea was beginning to come into fruition.  The article states:

While a hot meal is often a source of strength and comfort to families, Pearson learned from Stephens that the taste of a simple home baked cookie could go a long way toward feeding a soul in mourning.

Moreover, as the community has grown, the sheer number and frequency of funerals means the delivery of full meals is not always the easiest way to start a consistent ministry. A simple container filled with homemade chocolate chip oatmeal cookies can give tired families much needed sustenance, she said.

So, the Cookie Comfort Ministry was born, and the Bible passage from Matthew 5:4, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted," has been the adopted theme Scripture.  Evelyn began to assemble a team who would bake and distribute the cookies.  The story says:

Hands down, Pearson's children were sold on the cookie baked fresh, rather than the prebaked and frozen for later delivery. The bulk of the cookies are created by individual bakers with the ministry who work on Mondays and Fridays making batches to package for the daily number of visitations and funerals.

Evelyn receives two e-mails a day from the funeral home with which she is partnering, informing the team about visitations and funerals.  This adds up to more than 2,000 funerals a year.  Over six-and-a-half years, the Cookie Comfort Ministry has baked over 50,000 cookies.

One lady who received the gift of cookies after her husband died penned a poem called, It's the Little Things That Count.  That phrase really summarizes what these ladies who have put feet to their faith are doing.

That's the first takeaway, isn't it?  Someone might feel that they're not really doing big things for God; but what we might deem to be insignificant really has great significance in the Kingdom.  The key ingredient in the Christian walk and in doing ministry is obedience.  

We can also be sensitive to the ideas that the Holy Spirit is communicating with us.  We serve a God of creativity, and there may be something that He is wanting to produce through us that will bring hope to people and bring glory to His name.

In times of grief and loss, when there has been tragedy or uncertainty, we need hope. For instance, those struggling through medical issues can be encouraged through the presence of the Holy Spirit as He is manifested through His people.  And, when we are beset by trial or feeling discouraged, we can look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who brings us the hope that can fortify us inwardly.

As that Scripture verse in Hebrews 6 reminds us, that hope in Christ is the anchor for our souls.  We can know that He is with us, that God goes before us, and He is at work around us.  His Spirit will strengthen us within as we place our trust in the Lord.