The Gift of Hope Born in a Manger Who Transforms Lives

This Christmas, let's embrace the Hope that overflows from faith and purposefully share it with others in the New Year.

Here we are, already in Christmas week. Hopefully, the busyness of the last few weeks will slow down a bit, and we can enjoy some time with family and friends and celebrate the birth of our Savior.

This past week, we have been talking a lot about Hope. Take a moment to stop and think about what your life might look like if you did not wake up with a sense of Hope each morning.

Sure, we all have "bad" days, but we suspect most of us know and believe tomorrow will be better. Now, take your mind back to that night. There in that manger, among the least of these, Hope was born.

"For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" Isaiah 9:6

That little baby lying in the manger is your Hope; he is our Hope. He is the Hope for the world.

This past week, thanks to several of you, we delivered Christmas gifts to 18 homeless single moms and their families at the Hope Community Center. To say the least, it was an impactful day for those who delivered the gifts. These are single moms with many small children living in conditions that, while not on the street, were far from what any of us would expect.

Thanks to the City of Grand Rapids Housing Authority, they at least have a roof over their heads and heat. It was a true joy to see the faces of the moms and the little kids and to sense for a moment that they saw a glimmer of Hope.

We have heard from our friends who work and serve in the inner city that one of the biggest challenges, especially for those growing up in poverty, is that they lose Hope. They do not believe in tomorrow. They do not see any way to get out of their living conditions.

Men, when our Savior was born in that manger in Bethlehem long ago, HE brought the world hope. Through our faith and commitment to Jesus, we now have the promise of Hope.

This week, heavy on our hearts, is how we share the gift of Hope with others. How do we share the message of Christmas with others all year long? How do we, in our small way, model the love and Hope of Jesus to others so it may overflow in their lives?

"May the God of hope fill you with all the joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the holy spirit." Romans 15:13

May the God who fills us with Hope enable us and challenge us to do whatever we can so that others can have Hope, joy, and peace overflow in them and get a sense of Hope strong enough for them to take that next step that God has planned for them.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declared the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope" Jeremiah 29:11

God wants more than we can fathom: a future and Hope for all of us, including each of those families we touched this week.

As we look to Seven24 and the year ahead, we want to be able to encourage and provide ways for each of us to be "lights of hope" to others.

We are planning several ways for you to share Hope and encouragement with others and ourselves through the continued focus on building meaningful relationships.

With the New Year approaching and we start to talk about New Year's Resolutions, may each of you put on your list one step you should take to pour into your relationships and be a light of Hope to others. To be purposeful about letting God be evident to others through you.

"You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on a stand, giving light to everyone in the house. Matthew 5:14-15

Our Hope and prayer for each of us as we celebrate Christmas and look to the new year is that we all can, in some small way, be a light to others, just as Jesus was to us in that manger.