Advent: Hope

Hope is meant to be fulfilled. We have already had our hope fulfilled in part by the first coming of Jesus, but one day we will have it in full when He comes again. We can't be thankful for something we feel entitled to. In the same way, we can't hope for something we already have in full. Worldly hope is nothing more than wishing. Wishing is weak, but hope is not. Kingdom hope has a hook in reality, in the promises of God. The zeal of the Lord will make our hope certain. Hope is the tone with which we prepare for the Lord to come, and it tempers us while we wait.