News about political unrest and wars. News about natural disasters. News about tragedies, one after another. At times, it can seem overwhelming and erode our hope. However, Advent begins with the theme of hope, and I can’t think of anything more welcome this year. And yes, hope does fit into 2025 despite the news.

People long ago lived with the hope that the Messiah would come. In Bible times, some watched their families and friends die and were themselves taken as captives to foreign lands. Kingdoms rose and fell with all the associated carnage and disruption to life. They were not strangers to challenging times. And yet many people lived in hope that someday they would see the Messiah.

Generation after generation taught their children that the Messiah would come; it was not a fairy tale. Sometimes, it was just a small number of God’s people who kept their faith alive. But even though most had not yet seen their hope realized before they died, they passed on that hope, that certainty, that one day He would come.

And, at last, that day came. In a small town, tucked away in an unlikely place, accompanied by unusual birth attendants, that hope became a reality. Quietly, without pomp or pagentry, Jesus, of whom prophets had spoken, the One who would one day save the world from their sin, was born. The hope of the ages arrived—in a stable.

 Angels announced His birth to the shepherds in a nearby field. The magi from the east saw an unusual star that spoke to them of something monumental and set on a journey to find the king of the Jews. There has never been such a momentous “before” and “after” as that night, because after the world would never, ever be the same.

As I reflect on the simplicity and import of that night, the words of the great theologian Dr. Seuss come to mind. In “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” the scene of a community celebrating together Christmas morning, even though the Grinch had stolen all the trappings, is indelibly stamped in my memory:

Dr. Seuss was onto something. I’m not advocating dispensing with all our traditions, but Christmas is about Jesus, our hope, our Saviour. The headlines and the realities of life cannot steal the joy of that child’s birth, nor rob us of the hope He brings, even in 2025.

The babe in the manger, whom we celebrate, came with a mission. A mission to die for the sins of all people in every era, so He could make a way for us to have a right relationship with God. When we believe in Him and follow Him, our destiny is with Him in heaven. Forever. And that’s why there’s Christmas.

Is the news we hear daily distressing? Yes. Do we live in challenging times? Yes. But because of Jesus, we have hope, even in 2025. He walks with us through the hard days, and ultimately, we’ll go to live with Him in a world that is far beyond our imaginings. There is a lot wrapped up in the Christmas story, and the baby resting in a manger was only the beginning of it.

May you look beyond the challenges this Christmas season, even though they are genuine, and really see who that baby serenely depicted in the nativity scene is. He is our hope.

Thank you for sharing your valuable time with me. I appreciate it.