Over the past few days I have been reflecting on the word ‘hope’. The word holds a special place within the Christmas story. The original biblical word ‘hope’ actually means to wait with anticipation and expectation. This kind of hope is different from optimism. Hope anchors itself to something that is known to be true and trustworthy.
I remember reading about one of the largest anchors in the world, housed in a museum in Hong Kong called the Seawise Giant Anchor. It weights 36 tons, which is approximately the same as eight adult male elephants! The Seawise Giant Anchor is 7 meters long, 4.45 meters across, 1.13 meters thick. It’s big! It needed to be, to keep the Seawise Ship in position.
When we look at the gifts under the Christmas tree, we may ‘hope’ that one of them is for us. We wait with anticipation and expectation, generally anchored in the knowledge and memory of past Christmases and gifts given by family and loved ones.
Before that very first Christmas, the people waiting in anticipation and expectation that God was going to do something that would bring change and a new hope. They anchored this hope in what they had seen God do in the past and what He had promised for the future. Jesus brought hope to the world: that God could be and wanted to be part of the every day, the normal, the complicated, the challenging and the joyful aspects of life in this world. The hope that Jesus brings is anchored in something much bigger than the Seaswise Giant, but the Bible says it can also be as small as a mustard seed. Christmas brings hope. Even if we are feeling like we lack hope, we can step confidently into the season of Christmas expecting God to fill us with His love and care.
Hebrews 6:19 ‘We have this hope, as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.’
Rebecca Gaskell
Junior School Chaplain
Feature image: The Anchor of the Seawise Giant, Hong Kong Maritime Museum
