Great Expectations

You know I have been thinking a lot about Christmas and what it means to me. It has been a good introspective journey for me. Right now I am focused on Isaiah 9:6;

6 For to 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.

No doubt this is a fine Christmas passage, but I really started to think about how this verse written by Isaiah centuries before the birth of Christ impacted the people of that day and how it should impact each of us. There is a classic book called “Great Expectations” written by Charles Dickens and while I will never pretend to be a literary expert what I can recall is that it was the story of a man, his struggles, his life and while he did slip ultimately he held out this great hope of living happily ever after. I would call this an expectant hope.

I believe at least for me that this is the lesson of Isaiah 9:6. We should live with an expectant hope. I read somewhere that the difference between wishful thinking and expectant hope is faith. That touches me deep down for some reason and with faith and our expectant hope we can move forward through this thing called life. I see the path in Philippians 3:12-14;

12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

So one lesson for me this Christmas season is to live with this great expectant hope. Pressing on toward the goal for which God has called me heavenward. May we all press on with this great expectant hope that it will be better farther on; pressing on because Christ will return and pressing on because Christ will restore. There is a great hymn called “It is better farther on” and it contains the following lyrics;

When my faith took hold on Jesus, Light divine within me shone,
And I know since that glad moment, “It is better farther on.”
I have plunged into the fountain, Flowing free for everyone;
I am saved and Hope is singing, “It is better farther on.”
Farther on, but how much farther? Count the milestones one by one;
No, no counting, only trusting—“It is better farther on.”
Rest, my soul, in hope forever, all my doubts and fears are gone;
Jesus is my Savior, Keeper—“It is better farther on.”

Press on everyone; no counting only trusting; it is better farther on! Live with expectant hope grounded by faith in our Lord and Savior, our Wonderful Counselor, our Mighty God, our Everlasting Father, our Prince of Peace.

Grace and Peace!