Healing Rays of Righteousness

“May the God of hope fill you with all 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, NIV).

Advent celebrates God’s gift of HOPE being born into our world of dark hopelessness and giving us LIGHT. Advent also celebrates God’s coming into our world of deadly evil and giving us LIFE. “The Lord Almighty” is the God of hope. And a life without God is a life without hope!

Hope is a magnet that draws and empowers us forward to new ways of thinking and seeing. In times of despair and trouble, hope is vision of possibilities for our future and destiny. Hope is energy which gets out of bed in the morning and shapes our activities for the day. And hope is that which keeps love alive. When hope diminishes, love dies!

Advent is the yearly proclamation of this hope to all people living in darkness and despair. And Christmas is the joyous proclamation that this God of hope is in our world right now, at this very moment in time.

Hope is the reason for the season of Advent. And we, the people of hope are to be the messengers of this hope, proclaiming the good news that “To Us A Child of Hope Is Born.”

The prophet, Isaiah, dreamed of a day when God would come down and turn his people away from the darkness of evil and hopelessness. Isaiah waited with eager anticipation for God’s advent into the world to redeem, save, set free, and lift his people out of the pit of despair.

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned. … 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. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.”  (Isa. 9:2, 6-7).

And with those words, hope is reignited. “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.” (Isa. 60:1,2).

The good news is that Isaiah’s “Immanuel” hope is now reality. The King of Glory has come. We celebrate his advent as glorious, hope-filled light into our dark and dangerous world. Truly, “The Word become flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14).

That is what Christmas celebrates! It is more than just a remembrance of an event that happened more than two thousand years ago. Christmas is the celebration that God, the glorious “I AM” is now in our world, establishing his kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Amen!

“Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her king;

let every heart prepare him room, and heav’n and nature sing.”

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Ray M. Geigley – “Healing Rays of Righteousness” – www.geigler13.wordpress.com – 12/04/25