As we enter Advent, let’s look for hope in the world around us and let’s share hope.
Yesterday was the first Sunday in Advent. Advent will continue to be observed until Christmas Eve. We are waiting expectantly and preparing for the arrival of Jesus. Every Sunday, we light a candle in the Advent Wreath and each candle represents something different. Yesterday’s candle represented hope.
I love to talk about and think about hope. In a dark world, hope is a glimmer of light that shows up in the most unexpected places. Our country has been shaken over the past week, by riots in Ferguson, Missouri and around the rest of the country. We’ve seen lots of ugly pictures. We’ve seen some of the worst behavior that humanity has to offer. We’ve witnessed a lot of anger and hate.
But, we’ve also witnessed some glimmers of hope. There was a gas station in Ferguson that was guarded by several very large, armed, African-American men. The owner was white. Why would these men guard the store of a white man during all the rioting and looting? Did he pay them? Nope. Apparently, over the years, the owner had helped out quite a few people in the neighborhood by giving them jobs, when times were tough. They were thankful. They stood guard and kept his business safe, while many others were burned. The owner showed kindness to strangers. The strangers in turn, helped the owner, when he found himself in desperate need. Hope.
There was another story all the way in Portland, Oregon. A protest was going on and a twelve- year- old, African-American boy, named Devonte stood, with tears streaming down his face, holding a sign that simply read, “Free Hugs.” A twenty-year-old photographer, who was taking photos saw the boy and the sign and felt like it was something special and took some photos of him. He turned away to take some other shots and when he turned back, there was a police officer, Sgt. Bret Barnum, hugging the child.
The story goes that the officer saw the sign and approached Devonte and they talked for a little while about life and school. After the conversation, officer Barnum asked Devonte if he could have one of those hugs. Devonte obliged and the photographer snapped a photo. After it was published, it was shared over 150,000 times on Facebook within hours.
The photographer, Johnny Nguyen, said he felt like it was a photo the world wanted to see. He went on to say that, “He felt like everyone was clamoring for hope in the face of the violence.” He was right. I have included a link if you haven’t seen the photo. Hope.
http://wtvr.com/2014/11/29/cop-hugs-boy-holding-free-hugs-sign-at-ferguson-rally/
Even though circumstances can be very bleak and dark, hope has a way of turning up, if we dare to look for it. Advent is the perfect time to look for hope in the world around us and to share hope. We are celebrating the fact that God loved us enough to become one of us to give us hope. As we travel through the next month to Christmas, I would like to invite you and challenge you to actively look for hope and share it when you find it. Share it with family, friends, neighbors or even strangers. Share it on Facebook. Instead of all of the negative publicity and politics and even jokes that we so willingly share, let’s actively share stories of hope and redemption.
Let’s share the real story of Christmas with the world around us. Who’s with me?
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂