Scripture portions
- Isaiah 7:10-17
- Philippians 2:8-11
- Luke 2:13-20
- Psalm 21:1-7
I remembered a testimony that I heard when I was in Taizé from Palestine. The testimony was shared by a journalist. It was her experience that she gained through interviews. She began like this: we know there was a war and people were killed in Gaza. But we felt the distress when we had the experience of the bomb and attack. In the middle of the night, we heard a huge, massive sound that shook our sleep. It was very huge, and our heart shook. We couldn’t breathe and suffocated, unsure if we were dead or alive. We heard screams, and buildings were collapsing, and people were rushing here and there. We couldn’t be calm, panicked, and ran to save our lives. We tried our best to take all our necessary belongings and evacuated the building just to save our lives. I am a chemist, and I run a medical shop in my home. My husband and I were both in the medical field. To support my family, I studied business administration in hospital management. Soon we were evacuated to another place, and we ran to my mother’s city. The horror of the war never ended. We couldn’t sleep or eat. We were even afraid we would be under attack, even in the toilet. Due to the fear of the war and devastation, my neighbour’s wife’s fetus didn’t form properly, and it was destroyed. But the hope for a peaceful and normal life never faded. Especially the love for our children and for their good life. It gave us the hope to run to save our lives. Today, I am standing here, the fear of bombs reduced a bit, but still praying to God for His mercy and deliverance. A few days later, we were out of money and needed medicine. The city where we came was slowly leading to medical incontinence. The need for a medical shop was very high. Although there were doctors in the next city, we didn’t have a proper medical/chemist shop or supplier. So, we went back to our home, which was destroyed, to see what survived and what we could use from it. The shop and the house were destroyed. We took back the damaged racks and unexpired medicines and started a small medical shop in our garage. Though the place was small, it became hope for many as a sustenance to live for a better future. Slowly, our neighbours began a grocery shop. We know we will never know when we will be under attack. But the hope for a better future, especially for our children, pushed us to stand in the middle of war.
Hope is a vital thread woven through the fabric of our existence, especially in a world often shadowed by turmoil and uncertainty. Hope is a powerful and uplifting emotion that gives us the strength to endure difficult times and the belief that better days are ahead. It is an expectation and desire for positive outcomes, even when faced with challenges and uncertainties. Hope inspires us to keep moving forward, setting goals, and striving for a better future. It is a beacon of light in dark times, guiding us toward a better tomorrow.
In the Bible, hope is the central theme—hope for the Messiah, hope for salvation, redemption, etc., focusing on encouraging and strengthening the believers. Hope is the assured expectation that God will fulfill His promises. From creation until today, it is an essence of God planted in humans for courage and strength to live for a better future. For example, God called Abraham and promised to make him a great nation. This promise serves as the foundation for Abraham’s hope in God’s blessing. Ultimately, to say, God created humans in His image as the hope in humanity’s special role and purpose in reflecting God’s character and stewarding the earth. Even after the fall, God promised to crush sin to redeem and restore humanity. Later, in the period of time, God sent His hope in human form to sustain His creation and to teach godly characters and to make them good stewards of the creation.
In Old Testament passage Isaiah 7:10-17, it is a prophecy prophesied by Isaiah during the times of King Ahaz, proclaiming a message of hope that Immanuel—God is with us.
God’s promise and covenant were part of the prophecies throughout the Bible from Genesis to Malachi. God creates a hope for a better life through His promise and covenant and reassures His words through hope in prophets.
In Luke 2:13-20, we see God’s hope begins with the marginalized shepherds. Bethlehem is commonly known as the City of David. It is the birthplace of King David, Israel’s greatest king (1 Samuel 16:1). Here, hope does not only give assurance for new life, but it fulfills the promise covenant that God made with David. God chooses the humble and the lowly to accomplish great things. Just as David, the youngest and least of his brothers, was chosen as king, Bethlehem was an unlikely choice for the birthplace of the Messiah, highlighting God’s preference for humility and modesty.
I want to emphasize two main things about God’s expectation in our lives: 1. Humility 2. We are hope! God made Jesus as the hope, the light in the darkness, so He made His followers (us) to be hope for many in the kingdom of God.
For example:
Through faith, we are all children of God. Galatians 3:26: For in Christ Jesus, we are all children of God through faith. Because of God’s love, we are all called to be children of God. 1 John 3:1-2: See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God, and that is what we are. The Holy Spirit is considered to be a very crucial and significant person in the Trinity, where Jesus emphasized that sin against the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven in Matthew 12:31-32. The same Holy Spirit bears witness for us as we are the children of God in Romans 8:16-17: it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God.
So, being a follower of Christ, being a faithful child of God, God expects us to be humble before Him in whatever we do.
Humility
Humility is one of the very important lessons that is taught to us and reminded every time from childhood till our death. It is the lesson that we learn from Christ. It is a characteristic of Christianity. God humbled Himself for His creation, humanity, in order to teach them what God’s image truly is. God came down to set a great example for humans, the way that we are expected to live before God. In Micah 6:8 we see the prophet prophesies: He has told you, O mortal, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Jesus walked humbly with God. Isaiah’s prophecy is all about the life of a faithful child that God expects us to be. Jesus is the best example for humanity. Philippians 2:8-11, Paul highlights Jesus’ humility and obedience, even unto death.
God sent His Son to serve human beings. This is the best example to show that there is humility in God’s majesty. This is humility. Humility is not something that is bought from others, but it’s something that should be shown/given to others.
Now it will be a question to all of us.
What is the relation between humility and hope?
Why do we see humility when we ponder upon hope?
Humility is the quality of having a modest or low view of one’s importance. It is a virtue that the Bible teaches us. Jesus never exemplified Himself as important or high but always humbled Himself before God. Humility helps us to recognize our limitations and depend on God.
Why is humility important for Hope?
1st: Humility helps us to depend on God.
Humility is the base of hope. It helps us to acknowledge our dependence on God. In 2 Chronicles 7:14, God says: If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
God calls His people to humble themselves before Him in order for the hope to come true.
2nd: Humility creates gratitude towards God.
Humility fosters gratitude for what we have and hope for what God will do. A humble heart sees the bigger picture and places confidence in God’s provision and timing.
In Luke 1:46-55, Mary’s Magnificat reflects humility and hope. She humbles herself and acknowledges her low state and expresses hope and joy in God’s mercy and promises.
3rd: Humility strengthens us in weakness.
Through humility, we understand and see God’s strength that works in us. Humility gives us hope that even in our limitations, God’s power is at work in us and through us.
Apostle Paul embraces his weakness in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. Though in his weakness, God’s power dwells in him, making him do great things for God.
4th: Humility as a sense of hope in community.
Through humility, as a community, we tend to help and support each other, sharing in each other’s burdens and joys. The early Christian community had humility in fellowship and communal living, strengthening their faith and hope in Christ as a community.
Hope without humility cannot exist. Hope cannot exist through boastfulness or a sense of one’s importance. Only through humility can we see our limitations and depend on God.
Secondly, as a faithful child of God, a follower of Christ. God expects us to be light in the darkness. Hope for many.
We are Hope!
Jesus called us to be examples of hope for others, reflecting His love, grace, and light in a world often overshadowed by despair and darkness. Our lives in Christ are meant to be testimonies of His transformative power and enduring hope. God made the Messiah as hope for humanity; likewise, Jesus calls us to be the light of the world. By living according to His teachings and showing love, compassion, humility, and integrity, we become examples of hope that others can see and be inspired by. Sharing the message of Jesus’ love and salvation is fundamental to spreading hope. When we tell others about the hope we have in Christ, we offer them the opportunity to experience the same peace and joy we have found.
Being hopeful for many is in us.
Dr. David Tamil Arasu was born in Tamil Nadu, Tiruvallur, to a middle-class family. In spite of his family situation, he studied and earned a medical seat on merit. After his successful completion, he humbled himself before God and realized without God he was nothing. Though he completed his studies as a doctor, his poor family situation didn’t support him to set up a clinic. So, he began his clinic at his home with basic necessities. His main aim was to treat people at low cost. Sometimes he wouldn’t get any money if they were very poor and unaffordable. He even helped them with their medicine. His life was not full of roses. Although he ministered for Christ as a doctor by helping the poor and needy, he lost his daughter to cancer. It made him more broken. He lived his life according to the virtues of Christ. He did all he could to follow Christ’s way. But his daughter’s death questioned his heart: “Am I living according to the will of God? Why did I lose my daughter when I tried to follow all the virtues as a true Christian?” He wanted to be closer to God. He became a missionary. He began village ministry, taking the Gospel to the unheard places along with free medical camps. He also tried to provide free medicines for all who are poor and needy. He became a prominent person in his place to fight against the Hindu faith that saw smallpox as a punishment from God and separated people from the community. He continually wrote pamphlets and books and conducted awareness programs among the people in the rural areas in order to break the practices that oppressed people because of their illness. He helped people get cured and showed that smallpox is just an illness and not God’s punishment. God blessed him to become the general secretary of the Indian Medical Association of Tiruvallur District, Tamil Nadu, where he played many crucial parts in the light of God. Wherever he went, he carried the living Christ through his life, through his work, through his character, and became a beacon of hope for many. Many people from different places came to him, believing they could get better treatment at low cost. His major patients were beggars, street dwellers, poor, and needy.
Hope for many is the call for Christianity. Not only Dr. David Tamil Arasu, but there are so many Christians who have become a light in the darkness and hope in the turmoil and suffering of others’ lives.
we are Hope. Let’s humble ourselves before God and let Him work through us like Jesus and the Apostle Paul. Let’s foster unity in and outside our community irrespective of their region, religion, caste, colour, etc.
Imagine a tree in a storm. Humility is the deep root system that holds it firmly in the ground, while hope is the sunlight that it reaches for. Together, they ensure the tree’s survival and growth despite the raging winds. May we cultivate humility in our hearts, allowing it to be the foundation that supports and strengthens our hope in God’s promises.
Likewise, think of hope as a lighthouse. Just as a lighthouse guide ships safely to shore during a storm, our lives in Christ can guide others to safety and peace amidst the challenges of life.
Let’s plant seeds of hope through our words and actions. We may not always see immediate results; however, over time, these seeds can grow and flourish, bringing new life and hope to those around us.
Amen
