In Desperate Need of Hope

Meditations for the Season of Advent 

December 19, 2022

In Desperate Need of Hope

The Word became 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

People came early one Christmas Eve for the 11pm service at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, New York City. Among them was a recovering alcoholic, six months sober, who slipped into the eleventh row. This was his first Christmas since his alcoholism had cost him his family. A family of four sat down two rows in front of him. Seeing them together was crushing. He decided he couldn't handle it -- he had to have a drink.

As he moved from the sanctuary to the narthex, he ran into Pastor Thomas Tewell. "Jim, where are you going?" the pastor asked.

"Oh, I'm just going out for a Scotch," Jim replied.

"Jim, you can't do that," the pastor responded. "Is your sponsor available?"

Jim replied, "It's Christmas Eve. My sponsor is in Minnesota. There's nobody who can help me. I just came tonight for a word of hope, and I ended up sitting behind this family. If I had my life together, I'd be here with my wife and kids too."

Pastor Tewell took Jim into the vestry to talk with a couple of other pastors. Then he slipped into the sanctuary, having no idea what to do. He whispered a prayer: "O God, could you give me a word of hope for Jim?" He welcomed everyone and told them about the church. Then he said, "I have one final announcement. If anyone here tonight is a friend of Bill Wilson -- and if you are, you'll know it -- could you step out for a moment and meet in the vestry?" (Bill Wilson, better   known as Bill W., is a cofounder of Alcoholics Anonymous.)

From all over the sanctuary, women, men, and college students arose and made their way out. "And while I was preaching in the sanctuary about incarnation," said Pastor Tewell, "the Word was becoming flesh in the vestry. Someone was experiencing hope."

My Takeaway: I suspect if we ask God to help us to be sensitive to the needs of others, we will cross paths with someone in desperate need of experiencing hope. Perhaps even at the Christmas Eve service we will attend this Saturday. May someone experience hope through our witness this Advent and Christmas season.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2022 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.