Where there is life, there is hope.” – Theocritus

“To live without hope is to cease to live.”
– Fyodor Dostoevsky

We love stories of hope! Dire circumstances and certain despair turned into hope at the last moment.

Name some? Rocky. Lord of the Rings. Gladiator. Cinderella. Beauty and the Beast. It’s a Wonderful Life.

Biblical Stories? Noah. Abraham. Gideon. Esther. Daniel. Joseph. David. Job. Peter. Paul. Jesus.

“Hope itself is like a star–not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity, and only to be discovered in the night of adversity.”
– Charles H. Spurgeon

Christmas Defined: HOPE!

Hope! Faithful trust in God’s promises for the future in the midst of life’s trials even into eternity!

Defined: Discovering the Meaning of Christmas!

The words of Christmas become more meaningful as they are enhanced and enlightened by life’s trials.

Joy – Hope – Peace – Love – Believe

Christmas Defined: HOPE!

“Hope is so essential to our survival…it can be the difference between living a healthier life versus one trapped by despair.”
– Neuroscientist Tali Sharot

“Despair is the absence of hope!”
– Pastor Dan Kuhn

Hope! Faithful trust in God’s promises for the future in the midst of life’s trials!

“I’m not optimistic, no. I’m quite different. I’m hopeful. I am a prisoner of hope…hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.”
– Archbishop Desmund Tutu

“O little town of Bethlehem…Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting Light; the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.”
– Phillip Brooks

Christmas Defined: HOPE!

“Hope is the ability to see a path to the future…facing dire circumstances…you see a potential path…we could not live without hope. Even with all the medical technology available, we still come back to this profound human need to believe that there is a possibility to reach a future better than the one in the present.”
– Dr. Jerome Groopman

Hope! Dire circumstances and certain despair turned into hope at the last moment. Christmas Defined!

Hope! Faithful trust in God’s promises for the future in the midst of life’s trials even into eternity!

We love stories of hope! What is ours?

What dire circumstances and certain despair will we ask God to turn into hope today? Why?

What has us hopeless at the moment? What needs to be entrusted to God in order to be hopeful?

Christ: The Hope of Israel and all Mankind. In Christ, we never lose hope!

Christmas Defined: In Christ, the certainty of HOPE is not just in life’s trials, but even into eternity!

For the Christ-Follower, hope is the certainty that, no matter what, God’s purposed plan will prevail and be personally realized even into eternity.

“Christian hope is about the living hope in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. We walk forward while looking back to the risen Jesus.”
– Joshua Dease

“Where there is a belief in the living God, who acts and intervenes in human life, and who can be trusted to implement His promises, hope in the biblical sense becomes possible...and is inseparable from faith in God.”
– E.J. Bicknell in NBD

What has us hopeless and in despair at the moment; needing entrusting to God to be hopeful?

“O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie! Above thy deep and dreamless sleep, the silent stars go by. Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting Light; the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.”
– Phillip Brooks

1. Share our understanding of what the message was about?

2. How can we apply and integrate this message into our life?

3. Read Romans 5:1-8. Discuss: “Hope itself is like a star–not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity, and only to be discovered in the night of adversity.” – Charles H. Spurgeon

4. Read Psalm 42:5. What dire circumstances and certain despair will we ask God to turn into hope today?

5. Read Ephesians 2:12-13; Matthew 12:21; Colossians 1:27 & 1 Peter 1:3-4. What recurring theme is communicated? Why?