Ed. Note - When I wrote these words, I was unaware of the death this weekend of David Prowse, the man behind the mask of Darth Vader. RIP David, may the force be with you.
“A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…” (Cue John Williams fanfare)
How many remember when they first saw those
words explode on the screen? Episode 4, “A New Hope.” Of course, after nine
films, multiple tv series and spin off films, that hope seems a long, long
time ago and very far, far away, some would even say disappeared after Jar-Jar Binks. But hope always found a way to come
through.
With today being the Advent Sunday for hope, I
want to tell you another story using one of my favorite Christmas verses.
A long time ago, in a galaxy not so far away…
a
great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the
moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 She was
pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. 3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a
great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his
heads seven diadems. 4 His
tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the
earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so
that when she bore her child he might devour it. (Rev. 12)
How many have a red dragon in their Nativity? We think of Christmas as nice and pretty with Ruben’s
angels flying around and sanitized straw on the floor. But Jesus didn’t come
into a world all perfect. He came into a world at war with Him, a war we caused, and He meant to take it back. He came in like a covert agent, in the
form of a child, to become the hope for mankind that had no hope.
To see why, we go
back to the beginning. God created the earth, the plants, the animals, then
Adam and Eve, and called them all good. Satan tried to throw a coup in Heaven,
and was thrown to the earth with 1/3 of the angels who rebelled with him. Needless to say, not a
happy camper. From that point on, Satan was out to destroy God’s creation, and
win the war he started.
Well, with the
help of Adam, Satan did just that, and was given dominion over all the earth,
and all it’s inhabitants. Just as all seemed hopeless, God intervened. God
told Adam and Eve that through them a Savior would be born that would destroy
the serpent, and restore God’s Kingdom. (Genesis 3:15, God actually directed this comment towards the serpent) After that, Satan’s purpose was to make
sure that Savior never came. For 5,000 some odd years, almost as long as the
Star Wars saga, the world kept hoping, then loosing hope, the hoping again.
Even when the world flooded, God provided a way for hope to endure. Even when
Israel was enslaved in Egypt, God provided a way. In spite of invasions, and
wars, and evil kings, and false prophets, God ALWAYS provided a way. And when
that child was born in Bethlehem, the most unlikely hope was made flesh. And
Satan was furious. And scared. His sole purpose then became to kill the child,
the man, that could be his destruction. But God always has a way, and even
death wasn’t enough to stop the hope.
Let’s face it,
2020 has not been the most encouraging of years. There’s not a lot we can trust
in, much less that creates hope. So if God always finds a way, where is our
hope? We can’t trust in governments, because governments can fall. We can’t
trust in mankind, because mankind is frail. Even David wondered, but he also
knew the answer. Psalm 121 says:
I lift up my eyes
to the hills. From Where comes my help? My help comes from the LORD.”
And it is from
there our help still comes. But an even bigger question is WHY would God be the
hope we are looking for? It is because he loves us. In spite of the
disappointment, in spite of the outright betrayal, He loves us so much that He
sent His only Son to repair the relationship we destroyed. And after Jesus gave
His life, he STILL continues to love us. He didn’t just say “OK, I’ve done my
part, you’re on your own.” He STILL continues to be our hope.
We are still in a
world at war. Hope seems almost non-existent. But if we can’t find hope, we’re
not looking in the right place. Our hope is in the LORD, and God will ALWAYS
make a way, even through a pandemic. Question is, are you willing to drop your hope in other ways, to
trust and leave your problems with Him? We have to trust Him, Believe in Him,
even when all around seems lost. Because He is above and beyond all others, and
God WILL make a way. He alone is our hope. He sent Jesus into the world to be
our hope. Will you put YOUR hope and trust in Him?
