What are you hoping for from Santa?

Because hope. It’s a funny old word.

Ask the kids what they’re hoping for for Christmas and they’ll reel off a list long enough to daunt a whole troop of reindeer! Do they really hope to get it all? I don’t think so.

I hope not at least! 😉

We were hoping to put our Christmas trees up yesterday. It was never a dead cert. The local garden centre could have had a sudden run on pine trees. Or the lights that we needed to get because last year’s were in a tangled ball could have been sold out. But we’d hoped and planned on it.

And until ten to eleven last night, that thing I’d hoped for had come true. Christmas tree, complete with pretty lights and shiny bits and bobs, all present and correct.

And then the whole lot came crashing down!

The gold star from the very top made it halfway across the room and I was left feeling very sorry that I’d be quite so efficient and remembered to water it just hours earlier. Let’s just say I’m thankful that we have wooden floors!

And of course in the big scheme of things it doesn’t really matter. I put down towels for all the water, rescued the tinsel and sooner or later it’ll all be back up and looking lovely. At least we get the fun of decorating it a second time eh. 😉

But I was already thinking about hope. The happenings of my tree just helped the process along a little.

Because it’s my turn to preach in church today. When I got asked if today was ok and realised that it was the first Sunday in advent, I was super excited. “Yey! I get to do Christmas!” (Now do you understand why I do a Christmas themed blog every December? I just love it!!)

I did my usual trick of thinking lots but not doing a whole heap of writing stuff down before finally pondering on the idea of hope.

Every December we go through the routine of opening 24 little windows, counting down the days, full of excitement and anticipation. We’re full of hope but it’s hope for something we’re confident is going to happen. The chance that we’re going to wake up on the 25th and find that Christmas has been cancelled is fairly remote.

And that’s the same kind of hope that’s scattered throughout the bible.

Waiting. Expectant. Believing. Not actually having seen it or got it yet but hoping all the same.

So how about you? What are you hoping for?

That thing that you haven’t yet seen or got but you’re still hoping and trusting will happen?

I’m not talking about Christmas presents here. Sure, a new iPad would be amazing and the perfume I already picked out for myself will smell just gorgeous. But as 2013 is nearly with us, I’m hoping for a whole lot more than just stuff.

And so I dare you to believe that you can hope for that thing. Think about it, what it looks like, what it would feel like, why you want it, how it will make the world a better place … and then hope. Waiting. Expectant. Believing.

Not actually having seen it yet, but hoping all the same.

Go on, I dare you. 😉

Love El x

P.S. I recorded this morning’s gig. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea of course but if you fancied hearing more thoughts on hope, click here to download the mp3 or use the audio player below. Enjoy! 🙂

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