Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter1:3-9 ESV).
Three years ago Blake Adami gave me a very unique Christmas gift. It was a small tree sapling. That might cause you to react with “huh?” However, it was not just any tree. It had been grown from an acorn dropped by the famous “Century Oak” on the campus of Texas A&M University. The tradition surrounding this Aggie landmark is storied to be sure. It is over 150 years old and spreads its limbs far into the courtyard in front of the Academic Building in the center of the campus. Just one of the traditions declares that if you propose marriage under its boughs your marriage will be long lasting and full of happiness. It is certainly a piece of history from Aggieland. And, we have one in our yard. When we first got it, it was no bigger than a pencil and about two feet tall. I followed the instructions before planting in its present location. It seemed to love the spot we picked for it, at least until the record winter weather hit later that year. Like many other plants it froze to the ground. We had hope it might have somehow survived with roots going deeper than we thought possible. You can imagine our delight when later that spring it sprouted new growth from the ball. It now has turned into a very nice healthy Live Oak. It now has twin trunks and has grown over five feet in two years!
Our hope was fulfilled. Don’t you wish that could be the case all the time? It’s easy to lose hope in our everyday lives. Often circumstances beyond our control will quickly sap our hope and leave us despairing about our future. In the midst of such circumstances, the apostle Peter writes of hope. Jesus has risen from the dead! This new reality does not mean all of our suffering will disappear. But just as Jesus’ sufferings gave way to resurrection, so also our trials will be followed by glory.
This New Year can be filled with hope for each of us. Through Jesus, God has given believers “a living hope.” The greatest good news of all is that God has given us hope. We do not remain victims of our sins or of our circumstances. Jesus has the power to redeem every dying expectation and replace it with living hope. Renew your hope today!