Experiencing Hope – You Are The Reason

Luke 2:1-7 (click on the pic to hear it)

At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee.  He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant.

And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

Back in 1994, two Americans were invited by the Russian Department of Education to teach morals and ethics in their prisons, at their businesses, fire and police departments and even at a large orphanage. They were also told they could teach from the perspective of their faith.

One of the places they got to speak was a at a Russian orphanage. This place was full of children who had been abandoned, abused and left in the care of a government-run program. Fish, who was one of the Americans. tells the following story of what happened when the holiday season approached and it was time for the orphans to hear – for the first time – the traditional story of Christmas.

“We told them about Mary and Joseph arriving in Bethlehem,” says Fish. “Finding no room in the inn, the couple went to a stable, where the baby Jesus was born and placed in a manger. Throughout the story, the children and orphanage staff sat in amazement as they listened. Some sat on the edges of their stools, trying to grasp every word. “Completing the story, we gave the children three small pieces of cardboard to make a crude manger. Each child was given a small paper square, cut from yellow napkins I had brought with me. No colored paper was available in the city.

Following instructions, the children tore the paper and carefully laid strips in the manger for straw. Small squares of flannel, cut from a worn-out nightgown an American lady was throwing away as she left Russia, were used for the baby’s blanket. A doll-like baby was cut from tan felt we had brought from the United States. “The orphans were busy assembling their mangers as I walked among them to see if they needed any help. All went well until I got to one table where little Misha sat – he looked to be about 6 years old and had finished his project. As I looked at the little boy’s manger, I was startled to see not one, but two babies in the manger. “Quickly, I called for the translator to ask the lad why there were two babies in the manger. Crossing his arms in front of him and looking at his completed manger scene, the child began to repeat the story very seriously. For such a young boy, who had heard the Christmas story only once, he related the happenings accurately – until he came to the part where Mary put the baby Jesus in the manger. “Then Misha started to ad lib. He made up his own ending to the story as he said, ‘And when Mary laid the baby in the manger, Jesus looked at me and asked me if I had a place to stay. I told him have no mamma and I have no papa, so I don’t have any place to stay. Then Jesus told me I could stay with him. But I told him I couldn’t, because I didn’t have a gift to give him like everybody else did. But I wanted to stay with Jesus so much, so I thought about what I had that maybe I could use for a gift. I thought maybe if I kept him warm, that would be a good gift. So I asked Jesus, “If I keep you warm, will that be a good enough gift?” And Jesus told me, “If you keep me warm, that will be the best gift anybody ever gave me.” So I got into the manger, and then Jesus looked at me and he told me I could stay with him – for always.’ “As little Misha finished his story, his eyes brimmed full of tears. The little orphan had found someone who would never abandon nor abuse him, someone who would stay with him – for always.”

In the midst of a hopeless situation Misha found hope.  He didn’t have any gift he could give to Jesus that would make him worthy for Jesus to stay with Him. The only thing he could give him was himself  to keep him warm.

Things have to get hopeless before we can begin to experience hope. If you look through out the scriptures you will discover that the people we read about experienced some hopeless situations. Job lost  his family, his wealth, and his health. Paul lost his job, was blinded. Jonah was stuck in the belly of a big fish. The disciples thought everything was over when Jesus died.  All of them experienced hopeless situations. All of them were transformed by God and used to give hope away. But …. their situation had to get hopeless before they could experience hope.

G. K. Chesterton said, “ it is only when everything is hopeless that hope begins to be a strength.” When you are hopeless, when you have nowhere else to turn, when things are dark and you are uncertain about the future. Who are you going to turn to? It ‘s in hopelessness that we find hope.  It’s in those moments where we have nowhere else to turn that we realize that we have to be dependent on Someone greater than ourselves.

Things for Mary and Joseph seemed hopeless.

Mary was pregnant and it wasn’t Joseph’s baby. The simple fact that Mary was pregnant made her an outcast and she deserved to be stoned to death.  There was no one she could turn to. There is no one she could talk to. This is more than likely why she went and visited her cousin Elizabeth who also got pregnant in a miraculous way. Joseph had to be stunned and disappointed and he too had nowhere to turn.  His friends didn’t know what to say to him.  He didn’t know what to say to them. Joseph was an honorable man and was convinced in a dream that all of this was true.

When he got to Bethlehem there was no room for him and his wife. They were expecting a baby right now. He was desperate.  He was hopeless. He didn’t’ know where to turn.

Who is it that believers  turn too when things are hopeless?  God

Who is it that unbelievers turn too when things are hopeless? God

I met a guy yesterday at the wedding we hosted. I could tell he was a follower of Christ so I asked him to tell me his story. He was into drugs, alcohol, and sex with any woman who would have him. He was destroying his life. He tried treatment programs. But he continued to relapse.  He eventually lost everything. He was hope – less.   He was desperate and didn’t have a place to stay.  So, some guy who owned a woodshop told him he could stay in a little room off the woodshop. This guy eventually told him about Jesus. He found hope. He didn’t find it in a bottle, nor did he find it in a needle. Nor did he find it in a woman.  He eventually married his live – in girlfriend. They are now both born again. They are now serving in their church in Muncie.  They have a home. A couple of kids. Now they are giving hope away to this couple I married yesterday.

God turned his hopelessness into hope. God didn’t do it by granting his wish. He first had to become hopeless to realize he was putting his hope in the wrong things and people. N0 thing and no one can give hope. Only Christ alone.

Mary and Joseph were in a hopeless situation. They had nowhere to stay. They didn’t know what to do. Mary was dependent on Joseph and Joseph was desperate to get his wife somewhere where she could have that baby. When your wife is ready to have a baby …. You want to find a place and you want to find a place fast.  I remember when Jordan was born. The reason I remember is not because he is our only boy but we cut it as close as you could cut it. We took the kids with us and told my brother and his wife to meet us at the hospital. The hospital was 15 miles away. Needless to say I went to the speed limit and took my time because I was calm cool, and collective. In reality, I was freaking out inside. “What if we don’t make it to the hospital in time?  I have never delivered a baby before. God you have got to get us there!  God don’t let any police men be out!  God help me not to forget the directions to the hospital.”  All of those things were running through my mind. I was desperate.

When we become hope – less, we get desperate for God. We want God to do something and we want him to do something now! A lady (a single mom) called yesterday desperate for Christmas presents for her kids.  Someone had stolen the presents that she bought for her kids. She sounded desperate on the phone. She was desperate because she didn’t have anymore money to buy presents. All she wants is to have her kids open a present on Christmas day. That is every child’s dream.

It is usually situations in our life when  we feel hope-less is when  we become fully dependent on God and other people. We are dependent on God to provide a way of escape. We are dependent on others to do something.

Our relationship with God doesn’t start until we experience a hopelessness. Everyone’s salvation experience begins by understanding that your life is hopeless without God in it.

Mary and Joseph were fully dependent on God. There were in a situation where they had no other choice but to be dependent.  She was carrying the hope of the world in her womb! They had the confident assurance that God was not going to leave them now.  God was not going to abandon them when they were carrying His son.

We need hope. God knows we need hope.  God knows there’s going to be times when you feel like everything is hopeless.  I am confident that all of us in here have gone through some situations that seemed hopeless. If you haven’t gone through situations where  you have felt hopeless – there is going to be a time that it is going to happen.

When that something  happens remember  you are the reason for the season.

When money is tight and things seem hopeless – you are the reason for the season.

When you get the diagnosis that make living seem hopeless – you are the reason the season.

When you don’t get the job you wanted – remember  you are the reason for the season.

When depression seems to be having victory in your life  – remember you are the reason for the season.

When the  your world seems to be crumbling down around you – remember you are the reason for the season.

When you feel hopeless – God has you right where he wants you.  Because when we feel hopeless we learn that no one and  no thing can give us hope. 

Like Mary and Joseph

When  you get news that you are not expecting trust God’s direction for the journey. How do you do that?  Not to minimize anything what you are going through but there is someone else who has gone on a similar journey before you.  This young man I met yesterday was not the first time I have met someone who  was an alcoholic, had a drug addiction, and his life was crumbling all around him and was in what seemed like a hopeless situation. There are others who have similar stories. In his hopeless situation he found Christ. This is what God does.  The story has been repeated a million times over.

Find out how they trusted God’s direction for their journey. I am pretty sure they will tell you it is the most difficult thing you will do in your life, but your life will change for eternity.

Like Mary and Joseph

When you are desperate and you don’t know where to turn, God will show up at the perfect time. When you relinquish control of your life or a situation in your life causes you to relinquish control you will experience and relief and peace. God is not going to abandon you. God is not going to give up on. God is not going to stop caring about you. This is what  God does. He is always with you.

Like Misha  (from the story I shared at the beginning)

When you are in a hopeless situation remember God will take you in. Misha was in what seem like a hopeless situation but he figured out all he had to give God was himself.  Misha knew God would take him in. He heard the story once and he figured out that Jesus wanted him!  He couldn’t give him anything. All he had to offer was himself. Joseph and Mary gave themselves to God. That is all they had to give. That is all anyone has to give.

All you have to give to God is yourself. And that’s all He wants. When you give Him yourself you will begin to experience hope.