Issue link: http://denverseminary.uberflip.com/i/420759
December 30 Romans 15:12–13 25 Mark Young, PhD President H ope. What a powerful word. Just hearing it stirs the heart and lifts the spirit. Christmas is hope incarnated. In Romans 15:12, the apostle Paul reminds us of a promise made by God, through the prophet Isaiah, several hundred years before the birth of Jesus: "e Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise for rule over the nations; in Him the Gentiles will hope." God promised that the Root of Jesse would spring up as a source of hope for the Gentiles. Jesse was the father of King David. us, this Root of Jesse is the promised Messiah, the Son of David, the one who would come to bring salvation for all. His name is Jesus. (See also 1 Tim. 1:1.) Paul presses on in verse 13: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Not only is Jesus the one in whom we hope, He is the God of hope who produces in us an overabundance of hope. at's why Christmas is hope incarnated. Hope is a word often associated with Christmas. Many parents likely heard this or a similar phrase this year: "I hope I get a new bicycle for Christmas." In that sense, hope is little more than a wish or a desire. It contains no certainty that the wish will come true. at's the way we commonly use the word hope. When the Apostle Paul uses the word, however, it means much, much more. For Paul, hope means the confident expectation that God is faithful. Because we know that God has fulfilled His promise to send the Messiah in the coming of Jesus, we can be absolutely certain that He will fulfill all of His promises. When we hope in Jesus, therefore, we can experience the joy and peace that only comes from knowing that the future is secure, that God's faithfulness is certain, and that this child who came in weakness will reign over all as a king. Although this Christmas our circumstances may not be all that we want them to be, we can still be people of hope, full of joy and peace, because Jesus is our hope. Christmas is hope incarnated. Hope Incarnated