Hope can take many forms. For children, hope might center on what they’ll open on Christmas Day. As we get older, hope can shift from excitement to expectation and from surprises to survival.

Army Air Forces Sergeant Lloyd Ponder knew that kind of hope. In a Japanese POW camp during World War II, Ponder had an undying hope for freedom. “I remember thinking, ‘If anyone is going to get out of this alive, it’s going to be me.’” Ponder reflected, “Determination is the attitude you had to have, knowing you could survive whatever!” What kept him focused on surviving? “Hope makes a difference,” Ponder concluded. “If you don’t have hope, you’re gone. Having hope can get you through anything.”

Hope keeps us going, and hope is what Advent is all about. It is not a hope for presents but hope for a Presence. Before the coming of Jesus, God’s people leaned in on hope as they waited for the coming of a savior.

Hope keeps us going, and hope is what Advent is all about. It is not a hope for presents but hope for a Presence. Before the coming of Jesus, God’s people leaned in on hope as they waited for the coming of a savior.”

As we make this sacred journey to Bethlehem, we can reflect on the hope that was fulfilled and celebrated in the wonder of salvation.

The post LOOKING FORWARD TO CHRISTMAS: Looking Forward with Hope (YOU-Win’25, Study 1, Session 1) appeared first on YOU.