Hope is a part of being human, and hope takes many forms. We hope that traffic isn’t bad on our way to work, or we hope for our favorite sporting team to win their next game. All December, children hope for their favorite toy to be wrapped underneath the tree on Christmas morning. When our loved ones are sick, we hope for healing. When we hear about another act of senseless violence at home or abroad, we hope for peace and justice.
The prophets of the Hebrew Bible give voice to the hopes of the ancient Israelites. Micah wrote when his people were suffering under the oppressive rule of the Assyrians. Throughout the short, seven-chaptered book, Micah voices hope for leaders who are just, for a world in which the rich do not prey upon the poor, and for a the safety of all vulnerable and marginalized people.
Micah 5 speaks of one who will bring these hopes to fruition, “one of peace” (5:5). Such a ruler will arise from Bethlehem, “one of the little clans,” an otherwise insignificant town— not a place of power and prestige like one might expect. In Matthew 2, this verse is weaved into the story of Christ’s birth. Jesus becomes identified with this hoped-for leader of ancient origin and inconsiderable hometown.
During Advent season, we are called to look at our hopes. Do we hope for the things God hopes for? In Micah and in birth of Christ, we are reminded that God works in and from places we don’t always expect. The one named Emmanuel. “God with Us,” was not born in the place of power that the world might choose, but was born in lowly and humble Bethlehem.
What do you hope for? Where do you hope to see God’s healing and transformative love? This Advent, may we align our hopes with the divine dream of peace that works in ways we often do not expect. May we keep our eyes and hearts open for the presence of God in places we deem insignificant, places from which God will act as the world is about to turn.
