Sometimes it seems impossible to hope.  In the face of the great forces that are at work fashioning new means of oppression and exploitation it seems like a fool’s errand to hold on to hope and to keep an optimistic outlook for the future.  Every day we are called upon to witness a world in decline, the disintegration of once noble ideals, the desiccation of what seemed so fruitful and promising.  Over and over again in history we have seen what was once a mighty oak tree, that spread its branches wide and provided shade and shelter for so many, reduced to a seemingly lifeless stump.   We are challenged to face a troubling question:  Do we dare hope?   Does the future offer us sufficient reason to believe that something new is on the horizon?

    Times have been rough so far in this new millennium.  The world seems like a more dangerous and volatile place with terrorists, pirates, war lords, drug cartels, sex offenders, crazed dictators and a whole line up of angry haters bent on destruction.  Our country seems to be even more divided both politically and racially.  Jobs are hard to come by and seem more tenuous, effecting our sense of security.   Great numbers of people all over the world are fleeing from violence and seeking refuge.  Can we realistically speak of hope in such troubled times?

    Our reading of God’s Word during the season of Advent reminds us that hope often has small beginnings.  God passes on the strong and the mighty, the sure thing, and chooses the seemingly small and insignificant to be the recipient of divine grace and to carry the hopes of all of humanity.  New life begins with a single shoot that sprouts from a stump of a seemingly withered root stock.  A town that is “too small” is chosen to host the birth of a new king.  A womb that is old and withered is filled with a voice that will be heard crying out from the wilderness across all of Judea.  A young unmarried, virgin girl becomes the mother of a savior.  The Word Incarnate comes into the world as a small and vulnerable child.  The Kingdom of God is all about small beginnings and impossible promises.

    Hope is a risk.  It requires faith and a deep trust in God.  Hope takes us into territory beyond our understanding.  We often cannot see how the small seed can become the great tree.  God alone knows the destiny of all things and that his will to love shall be accomplished and that “his greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth.”  All that is needed is a small servant of the Lord to assent to God’s plan and affirm, “I come to do your will.”  God can accomplish great things through small acts of faith.  “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”

    Like the stump of Jesse that bears a new shoot, like little Bethlehem, like Mary and Elizabeth, God can use us to accomplish his will and fulfill his promises.  God can undo the effects of humanity’s sinfulness and can bring about change and new life in ways we never expected, if we are ready to place our hopes in him.  Our lives may seem small and powerless when compared to the seemingly mighty forces of evil but God can use us to bring a new light to illuminate the darkness.  We can make a difference with God’s help and support.  Advent teaches us that we must dare to hope, that we must take the risks and that we must believe that something new is coming.  Like Mary we must be consecrated in faith, hope and charity so that God can do mighty things through us.  When the Lord comes may he find us all ready to do his will.

    On this Fourth Sunday of Advent Mary leads us into the mystery of the Incarnation, of the Word-Made-Flesh, as she carries the human flesh of Jesus, the Son of God, in her womb.  Through the Holy Spirit the seed of God’s eternal Word has been sown in the womb of Mary and has become flesh through Mary’s faith in the power of God’s Word to accomplish its eternal purpose.  Mary is the leader for us in the way of faith.  Mary is blessed among all women because she “believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”  Mary’s faith becomes a source of blessing, both for her and for the entire world.  Through her obedience of faith the Savior, Jesus the Christ, will enter into the world to save all people from the slavery to sin and lead us into a new freedom.  Because of his impossible birth, we have new hope.  He will be our peace.