It says in Proverbs 13:12 that "Hope deferred makes the heart sick". Have you ever experienced that, where you had high hopes, only to have the dashed at the last minute? Maybe you have had this happen just this Christmas season. It really does drain our souls and make us feel empty, like when we have been physically sick.
Living in a fallen world with fallen people all around us, disappointments are a reality. Sometimes they are big, sometimes they are small. Too many of them can really get us down and give us a pessimistic view of life; they can make us downright cynical. We can begin to believe that there is no hope in the world, or that only other people can experience hope.
But Christmas is all about hope. It is a sure hope, but not a temporal hope. It is an enduring hope, with ultimate fulfillment yet in the future. Christ's coming to earth offers hope to all people, but it requires faith, it requires seeking Him. Today's message is about a group of men, from a far country, who believed the Old Testament Scriptures, sought for the truth, and travelled far to see the Desire of Nations. Come, hear their story and learn about the Hope that is still offered to all people today.
