Deep down inside the human spirit there is a flame of hope. Sometimes that hope can be expressed crudely in wanton restlessness or it can be enshrined in persevering heroic trust against the odds. 

It is not optimism, though, like Mr Micawber, but genuine hope is based on personal experience of God’s continual and providential care for us. God has walked at my side through thick and thin, he has been with me in all the ups and downs, and I trust, I hope, that he will continue to do the same in the future. 

As we move through Advent and towards the Christmas season, I ask for each of us, I pray, I genuinely hope for each of us the gifts of happiness, peace of mind, and health in body and spirit. And because I ask the Lord, I know we shall receive. Because I pray, I believe we already possess them, and because I hope, I trust that these gifts will be poured into our lives. 

We need to go beyond optimism; rather we need to become a beacon of hope and trust in our world desperate for that warmth, light and purpose that true hope always brings, hope in our all-loving, our ever-generous God and Father. 

As we enter Advent and approach Christmas, it is a good thing to count our blessings and to remember others who are not as well blessed as us. 

Deliver us, Lord we pray, from every evil, graciously grant us peace in our days, that by the help of your mercy, we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress, as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Saviour Jesus Christ. 

Yours in blessed hope