{"id":23149,"date":"2014-12-04T00:15:57","date_gmt":"2014-12-04T05:15:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/?p=23149"},"modified":"2014-12-03T22:16:12","modified_gmt":"2014-12-04T03:16:12","slug":"christmas-hope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/2014\/12\/04\/christmas-hope\/","title":{"rendered":"The Christmas Hope"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/phssChristmasgraphic2014.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23090\" src=\"http:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/phssChristmasgraphic2014.jpg\" alt=\"phssChristmasgraphic2014\" width=\"560\" height=\"280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/phssChristmasgraphic2014.jpg 560w, https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/phssChristmasgraphic2014-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Her wish this Christmas<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"> Was that Christmas would just pass her by<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"> Nothing could reach her<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"> Or answer her questions why<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"> She feels so alone<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"> And she wonders if all hope is gone<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 60px;\"><em><span style=\"color: #800000;\"> Hope is a candle<\/span><\/em><br \/>\n<em><span style=\"color: #800000;\"> A light in the window<\/span><\/em><br \/>\n<em><span style=\"color: #800000;\"> Showing the way for<\/span><\/em><br \/>\n<em><span style=\"color: #800000;\"> A heart to come home<\/span><\/em><br \/>\n<em><span style=\"color: #800000;\"> Hope is a Savior<\/span><\/em><br \/>\n<em><span style=\"color: #800000;\"> Who was born in the manger<\/span><\/em><br \/>\n<em><span style=\"color: #800000;\"> Sent down from Heaven<\/span><\/em><br \/>\n<em><span style=\"color: #800000;\"> To rescue our hearts<\/span><\/em><br \/>\n<em><span style=\"color: #800000;\"> Our Christmas hope<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800000;\">She never imagined<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"> That for her there was hope to find<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"> But isn&#8217;t it amazing<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"> How God brings a heart back to life<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"> She&#8217;s smiling now she&#8217;s finding out<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"> What Christmas hope is all about<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 60px;\"><em><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Hope is a present<\/span><\/em><br \/>\n<em><span style=\"color: #800000;\"> A gift freely given<\/span><\/em><br \/>\n<em><span style=\"color: #800000;\"> To all who receive<\/span><\/em><br \/>\n<em><span style=\"color: #800000;\"> And open their hearts<\/span><\/em><br \/>\n<em><span style=\"color: #800000;\"> Hope is a promise<\/span><\/em><br \/>\n<em><span style=\"color: #800000;\"> For a better tomorrow<\/span><\/em><br \/>\n<em><span style=\"color: #800000;\"> In a world filled with sorrow<\/span><\/em><br \/>\n<em><span style=\"color: #800000;\"> We always have hope<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2uOu9N3HILI?rel=0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/center><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Songwriters: Eddie Carswell and Matthew West ~ Performed by NewSong<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #800000;\">\u00a0* \u00a0 \u00a0\u2665 \u00a0~ \u00a0\u271d \u00a0~ \u00a0\u2605 \u00a0 \u00a0*<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><em>Hope is a Savior<\/em><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><em> Who was born in the manger<\/em><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><em> sent down from Heaven<\/em><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><em> to rescue our hearts<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Yes! \u00a0This IS part of our Christmas hope! \u00a0This is our daily hope! \u00a0This is the foundation of our eternal hope! \u00a0And accompanying our hope&#8212;trust and faith that He is coming back again!<\/p>\n<p>This song was written as part of the soundtrack for the movie \u2018<em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.christianfilmdatabase.com\/review\/the-christmas-hope\/\" target=\"_blank\">Christmas Hope<\/a><\/em>\u2019 a faith-based movie about the lives of hurt, sad people and how they intertwine through times of tragedy and hope and restoration. (If you haven\u2019t already seen this movie, it is a wonderful one to add to your holiday playlist!)<\/p>\n<p>Just like the fictional folk who are part of the story of \u2018<em>Christmas Hope<\/em>\u2019 we, too, desperately need hope&#8230;sometimes it seems&#8230;at every turn of our lives. And, just like Patty, Mark, Nathan, and little Emily, we HAVE been given the greatest Hope there could possibly be\u2014a Savior, a Redeemer\u2014Jesus Christ!<\/p>\n<p>God\u2019s people waited for hundreds of years for the fulfillment of the promise of a child to be born of the line of David in Bethlehem. They believed and trusted and waited with HOPE for the promise to be fulfilled.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign:<br \/>\nBehold, the young woman who is unmarried and a virgin<br \/>\nshall conceive and bear a son,<br \/>\nand shall call his name Immanuel [God with us].<br \/>\nIsaiah 7:14<\/p>\n<p>(See also Micah 5:2; Jeremiah 23:5 and 6; Isaiah 9:1-2, 6-7&#8230;among many other verses.)<\/p>\n<p>God also made promises to a young Hebrew girl. \u00a0She had been taught by her parents about the promised Redeemer and had this hope within her heart. \u00a0God sent His messenger Gabriel to give her another promise. \u00a0This surely must have increased her hope!<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin\u2019s name was Mary.<br \/>\nAnd coming in, he said to her, \u201cGreetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.\u201d The angel said to her, \u201cDo not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.\u201d<br \/>\nMary said to the angel, \u201cHow can this be, since I am a virgin?\u201d The angel answered and said to her, \u201cThe Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">(excerpts from Luke 1:28-35)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Promises made in olden times have already come to pass\u2014Jesus, the Son of God, <strong><em>was<\/em> <\/strong>born and\u00a0ultimately gave His life fulfilling many more promises. \u00a0And hope has been realized! \u00a0We cling to promises made that are still unfulfilled&#8230;promises that fuel our hope because we know the One Who has promised IS faithful!!! \u00a0May these be a vital part of our Christmas Hope!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">And said, \u201cMen of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven?<br \/>\nThis Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven,<br \/>\nwill come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven.\u201d<br \/>\nActs 1:11<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">&#8230;so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many,<br \/>\nwill appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin,<br \/>\nto those who eagerly await Him.<br \/>\nHebrews 9:28<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>Awaiting and looking for the [fulfillment, realization of our] blessed hope, <\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"> <strong>even the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior <\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"> <strong>Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One)&#8230;<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"> <strong>Titus 2:13<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Her wish this Christmas Was that Christmas would just pass her by Nothing could reach her Or answer her questions why She feels so alone And she wonders if all hope is gone Hope is a candle A light in the window Showing the way for A heart to come home Hope is a Savior [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":23090,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4937],"tags":[7918,4663,235,1287,425,7899,7919,7920,4932,7916,7917],"class_list":["post-23149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-psalms-hymns-and-spiritual-songs","tag-acts-111","tag-christmas-carols","tag-coleen-hayden","tag-gch","tag-girlfriends-coffee-hour","tag-jesus-is-our-hope","tag-luke-2","tag-newsong","tag-psalms-hymns-spiritual-songs","tag-the-christmas-hope","tag-titus-213","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/phssChristmasgraphic2014.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p39pHp-61n","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23149","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23149"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23149\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23167,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23149\/revisions\/23167"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23090"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}