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Merchants of holy hope

Walking down Regent Street in London last year, I was struck by the beautiful angels glowing in the sky as part of their Christmas decorations – and the sheer scale of the crowds making it difficult to pause and look up at those angels. 

Christmas is a season of hope that has been overtaken by consumerism. I love the notion that we can subvert this consumerism by being merchants of holy hope. Mary was a literal merchant of holy hope. The angel appeared saying “fear not” and explained that the Holy Spirit would come to her and she would give birth to God in human flesh. 

There is a real risk that we make too big a deal about this event that happened 2,000 years ago – as if it were a one off event. The real miracle is that it is supposed to happen again and again in us being filled with his spirit every single day. We celebrate Christmas because the gift of being filled with the presence of God is available to everyone, everywhere, every day.

Our part

Our job is to be merchants of holy hope – in our marriages and families; in our schools and hospitals; in workshops and offices; on buses and trains; in restaurants and takeaways; in houses and homes. We are to redirect the fear and insecurity in the world around us into the hope of Jesus.

The greatest lie is that “things will always be this way”. But the hope of Christmas shatters this illusion. God took on flesh – the divine in human skin. “The mere sound of his name will signal hope, even among far-off unbelievers.” (Matthew 12:21 MSG)

This Christmas, the angel says to each of us, “fear not”, and invites us into the journey of becoming merchants of holy hope.

A reflection from Peter Lynas, a media commentator, a former lawyer and leads the team at the Evangelical Alliance in Northern Ireland.