Andrew and Elysee's Story - An Advent Story of Hope

“How does this story make you feel?”

I asked Elysee this question after we finished reading the story of Israel’s deliverance into the Promised Land. This question was not a new question for Elysee, as it has been the first question that I have been asking Elysee after every Bible story for the past three months. Typically, he responds with something profound like “good” or “happy.” This week, however, he leaned back into his chair, stared at the ceiling for what felt like 5 minutes, then looked me dead in the eyes and replied, with confidence and conviction: “Hope. This story gives me hope.”

Upon further questioning, Elysee explained that Israel’s deliverance to the Promised Land gave him hope because it reminded him of the simple yet profound truth that God fights, weeps, and sufferers with us and for us, and that He will make good on His promises. Amen Elysee, Amen. 

After spending the next hour practicing and developing reading comprehension skills with Elysee, I left Refugee Resources that night with one word running on repeat throughout my mind: hope. 

The first week of every Advent season, the candle of hope is lit. And while for some, the lighting of this candle may feel like a trite religious tradition, for me, the lighting of the candle of hope has always been latent with meaning, as a flickering, subtle picture of the glory to be found in the coming Kingdom. 

This year, I have all the more reason to find beauty in this outward picture of the spiritual reality found in the candle of hope. Personally, it has been a year of change: graduating college, moving to a new city, working full-time, beginning a career in Corporate America, and being a full-time student in seminary has been disorienting, to say the least. Corporately, this has been a year of strife: a global pandemic, blood on the streets from racial injustice, and political discord have reminded us all the more that this world is not as it ought to be. 

Amidst my frustrations of both my dysfunctional soul and surrounding communities, this season of Advent has been made all the more special by a simple reminder of the family from which Jesus comes. Typically, every Advent season, we focus on Mary, the mother of Jesus. However, this year, the rest of the women of Matthew’s genealogy have been of special encouragement to me. 

Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba. 

Each of these women was “wrong” for a variety of reasons: their vocation, mistakes, or ethnicity. Had Matthew wanted a more picture-perfect sampling, he could have chosen from a plethora of other powerful female leaders littered throughout the Old Testament. But he did not. And his reason for forgoing those women for these four is what gives me hope in our present age. 

With the inclusion of Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba, Matthew is making a prophetic statement not only about who Jesus has come from but who Jesus has come for. In His coming, Jesus is calling forth a community made not only of the put-together, but of the poor, the oppressed, and the foreigner, not simply for the sake of calling them forth, but for the sake of restoration and justice for both themselves and for their communities. This is the family of Jesus. This is the story of His Advent. 

This family, specifically these four women, is what is giving me hope this Advent season. Hope, as I am reminded of the beautiful truth found in the reality of the incarnation. Hope, that God entered this world, joining us in our suffering, not as a triumphal warrior, but as a poor Jewish man, from a family of misfits, hailing the part of town that no one wanted to be from, and with an accent discernable to all. And I am reminded that in the incarnation, this poor Jewish man called the least of these to Himself, calling them not to shame but to hope. 

To hope in a world where all is put back to right. 

To hope in a world of justice, peace, and flourishing for all. 

To hope in a world where we, as the people of God, can participate in the redemption of this world that began at Calvary, is continuing today by the work of the Spirit, and will be brought to completion at His return.

Hope is a good thing, and these days it seems good things are hard to come by. This Advent season, let’s join Elysee in holding onto hope.

Written by: Andrew Wong