There are, in the Advent story, two seemingly contradictory accounts. One account would lead us to despair. The other would lead us to overwhelming optimism. Both accounts are a part of the Bible. Both are at the heart of the Christmas event.

We begin the story of both themes in the aftermath of the fall of Adam and Eve. The couple sins and are now destined to die. The joy of work will be replaced by thorns and thistles. The joy of filling the earth with image bearers of God is replaced by pain and danger in childbirth. Instead of finding themselves Lords of the earth, they find themselves naked and afraid of their creator. Instead of living forever, they will eventually die. It is the story of despair.

But hope arises. Genesis 3:15 promises the coming of one who will bruise the head of the Serpent. Sin and death, along with Satan’s rule of the earth, will be broken. A great deliverer will come. There is hope within the darkness. The Kingdom of Heaven will one day break into this world.

But then comes a cruel moment. At first we might not recognize it, but it is surely there. Genesis 4:1 (ESV) begins by saying, “Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, ‘I have begotten a man with the help of the Lord.’” On the surface of it, this is indeed a wonderful moment. In spite of the curse of death, there is birth. Life! But Hebrew scholars point out that the Hebrew word translated with the phrase, “I have gotten”, indicates that Eve believes that the LORD was involved in the giving of this child. This could not have happened without God’s grace. Indeed, when the verb is used in relation to God, it may speak of God’s redeeming work. And so, when Eve experienced the first ever human birth, she thought back on the promise of one who would come, who would redeem people from the curse of the fall. Hope had come in the form of a baby. Surely he would bruise the serpent’s head. Sin and death, evil and Satan would soon be crushed. Hope!

How cruel then to think that this child was not the expected redeemer, but the first murderer in human history. Hope had been savagely crushed by reality.

The two themes of hope and despair are played out in the pages of Scripture. Noah fears God and survives the flood, but is soon found drunk and naked in his tent, where one son commits some form of indecency. Abraham’s descendants will bless the whole world, but degenerate into fights and jealousy, finally selling one of them into slavery. Joshua inherits the promised land, only leading to the book of Judges and a time when every man did what was right in his own eyes. David is told that his kingdom will endure forever, but he is found to have committed adultery and murdered the husband of the woman. Indeed, Solomon, the great and wise king, in his old age fills Israel with idols, excessive taxation and turns from his God. Eventually, the Babylonians will burn the great temple Solomon built to the ground, taking Israel into exile.

It is as if the Bible keeps rekindling the story of hope, only to allow this hope to be crushed by the reality of sin, war, idolatry, mistreatment of the poor and a constant violation of the law of God.

In some ways, the birth of Jesus plays into this theme of hope vs. despair. Jesus is born in fulfilment of the Old Testament prophecies. Light has shone into darkness. But Herod seeks to murder Him, and Mary and Joseph become refugees. As Jesus entered into His ministry, He heals the sick, gives sight to the blind, drives out demons, commands all of nature and even raises the dead. He preaches the arrival of the Kingdom of God. But His enemies conspire against Him, nailing Him to a cross.

How do we know that hope triumphs over despair? Is it not possible to make the case that hope is constantly crushed by the undertow of evil? Each Christmas, as we sing about peace on earth, we hear of wars and rumours of war. Can hope win? It can! For the tomb is empty. Death has been defeated. The good news is preached around the world. And Christ, who defeated death, promises to return.

Be of good cheer! Merry Christmas!