Our Everlasting Hope in Christ

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand” (Romans 5:1-5). These words from the Apostle Paul’s Epistle to the Romans always remind me of the abiding hope and the spirit of peace that can be found through faith in Christ. 

As the Baylor Family enters the sacred season of Advent, we share with all communities rooted in Christ a desire to open our hearts to God’s grace through anticipation and reflection. 

During the ten years preceding Paul’s writing to the Christians in Rome, he had traveled around the Aegean Sea planting churches in several Roman provinces. His upcoming trip to Rome would be the fulfillment of a long-held wish. In somewhat similar fashion, we will travel through the upcoming month in deliberate stages of prayer, worship, and contemplation as we prepare our hearts for the joy of Christmas. Paul’s introductory letter to the Christians in Rome — and Romans 5:1-5 in particular — serves as a wonderful guide for the Baylor Family as we join together in anticipation of the celebration of Jesus’ birth.  

We are told in this passage from Romans, perhaps unexpectedly, that in undertaking this journey we should be prepared to “glory in our sufferings.” Although we may think of Advent solely as a time of happiness and family togetherness, it is in fact a microcosm of the experiences we encounter throughout the year. Our lives, even during periods of growth and loving fellowship, are not without hardship. And so during Advent — as we contemplate the Incarnation at Bethlehem alongside the necessary crucifixion of Jesus at Calvary — Paul encourages us to “know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”  

Hope is what shines in our souls, an everlasting gift from God. At Baylor, I see the many aspects and shapes that hope takes every day in the faces of our wonderful students. In working with our faculty and staff, I find hope present in our collaborative work as educators, researchers, mentors, and Christian leaders. When I visit with alumni and Baylor supporters around the world, I witness the presence of hope transforming lives and communities in myriad ways. 

My prayer for you this Advent is that — even amid moments of difficulty and pain — you and those you love will grow stronger in faithfulness to God and in dedication to one another’s wellbeing. Our hope lies in being made whole in Christ. Always remember that, as Paul writes, “God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.” Even today, surrounded by a fallen world, the Star of Bethlehem hangs in the heavens as the sign of this eternal love.