Hope Is Found When You Celebrate (Thankfulness)  

At this time of year, it can feel like there are celebrations at every turn. December can feel like a string of award celebrations, graduation ceremonies, break-up parties, and Christmas gatherings. Our celebrations are often an opportunity to express gratitude for what's already taken place. However, there’s an element of celebration which speaks to our hope for what’s to come.

It’s in this space—between gratitude and hope—that a believer of Jesus lives. 

The Last Supper was Jesus’ final act of celebration before His arrest and subsequent crucifixion. It was during this meal that Jesus inaugurates the sacrament of communion, taking the bread and the wine as visual emblems of His own body and blood. 

Scripture records Jesus’ words to His disciples in this scene, found in 1 Corinthians 11:26:

“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.”

In His description of communion, Jesus shows that this simple act ties together the strands of time. Communion brings together past, present, and future—all at once. 

• For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup (Now) 
• You proclaim the Lord’s death (Past) 
• Until He comes (Future) 

Every time we celebrate communion, our hearts are filled with gratitude for what Christ has done (in the past) and filled with hope for what Christ will do (in the future). 

As believers, we live in the time between the first coming of Christ and the consummation of God’s perfect plan of salvation; which will come about upon His return. Salvation is both ‘now’ and ‘not yet’, meaning we celebrate with gratitude and hope. 

Amidst the celebrations this festive season, take some time to ask yourself, ‘What has Jesus done in my life that I can be grateful for?’ Further, think about the promise of God for our future, that Jesus shall come again, and complete the good work He has started. How does this hope shape the way you think and feel about the future?