Scripture: Psalm 31:24
Be strong and take heart, purchase
all you who hope in the Lord.

Thought for the Day: I’m glad Advent begins this week, and I’m extremely happy the season begins with a celebration of Hope. I know I can be cynical, and that I use The Daily Wonder to push readers (both of you) to seriously consider new ways of thinking about faith, Jesus, the nature of God, and the way we interpret Scripture. I know I push for us all to think carefully about our participation in the corporate-controlled American Empire, urging us to resist as often and as vehemently as possible. And I know the constant struggle against injustice wears us down, and that often, the fight seems hopeless.

So I’m glad we begin the Christmas season with a celebration of hope. Whether or not you call yourself a Christian, and no matter what sort of Christianity you practice, the birth of Jesus represents hope for a better world. The truth in the birth stories is in the revelation that God is with us. No matter how rancid, rotten, and unbearable the world seems, we absolutely must remain hopeful. We’re not fighting this battle alone. God is with us—in every newborn baby, in every teenager, in every adult, in every person fighting for truth, in every heart, even in those corrupted by greed or selfishness. In everyone and everything, God is breaking through this corrupted world, a little more every day.

Prayer: I place my hope in you, eternally loving God. I see you at work in the world, and I know things are getting a little better every day. Continue to use me—to use all of us, to bring about a more peaceful, loving, hopeful world. Amen.