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A THRILL of Hope



This year, I've been opening an Advent calendar of teas. It's been a nice way to stop, usually in the afternoon of a busy day at work, and savor the moment. I've been posting my musings on Facebook. Each week of Advent has a different theme/idea to focus on. The first week is HOPE. I started my Advent by using a Spode® Christmas mug I picked up a few years ago. My grandmother had at least a few matching pieces, and so it reminded me of childhood Christmas celebrations.


This week's theme has been difficult. Not because I cannot find anything to HOPE for, but because I found too much to hope for and more reasons for hope kept presenting themselves as the week went on. A couple of days into my Advent journey, I discovered that my Spode® mug was a bit too small to steep tea in, as it kept allowing the cotton string to wick the tea out of my mug. My coaster was soaked - it dried - as was my desk. The next mug I pulled out of my cabinet was one that has a couple of lines from Joy to the World. One line states "a thrill of hope; the weary world rejoices." I began to ponder these lines, especially the "thrill of hope" part. I had never really thought about how one can have a thrill of something, let alone hope. My first stop in researching this was the thesaurus. I found words such as adventure, inspiration, wallop, bang, fireworks, refreshment, sensation, and tingle. 



What would it mean to have an adventure of hope as we prepare to rejoice the coming of the Christ child? An inspiration of hope? A refreshment of hope? A sensation of hope? I think we all experience these not only in the Advent and Christmas season, but also in each of our personal journeys in life as a Christian. 
I tried, to no avail, to find a deeper, more hidden meaning to this line. I'm inclined to believe that whatever you're feeling in the moment of singing and thinking about the birth of Jesus is what a thrill is supposed to mean. Waiting is thrilling, and exhausting. It is an adventure at times, and it sure can pack a wallop. This may be the last day of focusing on hope in Advent, but hope will always carry with me through this thrill of a life.

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