We are at the beginning of another year, and it always brings thoughts of starting fresh and having hope for the future.
At midnight on New Year’s Eve, people from all over the world celebrate the turning of the next page of their lives. Many of us watch the ball drop at Times Square in New York City to officially declare, “Out with the old, and in with the new.”
Over the years, the “time ball” has undergone several changes in design. The most recent was created for the millennial celebration in the year 2000 by Waterford Crystal. It’s a geodesic sphere, 6 feet in diameter and weighing about 1,070 pounds. It’s covered with 504 crystal triangles that vary in size, and each piece has a special designation: Hope for Love, Peace, Wisdom, Unity, Courage, Healing, etc. The name of the ball itself? The Star of Hope.
It’s wonderful to have hope, as it’s a positive and optimistic attitude to believe that everything is going to be all right. However, there is a difference between wishing and knowing.
The time ball might be called the Star of Hope, but Jesus Christ the Son of God not only came to bring hope, he is literally our only hope. This means that unless he is our Lord and Savior, we do not have a hope of becoming what Jesus died for us to be or the promise of eternal life. When we are born again and become a child of God, we are given a type of hope that allows us to rest in the reality that he is the absolute truth and everything he has guaranteed will come to pass.