Hope isn't automatic. To be a person of hope means to live into the "maybe". Maybe things will be better if we act. Isaiah invites us to rejoice as an act of hope.
The Christmas season is full of joy, of lights and parties and festive decor. But the reality for many of us doesn't live up to that cheery facade. The prophet Isaiah knew what it was to live in a dark world hoping for light. His dreams of the coming savior help us celebrate Christmas exactly where we are... as we dream of the perfect world that is to come!