Hope springs eternal - Zelenskyy, Franco, Jesus

One of the four traditional themes of the season of Advent, the time of waiting in the church for the coming of Christ, is hope.

The others are joy, peace and love, but I'm focused on hope this Christmas.

Watching Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, address the U.S. Congress this past Wednesday night in his green battle fatigues reminded this writer of the absolute necessity we all have to hope.

Zelenskyy's appearance summoned images of Winston Churchill more than 80 years earlier -- as the then-British prime minister, with great dignity, pleaded for American help against the powerful Nazis.

Churchill was hopeful, despite long odds, in 1941.

A similar tone was heard in late 2022 by comedian-turned-statesman Zelenskyy.

When Russia invaded Ukraine, virtually every observer predicted a quick and decisive victory by the Kremlin.

Close to a year after it began, the fight continues.

As Zelenskyy put it, "Ukraine didn't fall. Ukraine is alive and kicking."

Time will tell how this battle will play out, but more than 300 days after the struggle started, Ukraine continues to flummox a foe, Russia, despite the latter possessing much greater resources.

Hope springs eternal and as a symbol of that hope, a Ukrainian flag was formally presented to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Kamala Harris at end of Zelenskyy's speech.

My next words represent a moment of personal privilege for which your indulgence is requested.

Franco Harris, who died at 72 this past week, represented hope to Steelers fans everywhere.

I haven't lived in my hometown for more than 30 years, yet Pittsburgh still has its hooks in me.

If you've ever visited Pittsburgh International Airport and taken the escalator to the landside shuttle, which virtually all airline passengers must, you've seen a lifesize statue of Harris in an iconic moment, scooping up a football before it hit the ground as time expired in the fourth quarter of a long-ago game and running the pigskin in for a last-second and winning touchdown.

The moment is somewhat irreverently referred to as the Immaculate Reception and it occurred two days before Christmas 50 years ago this past Friday.

I remember that moment well.

I was 14 and was listening, rather glumly, to the radio broadcast of Pittsburgh's first-ever playoff game -- a contest with John Madden-led Oakland.

My dad and my Uncle Sam, both of whom have gone on to their heavenly reward, sat nearby.

Time had nearly run out, and it seemed the Steelers were certain to lose.

We were starting to head to the kitchen for a postgame snack when the voice of announcer Jack Fleming informed us of Harris' singular exploit -- snatching victory from what appeared to be the certain jaws of defeat.

The Steelers had inexplicably won. As long as my mind works, I'll remember the three of us jumping up and down in jubiliation, so overcome were we by the implausible turn of events.

The Immaculate Reception set the tone for a winning football culture in Pittsburgh, producing four Super Bowl victories in six seasons before the decade was out.

Hope springs eternal.

Christmas is the perennial expression of hope on a Christian's calendar.

In this season, we remember one baby, born to otherwise unremarkable parents in an overlooked part of the Roman Empire, who grew up to give hope to the world.

"Can anything good come out from Nazareth?" was a question posed because of Jesus' birthplace in a Galilean backwater (John 1:46).

He had nothing, came from nothing, and yet the entire timeline of our calendar today is based on his life.

Jesus was the incarnation of hope and he gives the same to us in abundance.

Hope does indeed spring eternal. Remember it, please, this Christmas and every day that comes thereafter.