Hope, with some teeth

Advent I, the first Sunday in Advent, and the week to follow, are devoted to the concept of 'hope'. Now there is a word with a spectrum of uses and meanings.
"Hope you feel better."
"I hope I get it!" ---thanks, A Chorus Line
"Hope you have a great bday!" ---thanks, FB
"Faith, hope, and love, these three remain; but the greatest of these is love." ---St. Paul
See what I mean? There's hope, then there's h-o-p-e. I have been convinced that hope is powerful, in part because of an analysis of the last quotation above. A gifted and thinker and preacher begged to differ with Paul on his hierarchy; hope, not love, is most valuable in life. His point was that, without hope, it is hard to have faith or love.
My journey has taught me a similar lesson. Love without hope turns into desperation. Faith without hope turns into dogma. Hope enlivens both love and faith, growing and expanding them within us and among us.
The best case for hope? The reason to hang on, even when the present seems dark and the future uncertain?
God is for us. For you. For me. God is FOR us.
Hope, with some teeth...