Hope

Advent is almost upon us. 2022 is almost in the history books and believers all around the world gather to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and trust in the hope of His soon triumphant return.

I’ve been thinking about God’s plan and how He worked through ordinary people throughout the bible to execute His extraordinary plan. I looked at the Advent traditions and decided that tradition is not what this season is really about. Now before you get all huffy, I’m not discounting traditions at all. Afterall, Christmas traditions are very special to all believers. What I’m saying is that the hustle and bustle of the season is a distraction. We get so caught up in the doing – cooking, preparing, decorating – that we lose sight of what is really important. The hope, faith, joy and peace that the birth of Christ brings.

The first week of Advent starts on Sunday, and the first candle (purple or whatever colour you choose) we light is the Hope candle, also called the Prophecy candle. The prophets of the Old Testament, particularly Isaiah, foretold in detail the coming of the Messiah, the One who would redeem us and save us, make the path straight back to the Father.

This is about relationship, not tradition. I want to talk about hope. Hope and faith are closely tied. Faith is for now, hope is for the future. I found this quote and it speaks volumes about the power of hope.

Hope is a gift – it is the state of mind that believes and desires a positive outcome to situations in your life.  Hope is the understanding that even if things don’t go as well as you’d like them to, it will still be worth it. Hope is what helps us to find meaning in even the most difficult situations. Hope is consistently looking forward to a positive outcome to something planned in our life.  Hope truly is stronger than fear. … hope is the confident expectation of what God has promised for each and every one of us. 

K. Munchenberg – sermons-never-heard.com

I am awestruck at the enormity of what God has done for me and for you. He determined from before the beginning of time what the salvation plan would be, and Christmas is the beginning of that plan. To save you and me from eternal separation from Him. He desires a relationship with each one of us. This is proof of His love for us.

So … when you light the first Advent candle, think about the hope, the confident expectation, that Jesus has given us. The beacon of light in dark times. Hope for the future, whatever it may bring. 

Read the Christmas story in the Gospel of Luke chapters 1 and 2. Consider the extraordinary in the ordinary. Consider the extraordinary in your ordinary life. It’s there because God is there.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Romans 15:13