Advent Week 1 - Hope

​Advent – Week 1- Hope
The Advent season should be one of deep meditation as we focus on the waiting and ultimate fulfillment of prophecy. We place an Advent wreath on the table of our home each year to remind us of the Hope, Joy, Peace, and Love that God sent us in His son, Jesus.  The weeks leading up to Christmas allow for deep reflection and a sort of grounding for me. While the sheer excitement of Christmas is just around the corner, I don’t want to miss the recognition of my need for a Savior.
“A thrill of hope, a weary world rejoices. For yonder breaks, a new and glorious morn.”
These familiar lyrics from “Oh, Holy Night” shed some light on the anticipation and celebration that God’s people experienced at the birth of Jesus Messiah finally arriving.
A weary world rejoiced at His birth, just as my weary heart acknowledges my need for grace every day. A new and glorious morn awaits, and the hope in my heart for Jesus to return is not unlike the hope God’s people had as they waited for the promised Savior.
Hope is a powerful thing. It enables us to continue to move forward as we fix our eyes on the promises of God, looking forward to eternal life with Him and experiencing His daily providence and Holy Spirit guidance. Hope overcomes fear. Hope sustains the weary. Hope heals the hurts of the world.
Our only Hope is Jesus Christ. His birth, death, and resurrection have appeased the wrath of God and given eternal life to anyone who believes in Him and turns from their sin. What a merciful and mighty God we serve!
“Long lay the world, in sin and error pining, till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.”
So, in preparation for Christmas, may we recognize our shortcomings, confess our sin, rejoice in Hope, and fix our eyes on heaven! Let us enter into this season with grateful and hopeful hearts.
Micah 5:2
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me One who will be ruler over Israel.”