For, behold, the
darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory
shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come
to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
(Isaiah
60:2-3 KJV)
Note: This is a re-post from the last two years
with some editing. I am currently in the
process of discerning about writing some additional posts looking at Jesus’
birth prophesied in the Old Testament, so there may be a few additional posts
in the coming weeks. Moreover, I am
pondering sharing some Advent sermons I developed ten years ago; however, most
of them have not been shared publicly.
If technology will cooperate, the sermons may be audio or video (for something
a bit different).
*A special time of year is upon us—the
season of Advent. On December 3, 2017,
we marked the first Sunday of Advent; this post takes a look at the first
candle—the Candle of Hope (or the Prophet’s Candle). In conducting a quick internet search, I
discovered multiple terms for the candles, so what I am presenting is one
option. To read the first post in my
Advent series please see: Advent.
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| Banner at Trinity United Methodist Church, Albia, IA. Photo Credit: D. Wright |
The people that walked in darkness have
seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon
them hath the light shined. …. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is
given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be
called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The
Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:2, 6 KJV)
The dictionary defines hope simply, as: “to want something to happen or be true and think that it
could happen or be true”.[1]
The biblical definition of hope differs from the secular
view of hope. Seen from the eyes of
faith, hope is: “…a confident expectation…regardless of temperament or
circumstances, where there is a belief in the living God who intervenes in
human life and who can be trusted to keep…promises…Hope is therefore
inseparable from faith…”[2]
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| Banner at Trinity United Methodist Church--Albia, IA. Photo Credit: D. Wright |
This is the type of Hope we celebrate at Christmas. A Hope that is solid and lasting—it never
fails. The Hope I am referring to is
Jesus.
Which type of hope do you experience in your daily life?
On the first Sunday of Advent are reminded that Christ is
our Hope.
Jesus is our Hope; without Him, we are lost and destined for
an eternity that no one should desire. {Click to Tweet}
Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and
why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for
the help of his countenance.
(Psalm 42:5 KJV)
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| Poinsettias at Trinity United Methodist Church--Albia, IA. Photo Credit: D. Wright |
On the first Sunday of Advent, we
light the candle of Hope (or in some traditions it is the Prophet’s
Candle). The Old Testament is full of
prophecies about the Messiah—giving details about both comings—sometimes both
comings are seen in the same chapter or verse.
Keep in mind these prophecies were given hundreds of years in
advance. The prophets likely did not
realize there were two comings of the promised Messiah, thus the confusion when
Jesus came as Savior (setting up the Kingdom of God in hearts, rather than as a
conquering King (giving victory over Rome).
Behold, the days
come, saith the Lord, that I will perform that good thing
which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.
In those days,
and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto
David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land.
In those days
shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name
wherewith she shall be called, The Lord our righteousness.
(Jeremiah 33:14-16
KJV)
Hope came to our world—dark with sin—in the form of a tiny,
vulnerable baby. This child grew and
developed like a normal human child; yet He lived a sinless life. Eventually, He suffered, bled, died, and rose
again to save us from our sins.
As Christians, we are indeed blessed with Hope—hope that the
world does not have and does not understand.
To have hope, means that we can see more than what is right in front of
us. This hope gives us great
confidence—confidence that strengthens and encourages us. It is also something that the world cannot
understand. This hope allows us to
praise God in the darkest times of life. {Click to Tweet}
Now faith is the substance of things
hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
(Hebrews 11:1 KJV)
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| Banner Trinity United Methodist Church--Albia, IA. Photo Credit: D. Wright |
How have you experienced this type of hope? How have you seen this in the lives of
others?
What will your response be this year to Jesus? He stands ready to come into your heart; He
has already said yes to you. What is
your response?
Take some time this week to consider the following
questions:
What does it mean to have hope?
Where does your hope lie—in Jesus or in something or someone
that cannot save?
Therefore, as we commence this season of Advent let us
prepare our hearts to welcome in Jesus our Savior and Lord! Jesus the One who is our Hope!
Please do not forget your single
friends, family, neighbors, or those in your church who will be alone on
Christmas Day—consider inviting them to join with your family (no matter how
simple and informal the gathering is)—the blessings will flow both ways! Whatever you do, please do not tell them, “Oh, God is with you…” and then walk off,
ignoring their hurting heart and heart-felt desire to fellowship with others on
Christmas Day. Do not assume they want
to spend the day alone. Your family may
be the only family they will get to experience…EVER.
Please join with me in prayer:
Dear
Heavenly Father, thank You for the sure hope we have through Jesus Christ—our
Lord Immanuel—God with us. Help us to
remember that Hope; particularly as we wait in expectation for Christ’s
coming. Guide our thoughts when we
struggle to find Hope in the various situations and challenges of life. We are encouraged through Your Hope; direct
us in sharing that Hope with others. Empower
us to be encouraging and loving to our brothers and sisters in Christ who are
struggling in so many ways as this year winds down—may we be the hands and feet
of Jesus for them and for others. In
Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
From
My Heart to Yours,
Kim
The next candle we will be considering is The Candle of Peace.
