As we delve into the Advent season, which are the four weeks leading up to Christmas, we want to remember the three perspectives that Advent gives us… Jesus came 2000 years ago to redeem his people, he comes to redeem us today, and He is coming back to redeem his world. Each week we will take a look at a different part of advent, represented by a candle on the advent wreath, those are, Hope, Faith, Joy and Peace.
This week is hope, and as we look at things we have hoped for in the past, or things that we are currently hoping for or the things we will hope for in the future, the answers or provision the Lord gives, doesn’t always look like we would expect. In fact it almost never does, and just like the people of old weren’t expecting their messiah to comes as a baby born in a barn, we expect God to speak to us with rolling thunder, not a still quiet whisper, and as great of a picture Revelation paints of Jesus’ second coming, it bet that won’t even do his return justice.
We are surrounded by practices in our world that we are called to confront. That we are called to stand apart from. We are instructed to declare a hope that will feel foreign to this world.
God uses unlikely sources to declare His provision. God uses circumstances that don’t make sense to us, that we may be tempted to discount or write off, as a means of teaching us that his provision is unexpected.
It is our responsibility to come alongside others, who may not yet know the provision of God, and be someone unexpected in their life.
Christmas is this really unique time where there are very tangible ways to step alongside others and be hope. To show the world that hope doesn’t always look like we think it will, or expect it to. Christmas is a time where we get to stand alongside others, in their wilderness, and tell them that they have value and that they are seen. And maybe if they hear it from us, they’ll begin to hear their savior calling out for them to Lock eyes. As we are looking for the hope that surrounds us, we also have opportunities to be used by God to give hope to others. In the lobby is our Christmas tree, and on the tree are little angels that have a family with a need on them. I want to encourage us all to grab an angel on your way out today and tangible meet the needs of a family in our community. And let’s not just meet a tangible need, but lets also use this as an opportunity to pray and intercede for a family that is loved by Jesus. Let the lord use us to bring hope to our community.
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