First Sunday of Advent – November 30, 2024
The inspiration for this year’s Advent theme comes from the angels’ message in the first two chapters of Luke: “Do not be afraid!” It’s an instruction that God gave to the people throughout their history, and it’s a message that God continues to give us today. We may not listen, but the instruction is still there.
“Advent” means “arrival,” and each week of this season celebrates something unique that Jesus brought to earth when he was born: hope, peace, joy, love. The idea of using candles and a wreath is that it is a physical way to be able to see the light growing brighter each week as we get closer to the birth of the “Light of the World.” Hopefully, you’ll feel a little brighter inside at the end, too.
What is something you are hoping for right now? <pause 15-30 seconds> Maybe you’re hoping for healing or a cure, the reopening of your business, getting to see people you love, or for a job that feels out of reach right now. It’s natural for our hopes to turn to the things we want to take place in our real life, right now. It’s not hard to think of ways we hope for life to improve: each year seems to be “rough” in its own way.
The idea of hope in the Bible, though, is a little bit different than where our mind tends to drift at the word “hope.” Biblical hope isn’t hoping for better circumstances: it’s waiting for God to show up—right in the middle of all that stuff. It’s the tension of living through the crap while holding onto the expectation that God can somehow come into it. Biblical hope doesn’t mean we gloss over what’s wrong—as a matter of fact, real hope insists we recognize that the odds say we probably shouldn’t have much hope at all. But—God. When God shows up on the scene, there’s no telling.
In the very beginning of the Christmas story (Lk 1:26-45), we hear about what happened to a teenage girl when God showed up. In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Mary to say to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son… For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”
So the summary of that is:
- God is here and has a plan.
- The impossible is possible.
- Your hope in this plan going down is that God Himself will show up.
- Your job? Be a servant of God who says yes.
The hope that Jesus brings doesn’t require you to see any light at the end of the tunnel. It doesn’t require you to imagine a real situation where things could possibly improve. The kind of hope we celebrate in Advent is about the arrival of Jesus into the world and how he can arrive into anything in our life as well. It’s waiting for the plans of GOD to happen through Jesus.
At the first Christmas, when Jesus was born, Israel was waiting for a king, a Messiah, the Savior, the Redeemer who would change their circumstances, make them a great nation and throw off the tyranny of Rome. They were waiting for a person but what they really hoped for was a change of circumstances. So most of them missed him, disbelieved him, and then killed him—because their hope was in the wrong place.
So let’s ask ourselves this first week of Advent: do we want God’s plan or our own? Is our hope really in God, or is it simply in the change of our circumstances? Are we willing to listen and say yes even if where God is leading feels impossible?
If our hope is really in better circumstances, then we will forever be in search of it, and we could even miss God right in the middle of our life. We end up feeling let down, being bitter, and maybe even believing God doesn’t care. It’s so easy to do when we think we know what would be best for our lives!
What if—in celebration of Christmas—we were willing to consider a shift? A hope that (while telling God we’d love new circumstances) would put our hopes back on God? What if our hope was fully pinned on the arrival of Jesus? This first week of Advent, we are called to explore what it looks like to hold hope when life feels really uncertain. We gather to seek hope, to discover meaning, and to find safety in worship.
A prayer for this week: God of hope who calms our fears, we begin this season of preparation with excitement and expectation. Even though the world can be a stormy place, we are not afraid because hope is our sure and steadfast anchor. Hope reminds us that no matter what trials we face, sunrise and salvation are just over the horizon. So we hold hope, celebrating the promises you have already fulfilled and the fulfillment of promises to come. Call us out from our places of hiding into the warm safety of your presence. Amen.