December begins the season of Advent and ends just after Christmas. If there’s a fitting word for the month, it’s “Hope.”
Do you need Hope?
Hope can be fleeting. It’s intangible. When you have it you know. But when you don’t it can seem hard to find. And this world is a place without hope, or with misplaced hope. People put hope in other people, in manmade solutions, in government, in personal achievement… and often end up disappointed, disillusioned, and downcast.
But we hope in the one true and living God who came at Christmas to save us and who is coming back to restore all things. Our hope, as the hymn goes, “is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.” Hope in things eternal, reliable, powerful, and of God.
That is the kind of hope we can share. People who don’t know the hope we have in Jesus desperately need it. But they don’t know what they’re missing. That why we continue to focus on connecting with others – our neighbors, whose lives intersect ours – and pointing them toward Jesus.
1 Peter 3:15 (ESV)
| In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect. |
Maybe you are feeling less than hopeful. Maybe this season is heavy for you for some reason. Maybe you are depleted from the busyness of December or the stress of life… If you need hope, look to Jesus.
Jesus was born to save us, to bring grace to God’s people instead of the punishment we deserve. He died in our place. He rose again, victorious over death and the grave. He ascended into heaven and is ruling on high. And he is coming back one day. That’s where hope is – in the God of the universe who cares for us. It’s found in the baby in the manger about whom angels sang. It’s in the future promised to all those who believe.
You’re encouraged to share the season with your church. A worship schedule for the month is below – including midweek Advent services and events for Christmas. Other activities – the children’s program, a cookie exchange, fellowship times, and other events are ours to enjoy. Celebrate the Savior. Hope in Him.
With Hope in Jesus,
Pastor John