FA+
Shop
Advent - The Christmas Season - Hope
12 years ago
I know this is a little late, and so I'm having to double up somewhat this week, but I hope you enjoy.
---
First Sunday of Advent - Hope
God's People, from the beginning have always been folks who remember. Of course, this is the basis of faith, looking back at what God has done, seeing how faithful and trustworthy he is, and using that renewed, or newly found, confidence, we believe Him when he makes promises to us.
You can't truly understand the gift of life and salvation that Christ has given you without an understanding of who God is and what He's done.
That's why, when Christianity was still in its earlier years, the shepherd and leaders that God placed to lead and guide the others saw it fit to divide the church year into sections of remembrance. This way there would always been an occasion to look forward to some new facet of God's faithfulness, or look back at some fulfilment of this same faithfulness. And in doing these, we would be motivated and encouraged to greater love, faithfulness and virtue ourselves.
The time of year surrounding the birth of our Lord Jesus is one of these sections, and it's during this time that we take our own time out to marvel at God's gift of his Son for us. The mystery of the Incarnation, the readily evident love of God for us, the grace that He's poured out on a world thoroughly undeserving is something that makes this time of year special in our minds.
The Christmas season, or Advent (which means "coming" or "arrival"), is marked by having each weekend in December leading up to Christmas represent some joy or some gift that God has given to us.
The first week of Advent we celebrate Hope.
Now the modern concept of hope is a far cry from what the Ancients or even those a few centuries past, thought of hope. Hope for us, is something like a dubious expectation of the future, full of uncertainty. As anyone from the Bible though, and they'd let you know that hope is something full of certainty, full of confident, faithful expection that the one who made the promise will fulfill it.
The hope that we have in Christ is nothing less than our faith that He has come into the world to save his people.
In the past, God gave us his first promise of a savior apparently moments after our First Parents were found out. From there, God seemed to be adding more and more to the promise, through Noah, through Abraham and the patriarchs, through King David and his lineage. Even to the Exiles he added to this promise.
But God wasn't just blowing smoke. You'll see that in each and every circumstance, he was providing for, taking care of and completely being there for His people in the meantime. He gave his people reason to trust him, long before making promises to them.
This is Advent, a season of a promised hope and of a realized hope. Let's took to Jesus, our true Hope, not just for the blessings that he has promised, but let's look to Him for giving us and promising us the best most lasting Gift of All, Himself.
---
First Sunday of Advent - Hope
God's People, from the beginning have always been folks who remember. Of course, this is the basis of faith, looking back at what God has done, seeing how faithful and trustworthy he is, and using that renewed, or newly found, confidence, we believe Him when he makes promises to us.
You can't truly understand the gift of life and salvation that Christ has given you without an understanding of who God is and what He's done.
That's why, when Christianity was still in its earlier years, the shepherd and leaders that God placed to lead and guide the others saw it fit to divide the church year into sections of remembrance. This way there would always been an occasion to look forward to some new facet of God's faithfulness, or look back at some fulfilment of this same faithfulness. And in doing these, we would be motivated and encouraged to greater love, faithfulness and virtue ourselves.
The time of year surrounding the birth of our Lord Jesus is one of these sections, and it's during this time that we take our own time out to marvel at God's gift of his Son for us. The mystery of the Incarnation, the readily evident love of God for us, the grace that He's poured out on a world thoroughly undeserving is something that makes this time of year special in our minds.
The Christmas season, or Advent (which means "coming" or "arrival"), is marked by having each weekend in December leading up to Christmas represent some joy or some gift that God has given to us.
The first week of Advent we celebrate Hope.
Now the modern concept of hope is a far cry from what the Ancients or even those a few centuries past, thought of hope. Hope for us, is something like a dubious expectation of the future, full of uncertainty. As anyone from the Bible though, and they'd let you know that hope is something full of certainty, full of confident, faithful expection that the one who made the promise will fulfill it.
The hope that we have in Christ is nothing less than our faith that He has come into the world to save his people.
In the past, God gave us his first promise of a savior apparently moments after our First Parents were found out. From there, God seemed to be adding more and more to the promise, through Noah, through Abraham and the patriarchs, through King David and his lineage. Even to the Exiles he added to this promise.
But God wasn't just blowing smoke. You'll see that in each and every circumstance, he was providing for, taking care of and completely being there for His people in the meantime. He gave his people reason to trust him, long before making promises to them.
This is Advent, a season of a promised hope and of a realized hope. Let's took to Jesus, our true Hope, not just for the blessings that he has promised, but let's look to Him for giving us and promising us the best most lasting Gift of All, Himself.
The Capn's a believer hisself an he tries to follow the church season.