Psalm 25:1-10, Jeremiah 33:14-16, Luke 21:25-36
“…for you are the God of my salvation…” Psalm 51:5
“In those days and at that time, I will cause a Righteous Branch to sprout up for David, and he will administer justice and righteousness in the land.
Jeremiah 33:15
“…they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”
Luke 21:27
Hope. It’s a big word for how small it looks. The Psalmist knows God is the source of his salvation, despite current circumstances. God’s words to Jeremiah provide for a hope that Jeremiah can guess he will not see, but they are still hope for the Israelites.
Christmas is about hope. It is about Emmanuel, which means God with us. It is about God sending the Son down to us. Advent, however, is not just about Christmas, and the singular time that God became man. Advent also looks forward to the next time God returns…at the end of the story.
Advent, therefore, is about both the hope fulfilled for both Israelites and the rest of the world, and it is about the hope to come when Jesus returns. Hope is to desire with expectation of obtainment or fulfillment. Hope was fulfilled when Jesus was born in a manger. We obtained hope through his death on the cross and his resurrection. Then there is the expectation of the return of Jesus…more hope!
1/KD) Why is hope important?
2) Why do we easily think of the hope of Christmas, but not of the hope of Jesus’ return?
3/KD) What is your hope this Christmas?
4/KD) What is your hope a year from now?