Advent – “Hope”
This Sunday is the start of Advent. It’s the beginning of the Church Year for those that follow the liturgical calendar. You might think it strange that as a more contemporary interdenominational church we choose to fully embrace this holy and ancient celebration. However, the significance and relevant message of Advent is undeniably current and profound.
The word Advent means “coming” or “arrival.” The focus of the next four weeks is the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ in his First Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in his Second Advent. It’s a time of anticipation and waiting; words that really run counter intuitive to our culture. It’s also for us who live “between those times” a bit troubling.
The disconnect between church and secular calendars may never be greater than on the first Sunday in Advent when the theme is “HOPE”. The irony is that both calendars obviously share the same goal: preparing the world for Christmas.
The commercial world is using every medium possible to hawk its urgent message. Our mailboxes, newspapers, television and radio stations, in-boxes and web pages overflow with one unanimous appeal: buy gifts now.
Christmas decorations are already up in our city. Target displayed their seasonal merchandise in October. We want to start the party now. Yet God allows us to wait. He invites us to partner with those who for centuries have cried out in hope “O come, O come, Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lovely exile here until the Son of God appears!”
The hope for us, says the church in Advent, is that we are out of hope, and we know it. We know in our better moments where our quest for self-fulfillment and affirmation has left us. We know too, what it is like to wander after putting our trust in anything other than the One we hope for. We so 
easily miss a thousand little gifts from Him in order to secure and receive the next big gift that we absolutely must have. The Advent prophet shocks us though with the reality of our state: “All of our righteous acts are like filthy rags . . . like the wind our sins sweep us away . . . you have hidden your face from us” (Isaiah 64:6-7).
That’s why the church generally refrains from singing Christmas carols during Advent. We dare not rush to greet the Redeemer prematurely until we pause here and wait and hope and admit that we do need redemption. Nothing within can save us. No thing can save us. Our hope must be in someone out there who comes to us; and He does, in His time. We find our way only because One does appear, takes our hand and leads us home. That is our hope, our only hope. May that gift and the anticipation of it, far surpass anything this secular world could ever offer.
~ Doug
This Week’s Readings – Hope: Isaiah 64:1-9; Psalm 80:1-7; 17-19; I Corinthians 1:3-9
