1st Sunday of Advent

Today is the first Sunday of Advent and the candle of Hope was lit.  The hope referred to isn't the world's definition - a fleeting or baseless desire for a certain thing to happen, or an emoji with fingers crossed.  It's the Biblical definition - the confident expectation of what God has promised and its strength is in His faithfulness.  True hope comes from God, the Creator of all things including hope.  He is the source.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."  Romans 15:13

In difficult and uncertain times it can be hard to look beyond current events.  But "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord,"  Jeremiah 17:17

 

The word hope occurs 130 times in 121 verses of the King James Bible, so it's an important word for Christians. 

"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure."  Hebrews 6:19   As believers, hope is the anchor that holds secure because it is fastened to the unchanging, reliable character of God.

As the sermon was given, I was reminded of the old hymn, "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness... On Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand."

God bless you this Advent Season as we commemorate Christ's first advent when he came to earth as a baby, and as we look forward to His second advent when He returns to gather His church!