Advent: Hope and Tension

Introduction:

Tug o War

Video Bible Project

Yakhal- Hope

Why I love Advent. Anticipating Gods kingdom to come, in light of current suffering, because of God’s past faithfulness.

Christmas is a season we have talked about for the past few weeks. I want a different angle.

Hope (Yakhal) is the foundation for prophetic imagination and for spiritual formation in the Kingdom of God.

We embrace Jesus’s birth because we await his return.

Luke 4:1-13 Jesus rewrites Israels failure and our failure. Think of the Exodus as we read this.

This story is so cool. It is so much more than Jesus being tempted. This is the story of Jesus passing the test that humanity has failed from the beginning and rewriting humanities story filled with Hope.

4:1

Jesus full of the Holy Spirit. Left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.

4:2-4

40 Days-40 days, 1 day for each year

Tested-Israel sent into wilderness to be tested for promised land

Hungry -Israel grumbled

Will God provide mana?

4:5-8

Moses led up to receive God’s commands and he returns to what?

Israel worshiping other Gods, But not Jesus.

Can you sense the hope that is building in this story!?! What if Jesus’s coming is able to re-write our failures?

4:9-13

Satan takes Jesus to the temple. He says let’s test God, but Jesus knows better.

Det And he called the place Massah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the LORD saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”.

An 11 day journey turns into 40 years of wandering, death, curse, and of course Yakhal…Is God with us?

Is the Lord with us or not? Are we honest enough to as that question too? Are we hurt enough to ask that question?

That is what advent is for. Expecting Jesus when we don’t feel him. Anticipating his coming in the bleakest of hours.

God is with us, but man it doesn’t feel like it often.

Story of football Game

Stadium had emptied, fans were sad and done.

Maybe you are like that too. Is this worth staying for? Has christmas become too stressful, jaded, exhausting, hurtful...

Jesus is our hope.

“Hope (Yakhal) is the foundation for prophetic imagination and for spiritual formation in the Kingdom of God.” -Willard

Hopeful Expectation

Romans 15:13 Trust in Gods Rewriting

All the pain and failure comes crashing together on a peaceful night in a manger, with a small baby child.

Our hope is linked to our faith, our faith is linked to the holy spirit.

Luke 2:22 and Mark 15:43 Living in the tension

We see Jesus’s body presented here

One side we see the joy of Jesus’s birth

Incarnation, Emmanual, Weakness made Strong

On the other side

Death, pain, hurt, despair,

Quote hope is inseparable therefore from faith in God.

You are allowed to feel a tension this Christmas season, I would even say it is healthy.

1 Peter 1 :3-5 Living Hope

Jesus changes everything

He is our living hope

He invites us into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade

Pray