First Sunday of Advent (2)

1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

Jeremiah 33:14–16 (NIV)

“ ‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah.

“ ‘In those days and at that time

I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line;

he will do what is just and right in the land.

In those days Judah will be saved

and Jerusalem will live in safety.

This is the name by which it will be called:

The Lord Our Righteous Savior.’

Sermon:

Sermon: Christmas at the Movies – Hope

(Slide 1)This morning begins our new sermon series, Christmas at the Movies. I’m excited about this series as we approach the season of Advent in a different way than perhaps we ever have before.

(Slide 2) Advent is the season that begins the Christian calendar. Last Sunday, we celebrated “Christ the King” or “Reign of Christ” Sunday. Today, we mark the first Sunday of Advent, a season of waiting and anticipation.

Advent reminds us of both Christ’s first coming as a baby in the manger and His promised return as King. Historically, God’s people waited 400 years from the last words of the prophet Malachi to the events of Christ’s birth in the New Testament—a period known as the “silent years,” when God’s voice seemed absent.

Today, our waiting looks a little different. Between shopping, parties, and events, we often feel busy, overwhelmed, and eager for the season to just be over. But Advent invites us to pause and reflect. It calls us to wait with purpose, remembering the story of Christ’s arrival and anticipating His final return.

(Slide 3) Each week of Advent has a theme, and this morning’s theme is hope. This theme resonates deeply with the classic Christmas movie, It’s a Wonderful Life.

George Bailey and Hope

(Slide 4) It’s a Wonderful Life tells the story of George Bailey, a man longing for greatness but held back by life’s circumstances. George dreams of leaving Bedford Falls to do something extraordinary, yet finds himself tied to the family business, the Bailey Brothers Building and Loan, working to keep it out of Mr. Potter’s greedy hands.

George’s hope is tested when he faces a crisis—the loss of $8,000, threatening bankruptcy, scandal, and even jail. In his despair, he turns to prayer, crying out for help. Let’s watch this scene together:

[Show video clip: “The Prayer”] (Slide 5)

Hope in the Midst of Despair

The feelings of hopelessness George expresses mirror the emotions of the people of Judah during the days of the prophet Jeremiah. (Slide 6) Judah’s rebellion led to Babylon’s attack and their captivity—a judgment for disobedience. (Slide 7) Yet, through Jeremiah, God offered a message of hope: (Click)

“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah... In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety.”

God’s promise reminded the people that their captivity was not the end of their story. He assured them that salvation and restoration were coming.

We might find it easier to relate to George Bailey’s struggles than to Judah’s captivity. Both faced brokenness, fear, and uncertainty. Yet, just as God assured Judah of a future hope, George experiences a turning point in his darkest moment.

George’s Turning Point

In his desperation, George contemplates ending his life, but his guardian angel, Clarence, intervenes. Clarence gives George the chance to see what life would have been like if he had never been born.

Through this experience, George realizes that his life has made a profound impact on others. Though he returns home expecting the worst—jail and disgrace—he is met instead with the generosity and love of his community. Like Judah, George discovers that he is not alone, and hope is restored. Let’s watch this final scene:

(Slide 8) [Show video clip: “George’s Redemption”]

Hope for Us Today

(Slide 9) This morning, some of us may feel hopeless as well. Life’s challenges—whether financial, relational, or spiritual—can leave us feeling broken and defeated. But like Judah and George, we are not without hope. (Click)

God reminds us that He has a plan for us. He sent His Son into the world to redeem us, and He has promised to come again and bring us into eternal joy with Him.

Advent invites us to look forward with hope. The struggles we face today are not the end of our story. One day, we will see our Savior face to face and realize that the trials of this life were nothing compared to the joy that awaits us in His presence.

Let us hold on to this hope, knowing that Christ has come, Christ is here, and Christ will come again.

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This morning starts a new sermon series entitled, “Christmas at the Movies.” I’m excited about this series as we approach the season of Advent in a different way than perhaps we ever have before. Advent is the season that begins the Christian calendar. We talked about this last Sunday. Last Sunday was “Christ the King” or the “Reign of Christ” Sunday. And this Sunday, as you have seen is the first Sunday of Advent. The season of Advent is comprised of the four weeks leading up to Christmas.

Advent is a season of waiting and anticipation. Now, if you stop and think about it, 4 weeks isn’t really that long. I mean, historically, we know there were 400 years between the writing of the book of Malachi and the events that unfold in the New Testament gospels, namely, the birth of Jesus Christ. And this time was called, “the silent period” because God didn’t speak in any significant way during this time.

Now, I don’t know how much waiting or meditation we do during this time of year. Between the shopping and parties and get-togethers and events, we typically talk about how busy we are. How so much is going on, we can’t hardly wait for Christmas to get over. But there is a sense in which we ought to stop and pause and think about what it means to be waiting for the arrival of Christ. In one way, we are remembering the story of Christ’s arrival as a babe in a stable, placed in the manger. But in another way, we are remembering the story of Christ’s final return to take His Church to be with Him for all eternity.

Each week of Advent has a theme. This morning, hope. Which is a theme of the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life”. A classic Christmas movie about a man named George Bailey who wants one thing out of life. To get out of Bedford Falls and do something “great”. One time he tells his father “I couldn’t face being cooped up for the rest of my life in a shabby little office. I want to do something big, something important.” But the circumstances of life cause him to stay there and work to keep the Bailey Brothers Building and Loan afloat, or at least out of Mr. Potter’s hands.

But he experiences the crises of losing $8,000 and the possibility of facing bankruptcy, scandal, and jail. And let’s watch this next scene: show video clip, “the prayer”. The feelings of hopelessness and loss that George expresses are the same feelings the nation of Israel experienced during the days of Jeremiah’s ministry. Judah had rebelled against Babylon and so Jerusalem was under attack. Jeremiah had prophesied about this as God’s judgment against a nation that would not obey Him. The people had stopped listening to God and so God allowed them to be taken by the Babylonian nation. It was this message that got Jeremiah arrested because he preached that their captivity would also save them. This was God’s will for their survival.

Now, you might be able to connect a little more with George Bailey than you can with the nation of Judah. Both were broken, hurting, afraid, uncertain of the future. Feeling alone and without hope. We’ll return to George Bailey in just a moment, but you heard the words of the prophet Jeremiah to the people. And it’s a message of hope. “The days are coming.” In other words, the situation you find yourself in right now is not the end. The captivity you are currently enduring is not the final chapter. God tells Judah He is sending someone. And He says, “In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety.”

George Bailey experiences this message in a different way. In desperation, he contemplates ending his life, but his guardian angel, Clarence, AS2 jumps in the river causing George to save him. Then George gets to experience what the lives of others would be like if he had never even been born. Finally, realizing he has had a wonderful life and in spite of the potential of jail George returns home. But instead of going to jail, George experiences the generosity of others. Just like Judah learned God was still on their side, so George learns he still has friends. Let’s watch.

This morning, you and I might feel hopeless at times as well. We might feel like things are all wrong. We might feel like life has no meaning. No hope. And yet, just like Judah and George, God gives us a different message. He reminds us that there is still an answer. God sent His Son into the world as an answer to sin. But we also live with the promise that one day Christ is coming again and will take His church to be with Him for all eternity. One day, we will look back and realize the problems we faced are nothing compared to the joy we experience as we see our Savior face to face.