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Advent Opportunity: Christmas Eve Services (overflow options???).....

Luke 1:5–17 ESV

5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years. 8 Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

PRAYER

**Pastoral word around advent for all of us. LET US MAKE THIS CHRISTMAS COUNT! This is an opportunity for enrichment - not tradition - for transformation not entertainment….While the tradition serves us in this way, what this time of year should be is life giving and enriching. So here is a few ideas to help you as you journey through this:

Be in Church. Make church a priority: each week we will journey through advent together

Advent Journal & Devotional.

Play worship carols throughout the month of december

Establish some family routines & traditions that enhance this time of year.

Talk about these messages with your family, your friends, your loved ones.

Bring someone on the journey with you: an invite to Christmas eve could indeed change the trajectory of their life and their eternity.

THIS IS GODS REPEATED AND DEEPING GIFT TO HIS OWN KIDS. This advent series we are going to unpack what the incarnation of Christ, fulfilment of the promised of Hope actually brings forth into the world and into our lives. I want you to see these, if you like, as a believer these are your Christmas gifts. God has given these to us as gifts: that is why we stop, we take some time around them, are blessed by them an so forth.

Week 1: HOPE.

Proverbs 13:12 “12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.”

Hope is a HALLMARK of what this season is all about.

The bible is filled with a message of HOPE. Thats why this Christmas is so important for it to be a spiritual christmas, not just a time we go through like its a tradition. its not it was an event that has happened and now we celebrate with such spiritial tenacity because of the truth by which it holds for us.

HOPE ISNT DELAYED….

HOPE ISNT DEFERRED……

HOPE DELIVERED. and it was all about life. eternal life

Proverbs 13 ESV

12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

WHY IS HOPE A THEME AT CHRISTMAS TIME? LETS UNPACK THIS A LITTLE

Hope features constantly in the scriptures: The bible is basically a message from heaven to us, to you: called HOPE

Romans 8:25 “25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”

Titus 2:13 “13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,”

Romans 15:13 “13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

1.Hope has been delivered.

Advent deals with the ultimate answer on whether God delivers on his promises or he doesnt….God was always working.

GOD HAS NOT ABANDONED YOU. HE SENT JESUS FOR YOU. HE KEPT HIS WORD. Thats what prevails in the life of a believer?

“how could i give up? God didnt give up on me!”

God came through. this is the story of Christmas. the advent journey begins with HOPE because we have a God who doesnt forsake, he doesnt leave. In fAct - he comes through.

He is never late.

He is perfectly on time.

What represents 1 turn of a page in our bibles, is actually a 400 year period of no revelation, no intervention, no visible working of God on the earth.

From Malachi to Matthew.

But what we see isnt what there is fully tyo see. God is at work.

and just like God was working behind

this is the same with you also!

The bible is a 2 act play,

There is the first act: the old testament. Which is a story of origins, of the beginning of Gods salvation story and history and covenant and the law.

But then there is the intermission.

And if you leave you will miss the second half of the play.

The new testament is the story beginning after 400 years of John

But God knew exactly what he was doing:

Malachi 4 ESV

1 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. 3 And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts. 4 “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. 5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

Now look again at where we began:

Luke 1:15–17 ESV

15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

2.Hope is still out for delivery.

God is still working…..God is still delivering on his promises today

this is where we find ourselves as Gods children, in Gods purpose… doing Gods will.

What is the will of the Father, its embedded in the very events of an annual christmas:

2 Peter 3:9 ESV

9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Are you lost and needing hope? do things seem a little dark. These were dark years for the people of God.

I like this quote by spurgeon: "Hope itself is like a star—not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity, and only to be discovered in the night of adversity"

Hope is still out for delivery!

Listen to what the bible says! ——God has plans for you! they include this great hope!

Jeremiah 29:10–12 ESV

10 “For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.

Hope abounds in my life when i remember it? it spurs me on! Hope in Jesus christ, in God - is such a spiritual force in my life it activates the power of the spirit of God in my life

Romans 15:13 ESV

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Why does hope matter?

Hope produces in us something that connects us to God.

Hope filled living causes us to be positive always because we can eee a way 

But…. How do I find hope?

It’s only found….Found in the person, the words, the actions, the commands and the redemption and resurrection of Jesus.

We must try not to allow any other hope to invade our great hope.

DONT LOOK FOR HOPE IN A SOMETHING. LOOK FOR HOPE IN A SOME ONE! (not wealth, possesions, earthly things!)

It’s a hope that saves

A hope that fills 

A hope that carries

A hope that anchors

A hope that provides

Hope is more than just something we need to “carry on” it’s meant to produce a steadfast assurance in us of what’s coming.

The truth is, there’s was a time, when we actually had no hope. We were lost. We err in outside of hope, cut off from the inheritance of God. Not allowed in. 

Ephesians 2:12 ESV

12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

Ephesians 2:19 ESV

19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

We were in a sense… hopeless.

Not delayed,

Not deferred

Denied altogether

But then Jesus caused a great hope to come into our world. 

WHAT GOD HAS ORDAINED I CANNOT CHANGE! all that is left to do is accept it… or pass by it. Thats where i am left!

Hope has a name

Hope was delivered

Hope is still available

… and finally

3.Hope is still coming.

Advent… and Adventus.

Past, present, future.

This is our now reality: God who has spoken, Who has acted… will also return!

God has come, God is here, and God is coming back.