Hope of All the Earth: When God Moves in the Silence

Reading of the Word

Luke 2:1–3 NASB 2020

Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all the people were on their way to register for the census, each to his own city.

Prayer of Illumination

Lord God, As we open Your Word this Hope Sunday, shine Your light into our darkness. Calm our hurried hearts, clear our distracted minds, and help us hear Your voice of hope. By Your Spirit, open our eyes to see Jesus—the Light who has come and the Light who is coming again. Awaken our faith, strengthen our hope, and guide us into Your truth. Amen.

Introduction

For many of us, this is one of the busiest times of the year. We attend holiday parties hosted by coworkers, friends, and family. We hurry from store to store trying to find the perfect gift for everyone on our list. We clean our homes until they’re spotless so we can host others, or we make plans to visit family and friends for Christmas. All too often, this season can feel overwhelming because it seems like there are not enough hours or days to do everything we want or need to do. This season seems to demand that we rush. And honestly, this rushing leaves us exhausted.

It even shows up in the small things—like ordering a Christmas gift online and checking the tracking number every few hours. You know the feeling: you refresh it constantly, hoping for movement… but all it says is, “Label created. Awaiting item.” Nothing changes. No updates. No progress. And you start wondering, Is anything actually happening? Did it get lost? Did someone forget?

But behind the scenes, trucks are moving, drivers are loading, warehouses are sorting. Just because you can’t see movement doesn’t mean the process has stopped. Waiting feels still, but it doesn’t mean nothing is happening.

The church calendar invites us into that same posture—one of waiting.

Today is the first day of the new church year, the first Sunday of Advent. Advent is the season when we remember the waiting God’s people did before the Christ child came, and the waiting we do now for Christ to come again. We wait in eager expectation for the kingdom of God to come in all its fullness.

And in this season of waiting, we’re invited to recognize the brokenness of the world around us. During Advent, we see and lament the darkness still present—sin, suffering, loss, violence, division, grief. Our waiting could lead us to despair if we let it.

Yet we begin every church year by reminding ourselves that we are a people of hope. Because just like that hidden, behind-the-scenes movement in the shipping process, God is quietly but powerfully at work in ways we cannot always see. And today, Luke 2:1–3 reminds us that even “in those days,” when the world seemed darkest and most overwhelming, God was already moving.

“In Those Days”: When the World Felt Darkest

A People Under Pressure

This scripture begins with “in those days,” referring to an era of Israel’s history when the world seems broken beyond repair and the darkness appears overwhelming. 

a. Israel is under Roman control. They have been an occupied nation for most of the last six hundred years. They have little control over their laws and often face challenges to their worship practices. God seems distant and unconcerned about them.

b. The Roman emperor has now declared a census, which leads to more efficient taxation and demonstrates Rome’s immense power. 

c. “of all the inhabited earth.”

The Roman Empire was so powerful, so widespread, and so dominant that people saw it as a world government that could not be resisted. Their rule covered nations, cultures, and lands so thoroughly that no one imagined their power could ever be broken.

It would have taken years to do a census because of the size of the Roman Empire.

They did this census for 2 reasons:

More money

More power/less opposition

They didn’t care about their citizens. Rome wanted people to feel controlled, powerless, and hopeless—reminding Israel at every turn that Caesar practically owned them. And in that oppression, Israel longed for the One who would finally deliver them.

d. Israel has also not had a recognized prophet in almost four hundred years. 

The voice of God went silent. The people of God were more hopeless than ever before.

The Last Letter From a Soldier (Silence That Hurts)

During wartime, families cling to every letter they receive from loved ones on the front lines. Sometimes the letters come weekly… then monthly… then suddenly nothing. No news. No updates. Just silence.

At first, the family tries to reassure themselves: “He’s probably busy.” “Maybe the mail is slow.”

But as the silence drags on, fear grows. The silence becomes louder than any words.

This is what it felt like for Israel— God had once spoken through prophets, visions, and miracles. But then… No new prophet. No new word. Four centuries of silence. The silence didn’t just feel quiet; it felt dangerous. It felt like maybe God had forgotten them.

We Know Those Days Too

We too know those days when the darkness seems overwhelming. 

a. Natural disasters have ravaged communities and loved ones. 

b. It feels like there are always wars raging. 

c. We have experienced violence in our community and in the communities around us. 

d. We know relationships that seem to be broken beyond repair. 

e. We experience the grief of our loved ones falling ill and dying, and wonder how we can go on without them. 

Hope Was Already Moving in the Dark

But in Luke 2:1–3, we are reminded that there is hope in the darkness. 

a. For in “those days,” God was already at work! 

God chose the perfect moment in history to send His Son. Not a second early, not a second late. When God moves, He moves right on time.

i. God has already sent John the Baptist, the prophet who will prepare the way for the Lord. 

ii. God has also already announced to Mary the coming Messiah in the person of Jesus, whose birth we will celebrate in a few short weeks. 

b. Today, too, when the darkness seems overwhelming, God is still at work in and through God’s church. 

i. God has always worked through God’s faithful people to bring hope and peace to a world that suffers from despair and violence.

The Christian Who Started Alcoholics Anonymous (Bill W.’s Turning Point)

Few people know this, but the turning point for Bill Wilson—founder of Alcoholics Anonymous—came when an old Christian friend named Ebby Thatcher visited him. Ebby didn’t preach. He didn’t shame. He simply showed up, loved him, and shared what God had done in his life.

That simple act of faithfulness began a movement that has helped millions break free from addiction.

One Christian showing up in faithfulness sparked a wave of hope around the world.

God Is Still at Work in the World Around Us

4. God is also at work in the world around us. 

a. God’s grace is always reaching out and drawing all people to God’s self. 

He does this in ordinary people, through ordinary circumstances, in ordinary days—proving that the God of glory still works through the simple and the small.

🌟 Two Ordinary Women

When God began writing the greatest rescue story in history, He didn’t start with celebrities, royalty, or influencers. He didn’t choose powerful voices or public figures. He chose two ordinary women in an ordinary village—Mary and Elizabeth.

Mary was a young, unknown girl from a town most people ignored. Elizabeth was older, overlooked, and had lived years with unanswered prayer. On the surface, neither looked like someone God would use to bring hope to the world.

Yet God met them in their everyday lives—one in a quiet home in Nazareth, the other in a humble Judean hillside. Through simple conversations, ordinary visits, and faithful obedience, God began preparing the way for the Savior. What looked small, unnoticed, and ordinary became the very doorway through which extraordinary hope entered the world.

b. God is at work in and through those who seek peace and justice in the world.

God wants to work through His children.

Our world is hungry—not only for peace in physical conflicts, but for peace in the deeper spiritual war that wears down the soul.

People long for the justice of God that is both fair and filled with compassion. And this is exactly where we come in.

We are called to live out our faith daily, to boldly share the hope of Christ, and to do all of it in a way that reflects God’s love, His character, and His heart to the world.

And church, this is the very vision God is placing on my heart for us as we move toward 2026—that we become a people through whom God brings hope, healing, justice, and peace to Alva and beyond.

A church where ordinary disciples carry extraordinary grace into ordinary moments… and God uses it to change lives.This is the path He’s leading us into. And He’s inviting every one of us to step into it.

Takeaway For the Week: In the days that feel silent and hopeless, God is still moving—and His light always breaks through the darkness.

Conclusion 

So in the darkness, when despair threatens to overwhelm us, let us remember that our hope is in the God who neither slumbers nor sleeps—the God who is always at work, even when we cannot see it. He is the God who will one day redeem and restore all of creation. This is our hope.

Isaiah 9:2 NASB 2020

The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them.

Israel had waited in deep darkness. Four hundred years of silence. No prophet. No new word. No sign that God was moving. But the light was coming. God was preparing the moment—His moment—to break through the silence.

And church, that same light still shines today. Even when the world feels heavy, broken, and confused… Even when violence, fear, and hopelessness seem to rule the day… God’s light is still advancing. His Kingdom is still moving. His hope is still breaking through.

And I firmly believe—deep in my spirit—that this is exactly what God is calling our church into as we move toward 2026.

God is stirring a fresh vision in me: • A vision of a people who bring light into darkness. • A church that becomes a place of hope for the hurting. • A family of believers who live out their faith boldly, compassionately, and consistently. • A people who carry the peace of Christ into a world starving for it.

This is where the Lord is leading us. This is our calling. This is our mission. And just like Israel, who waited for the light that finally dawned in Bethlehem, we step forward in expectation— knowing the same God who worked then is working now.

And church— that Light is not only shining on us; it is leading us. We carry a message that gives hope to our weary hearts, and through us, God wants to offer that same hope to a world still searching for it.

🙏 Prayer Following the Sermon

Gracious Father, Thank You for meeting us in Your Word today. Thank You that even “in those days,” when the world felt dark, You were already moving. And thank You that even in these days, You are still at work—shining Your light, stirring hope, and leading Your people forward. Lord, let the hope we have heard today take root in our hearts.

Holy Spirit, awaken in us a deeper trust in Your timing and a greater confidence in Your presence. Shape us into a people who carry Your light into the dark places of our world. Make us faithful witnesses of hope, justice, compassion, and truth.

And God, as You lead us toward the vision You are forming for this church—toward 2026 and beyond—unite our hearts, empower our steps, and make us bold in Your mission. Use ordinary people like us, in ordinary moments, to accomplish Your extraordinary work.

We surrender ourselves to You. Move in us. Work through us. Shine Your light upon us and through us.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Benediction

Church, as you go, remember this: The Light has come, the Light is shining, and the Light is leading us. Walk in the hope that Christ has given you, and carry that hope into every place God sends you. May the God who never slumbers nor sleeps fill you with His peace, strengthen you with His presence, and guide you as you shine His light into the darkness.

Go in the hope of Christ, and may His grace, His peace, and His strength be with you now and always. Amen.