Advent 1 - Hope

Introduction/Scripture

Advent, the beginning of the liturgical calendar. Liturgy = the work of the people….prayers that shape and form the church. Calendar, rhythms of the seasons that orient and shape us. Advent is the preparation for the incarnation and the coming Christ. Within advent there are these themes that have developed throughout the history of the church: Hope, Peace, Joy, Love. Themes rooted in scripture. The prophetic witness looking forward to Jesus in the OT and the testimony of the gospel writers declaring the birth of a messiah.

I think they are the yearning of our own lives too, especially during Christmas season. In a day of the consumer, these themes have been commercialized. From coffee cups at starbucks to clothing racks in Target, to Jewelry adds in your hallmark movie binge day. The world benefitting on our desire for these things.

Luke 1 and the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth capture the theme of hope. Hope for a nation, but also individual hope to be a parent:

Luke 1:5–25 NIV

In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old. Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.” Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak. When his time of service was completed, he returned home. After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

Pray.

Earlier this week, I was up early to try and get as much done before taking time with family. Lauren home with the kids on break, so 5:30 comes and I am headed into the office Tuesday to get an early start on my sermon for the week. I knew this week was about hope. As I start to get my mind thinking in that direction, my phone automatically opens up a podcast that I usually listen to….Texags radio…yes. And on the way in to write a sermon about hope…I am joining with thousands that are hopeful that we finally smack our rival.

SEC Shorts… (Show picture)

Is this hope?

Or take on some more serious examples…. hope that my brother will finally get parole this summer after 12 years in prison. What are you hoping for? Hope that a spouse will be a spouse? Hope for victory in a medical crisis? Like Zechariah and Elizabeth, hope for a child?

Defining Hope is critical to our faith.

Hope has a singular direction

In Hebrew:

Yakhal = “Wait for”

Qavah = Cord stretched in tension

Psalm 130:5–7 NIV

I Qavah for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. Israel, put your Yakhal in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.

From the pit of despair the psalmist….

I hope/wait for the Lord. Israel hope/stand expectant….for he is faithful.

not hope that I get out of the depths

not hope that circumstances change

Specifically, hope is God will show up.

Optimism is about choosing to see in any situation how circumstances could work for the best

Hope is focused on God.

Hopeful people in the bible often recognize there is no evidence that things will get better.

Faith is not suffering proof

Point 1: Godliness and faithfulness do not protect us from suffering or dissapointment, nor do they guarantee we will have a blessed life with everything we hope for and want.

Luke 1:6–7 NIV

Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

They were righteous before God and yet they have spent their whole life without receiving what they longed for.

Our faithfulness to God does not exempt us from waiting or suffering deep disappointment.

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Why is this helpful to know?

Because if you are walking through something difficult. It is not a product of not having enough faith.

Unmet longings can become places of encounter

Point 2: Longing creates space where God meets us personally. Sometimes our longings and especially when they are not answered we learn of a deeper desire.

In the place of unmet hope, we encounter the one who is hope himself.

Waiting gives space to refine our vision from focusing on circumstances/outcomes/gifts to focusing on the giver. Waiting transforms us.

Loneliness, hoping for a companion…

Financial crisis, hoping for security…

Sick, hoping for a cure…

Lost child, hoping for a return…

broken marriage, hoping for a miracle.

In your longing find the one who has come into the pit of despair.

God’s Answer Usually Looks Different

Point 3: God’s fulfillment of our longings and answers to our prayers often look different than we imagined.

Zechariah and Elizabeth received what they were longing for, but I can’t imagine they were hoping for things to go as they did…

old age

John the Baptist, prophet, hated, eating locusts and honey

Martyred because of his role

God’s answers to our hopes are almost always about something bigger than our dreams and ambitions. God is about bringing hope to the whole world. God is not a magic genie, he is a Savior and redeemer.

Closing Illustration:

I want tell you about my friend “Mac.” He experienced deep trauma in his childhood that would have power over him for decades. Loneliness, and disordered love, led to Mac making some serious decisions that caused deep harm to himself and to those he loved most. When I met Mac he was on the path of recovery and had a deep belief in Christ and hope that Jesus could redeem his life. I think if Mac were to prescribe what that healing looks like, he probably would have things working out differently than they have. But hope in outcomes were surpassed by his hope in Jesus. Now Mac has dedicated his life to serving others. People without hope, people stuck in addiction, people that the world has walked away from. Suffering, sadness, disappointment have still happened, but Mac is closer with Jesus than ever in his life.

Brothers and Sisters, Hope usually begins in outcomes. Even good desires and prayers. For hope to take shape, they must give room for the true answer to our longings, Jesus himself. The story of advent is our preparation again for the light of the world to enter into darkness, for the bread of life to bring nourishment, for the living water to quench our dry dessert lands.

Put him to the test. bring your longings to him.