Advent: A Reason for Hope

Isaiah 11:1–2 (ESV) There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

Advent

Have you ever looked forward to something?

A special trip that you had planned. Getting to spend time with someone special—family, friends, that special someone! Was there something you really wanted, and you looked forward to getting? Who in here looked forward to when you were able to move out on your own—going off to college, getting your first home?

When you were a kid, you looked forward to your birthday. There’s a party to anticipate, with presents and cake, but you also couldn’t wait to get a year older. With Clara, it seems that we no sooner have her birthday, then she is already talking about what things will be like when she has her NEXT birthday. I couldn’t wait until I was 16 and could drive.

And of course there are the holidays to look forward to! New Years, Valentines, Easter, Fourth of July. Labor Day is huge here. Thanksgiving, and of course, Christmas.

Anticipation, looking forward to something coming, is a painful pleasure. You are excited for it to arrive. But sometimes it feels like forever before it gets here! Still, you endure the waiting because you know it will be worth it all.

Today is the beginning of Advent! Advent means, “a coming into being.” The advent season is all about remembering when Jesus came into being as a baby in a manger. It’s the time when we begin counting down the days until Christmas. We have four Sundays before Christmas day arrives. These four Sundays are times to prepare our hearts for what Christmas is really about.

Each week, we light a candle that represents a certain aspect of Christmas.

Hope

Today we light the candle of Hope. This is appropriate, because Hope ties so strongly into the concept of anticipation. When you are planning for something, and looking forward to it, you can’t be certain that it will turn out the way you expect. But you STILL look forward to it.

Why?

Because you HOPE it will be worth it all. Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines Hope as “to cherish a desire with anticipation : to want something to happen or be true.” Think of all the things you have hoped for over the years. You hope to receive that special gift you have been dropping hints about. That promotion or raise you have worked so hard for. You hope that others will enjoy and appreciate what you have done for them. You can’t wait to see the look on your loved ones’ faces when they tear through that paper on Christmas morning.

For thousands of years, the Israelites had held onto the hope that God would send the Messiah, someone specially anointed by God to lead Israel into an age of greatness beyond anything they had experienced before. This became especially important for them when Babylon invaded, captured them, and destroyed Jerusalem and the temple of God. Then the Israelites called out to God to send the Messiah to deliver them from bondage and persecution.

This Messiah would become their ruler, and he would rule with justice and wisdom.

The prophet Isaiah had foretold Messiah’s coming, and they waited in anticipation of the day when Messiah would arrive. God allowed them to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple. They were certain this would be the time when the Messiah would arrive. But he didn’t come then. Four centuries past, and most of the people quit hoping.

You see, Merriam-Webster has another part of the definition for hope.

HOPE:

to cherish a desire with anticipation : to want something to happen or be true

(archaic) TRUST

Notice the word “archaic”? It means “relating to an earlier and more primitive time.” Old-fashioned.

Most of us have forgotten that hope involves trust. What we tend to call hope today is not what it originally was. We say “hope” and we mean, “I really WANT it to be true. I WANT it to happen.” But real hope is built on trust.

And that’s why the Children of Israel quit hoping. God used to move miraculously among them. They used to have prophets live in their presence to guide them. But they quit respecting God’s miracles. They quit listening to the prophets. In turn, God removed his blessings and took away the prophets. The people repented, and they expected everything to go back to the way it used to be, but it didn’t.

When they built the new temple, the presence of God did not come down in a thick cloud like it did at the dedication of the first temple. New prophets did not rise up. For four hundred years, God seemed to be silent to the prayers of his people. And they lost trust.

They got busy with their normal lives, and quit expecting Messiah to come. They didn’t even know what to look for anymore. The anticipation was gone, because they lost their hope.

Isn’t it tragic when you don’t have anything to look forward to—when you have no reason to HOPE!

But there were some who didn’t lose hope, because they remembered God’s promises, and they trusted in God’s faithfulness.

Luke 2:25–38 (ESV) Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

These people had been eagerly looking forward to the coming of their Messiah.

They spent their whole lives praying for him and being ready to receive him. Even though they were both advanced in years, neither had given up hope that they would see their Messiah.

Simeon had been told by the Holy Spirit that he would literally see the Messiah before he died.

Because they had so carefully prepared themselves for his coming, they immediately recognized him, even though he was just a baby!

How many others looked upon Jesus’ face that day and saw just a baby?

While others had gone on with their lives, Anna and Simeon had held onto God’s promises. They trusted God and looked forward to the day when Messiah would come.

Because of the hope he had, you know that Simeon looked carefully at every baby boy he saw to discern if this could be the Messiah.

When we live in hope, we wake up every morning with the thought, “This could be the day that everything changes.”

Remember the excitement of going somewhere as a child, and asking, “Are we there yet? Are we there yet?”

Remember being the parent with your child constantly asking, “Are we there yet?”

Generations of Jews waited for Messiah to come, but in their waiting, they lost site of who Messiah was supposed to be.

When he arrived, they didn’t recognize him.

Today, we know that Jesus came in a manger.

He didn’t come to set up an earthly kingdom, but to die on a cross and give us access to God’s heavenly kingdom.

Christmas is not a story about a hope that came and went.

We still have reason to hope.

Romans 15:12–13 (ESV) And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.” 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.

Jesus didn’t just come for the Jews; he came to save ALL mankind.

Our sins were forgiven because of what Jesus did for us.

We all have access to God’s kingdom if we will turn our lives over to Jesus.

John 14:1–3 (ESV) “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

Our hope is this

Just as Jesus kept his promise and came to earth once before, he will surely come again.

The first time, he came as a baby in humility and weakness.

The second time, he will come as king and champion, overthrowing evil and establishing his kingdom forever.

Jesus brought hope 2000 years ago when he arrived in that manger.

Because he came, we no longer have to live as slaves to sin.

Because he died for us, death is no longer something for us to fear.

And we continue to hope that, whether during our lifetime or sometime after we are returned to the earth, we will see Jesus face to face, and we will spend eternity with him.