Christmas 2021 Message 1

Christmas 2021

Message 1

Hope

Introduction:

· Define Advent = Advent means 'Coming' in Latin. This is the coming of Jesus into the world. Christians use the four Sundays and weeks of Advent to prepare and remember the real meaning of Christmas.

· This a big deal in the Catholic Church and many “Mainline” denominations.

· Some Baptist will do some form of it. Which is want I choose to do.

· Hope, Peace, Joy, Love

· I will use as a theme leading up to Christmas

· Let’s begin with hope.

Me:

Hope has two meanings.

Hope as a verb

i. I hope it snows Christmas Day!

ii. Aspiration, desire, wish, longing, yearning, craving, hankering.

iii. It’s this wishful thinking. I hope so.

Hope as a noun.

i. The only hope he has is a heart transplant.

ii. Optimism, expectation, expectancy, confidence, faith, trust, belief, conviction, assurance.

iii. It’s a conviction that something is true.

We:

When Hope Hangs by a Thread

a. Thanksgiving 2020

i. Covid hit our church hard

ii. Thanksgiving dinner

iii. I knew I had caught it then Tina and Emilee

iv. 18 of us total

v. Of course, there was Cindy

vi. Our hearts still grieve

b. I wondered if we would survive as a church

i. This was a very difficult time in our church.

ii. Attendance had dropped to 10 or less

iii. There was doubt and hopelessness

(One side note – Lots of pastors lost their churches)

c. Now one year later

i. A thriving church

ii. New building

God:

A Horse is a Vain Hope

a. Psalm 33:17–22

Psalm 33:17–22 NIV

17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. 18 But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, 19 to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. 20 We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. 21 In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. 22 May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.

b. It wasn’t cleverness that rescued our church

i. A horse is a vain hope

ii. Unfailing love – waiting on the Lord – Trust in his name – Putting Hope in the Lord

It is the birth of Jesus that is the foundation of that hope

i. His birth his life his death his resurrection his coming back

Two kinds of hope

You:

I hope I make to heaven

a. Wishful thinking religion

i. You can’t get heaven on wishful thinking.

ii. If I am a good enough person

iii. Hope as verb

Your only hope is a heart transplant

Asking Jesus to change your heart is the only HOPE you have.

We:

2

Hope is the fuel of our faith

a.Hope can do something else

i. Hope sees beyond

ii. Hope is that whisper of maybe, just maybe

iii. It does not matter how bad it gets there is always hope.