The Season of Hope!

Jeremiah 33: 14 says—"'The days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will fulfill the gracious promise I made to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.”

This reminds me of the story about the aunt talking to her nephew just after Christmas. Being very apologetic she says, "I'm sorry you didn't like my Christmas gift. But I asked if you preferred a small check or a large check. Remember?”

With his head hung in disappointment, the nephew replies, "I know. But I didn't think you were talking about ties." Yes --the gift which that young man received wasn't what he expected. It caught him off guard. It took him totally by surprise because it was so completely unexpected.

Well--isn’t that what Advent is all about? How God catches us by surprise? How God’s Word intrudes upon us and our lives just when we least expect it? And in incredibly unforeseen ways? Yes—that’s part of the joy of this season, part of the joy of our faith, and part of the joy of our relationship with God. You see—God plays by God’s rules, not ours. Thanks be to God!

Jeremiah says—“The days are coming.” Yes--in Advent, the church boldly proclaims the approaching righteousness of God. Proclaiming--The Lord Jesus Christ! I believe this is crucial because it is a real source of hope. You see--the world, our lives, our days cannot live without hope. Anticipating what God is going to do—strengthens us for faithful and fruitful living.

Each year the season of Advent calls the community of faith to prepare for the visit of God’s salvation. Our work is to anticipate that which God will do to bring fulfillment to all people. We are preparing for the event in the stable at Bethlehem which brings together “the hopes and fears of all the years.” Yes--“The days are coming,” and we must make ready. So, lift your heads and let your hearts be strengthened. God is doing a new thing, and to us has come the joyous and holy task of helping the world get ready for the most blessed event of history! Amen.

~ Rev. Kathy

Our Hope in Jesus

“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.” - Psalm 130:5

Hope is defined to desire something with the confident expectation of its fulfillment. When we stop to think about it, having hope in our lives, a future to look forward to, gives us a feeling of contentment, sometimes excitement, and peace. There are times that feeling is lost to us for any number of reasons: illness, loss of a loved one, job loss, divorce, just to name a few. Each of us at some time in our lives will have a feeling of hopelessness, and the holiday season can be especially hard for many.

As children of our Lord Jesus, how wonderful it is that no matter the circumstances we find ourselves in, we can be assured of His love and constant presence with us. He is with us when we celebrate our victories and He is with us during our times of sorrow. Whether on the mountain top, or in the valley, He walks right along beside us.

The following quote by Roy Lessin is a favorite of mine and I carry it with me as a reminder that God is on the throne, and always watching over each one of us.
“We never need to be without hope. For as we look into the future with the eyes of faith, we will see that God is already there.”

~ Shannon

Finding hope in a hopeless World

“How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! "There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken."~ Luke 21:23, 25-26

I stood with my swollen feet rooted to the floor, my hand resting on my stomach as if my small hand could somehow protect our unborn child from the horrors my naive mind could never have imagined. My husband had called from his business trip to tell me the news, but I had run to the television and turned it on to witness this terrible thing for myself. My heart beat a little faster as I flicked on the local news channel and prayed it wasn't true. And then I watched the World Trade Centers go down again and again in the newsreel that played over and over like a skipping record that's been warped and scratched from neglect.

I felt both shock and fear as I watched as the events of September 11 continue to unfold. I called work to tell them I would not be going in that day. I wanted to be home, even if I was alone, because somehow home seemed like a safe place that was separate from the world in which I found myself suddenly living. How could this be happening? Just an hour earlier, I had all that I wanted in life... a loving husband, a steady job, a nice roof over my head and a little money in the bank. We were a happy and healthy young couple, about to become a perfect little family. And now this... this terrible event, this horrific THING, had crashed uninvited into our little bubble and changed our world into something less than perfect. There was such a precious gift growing inside of me, and as I stood in our living room glued to the t.v., I apprehensively wondered what kind of world we were bringing him into.

But despite the tragedies of life, the sun kept rising and the moon and the stars appeared in the sky each night. One month later, our baby boy (not knowing what he was getting himself into), came into this world right on time with a small cry and flailing fists. And in sending our little boy, with his ten tiny fingers and ten perfect toes, God sent me hope. Through him, God reminds me of His nearness. I was never alone, as I had believed. He was near! For who but God could send such a beautiful thing to me in a time of such anguish? And we continue be reminded of His nearness in every milestone our little boy and his sister reach.

Father, help us remember the hope you have given to each of us in the nearness of Your kingdom. Amen.

~ Terri