Rejoice
Emily Delgado
Romans 12:9-12
Be joyful,
rejoicing,
because you have hope.
Rejoice!
Rejoice!
Do not forget,
for hope is always around the corner.
Be patient in suffering;
in affliction;
in tribulation.
Be patient when the troubles come,
endure in distress.
For you are faithful in prayer.
Continuing,
persevering,
persisting at all times.
You have devoted yourself
to the Lord.
So be joyful.
Rejoice!
Because our hope is here.
Behold!
Behold him!
And rejoice.
Trust God
Mark Noblitt
Luke 2:11-14 (NIV)
11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
This past year, Jennifer and I welcomed the birth of our third grandchild, our first granddaughter, Annalise. As I’ve watched her grow from those very first 3-D sonogram images to the tiny preemie who was born five weeks early and now to a sweet and wonderful almost toddler, I’m reminded every day of the potential she carries inside her. As humans, we invest ourselves in our progeny. We have all kinds of dreams for them. We try to ensure they have all they need to grow into loving, giving, responsible adults.
I often think of Joseph and Mary in their role as the earthly parents of a young Jesus. While both understood the role they were chosen by God to play, I suspect they were still very human parents. They had hopes and dreams for their infant son. They both knew who their child was. I’m sure they both understood there would be times of joy, times of trial, and even times of heartbreak ahead. Imagine the responsibility they felt knowing who their child would grow to be. In the end, Joseph and Mary likely had to trust God to take care of their child. You know, just like all parents – at the end of the day, we choose to worry ourselves to death or to trust God to look out for our children. And that’s one of the hardest things for any of us to do – trusting God. In this Advent season, let’s choose to trust God and focus on hope.
Romans 15:13 (NIV) 13“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Waiting in Community
Diana Bridges
Psalm 62:1-2, 5-7
As you read these words, I’m about 745 miles northeast of Woodland, at The Dwelling Place, a Franciscan prayer center deep in rural east Mississippi. This is the twenty-fifth year I’ve spent a portion of Advent there, always waiting, always hoping, always in the company of good friends —- and plenty of Mennonite pastries.
Advent hope is a prism reflecting the longing of the ancient people of God for the Messiah, the longing of the universal Church for the coming of justice in the reign of Christ, and, surprisingly, quotidian hopes rooted in the here and now. Most of the years of this pilgrimage I’ve been focused on the latter kind of hope, specifically a way to live out my sense of call. At the beginning, I had meaningful work, but also a clear sense that it was temporary. For the long middle years, I was able to hold on to hope in part because of that yearly pilgrimage and the friends that met to hold on with me. We reached out, praying and longing for each other’s hopes.
Now I go back each year with a sense of profound thanksgiving. In so many ways my hope has been realized, but I continue to make space for the continuing work of God. I wait in hope for whatever may come next.
In Psalm 62 the psalmist affirms that we wait for God alone, meaning that, ultimately, no other entity can fulfill Hope. However, waiting for God alone doesn’t have to be done in isolation. Much more often than not we need companions to hold on to our hopes with us as we hold on to theirs.
May you find that kind of community this Advent season.
Hope Dangerously
Edie Dutton
Romans 8:18-25
The New Testament in Modern English paraphrases verse 19 as “the whole creation is on tiptoe to see the wonderful sight of the people of God coming into their own.” What an exciting image! But too often I forget that sometimes the hope these verses describe is produced by persevering through suffering. I want the end goal without the work it takes to get there. Mary was described by the angel as “highly favored” or “blessed among women,” but don’t forget her “blessing” included being a teenage, unwed mother, having her baby in a stable because there was no room for them in the inn, and watching her beloved Son be rejected and crucified on a cross. Doesn’t sound like much of a blessing, does it? But the end result is glorious! Three truths in these verses and those that follow bring us much HOPE not only in this advent season but always. God says:
BEHOLD I have a purpose! In the end, you will have “liberation from decay” and have the “glorious freedom as children of God.”
BEHOLD I will walk with you through your sufferings and I have given you the Holy Spirit who intercedes for you!
BEHOLD I will make you more than conquerors through HIM who loved us! Nothing can separate you from MY love.
In Suzanne Collins Hunger Games, President Snow tells head game maker, Seneca Crane, that, “Hope is the only thing stronger than fear. A little hope is effective, a lot of hope is dangerous.” Let’s HOPE dangerously this advent season!
Plans for Shalom
Lance Mayes
Jeremiah 29:11-13
Have you ever thought something will never happen? You can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel? You have hope, but it is becoming wishful thinking?
We were in the system to adopt for a long time (years) before we adopted Nicholas. Seeing our friends having babies and adopting was hard. We were happy for them and sad for us, thinking we might never be parents. When we decided to adopt again, we had to wait again. Would it ever happen? Then we got Leah, almost overnight.
The people of Judah can relate. They were in exile in Babylon, hoping to return home soon. Some prophets told them to get ready because God was going to deliver them. But nothing was happening. Would they ever get to go home?
Jeremiah tells them a different story. They were going to be there for a while, so they needed to build homes, plant gardens, get married, have children, and plan to stay. What a blow. Jeremiah even encouraged them to pray for the shalom of the city where they were in exile. What a tough assignment.
Jeremiah then shares God’s plan for them. Shalom. What a great promise: peace, wholeness, welfare, completeness, and human flourishing right where they were in exile. But, how could they experience shalom in a foreign land? This is no prosperity gospel. God is listening to them and will be found, even away from their beloved Judah.
Hope is not just wishful thinking. Hope is something you can count on, even when things seem so foreign.
Our dreams of parenting came to pass. We have two children whom we love. We thank God for them. (Leah’s middle name is Mattea and means “gift of God”). Did Nicholas and Leah bring us shalom? No. God already provided shalom during our journey.
God is Our Hope
Daniel Zamora
Isaiah 7:14
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”
This ancient prophecy was given to Ahaz, king of Judah, while Jerusalem was surrounded by the armies of Aram and Israel, its ally, commanded by their bullying kings. The bad signals were overwhelming: these wicked men wanted to cause fear, divide and conquer the people of Judah. In the preceding verses, the prophet Isaiah delivered God’s message: “be careful, keep calm, do not be afraid and do not lose heart.” (Isaiah 7:4) Easier to say than to do, considering they were in huge danger.
God was so concerned about his people that he himself promised a sign of his presence: sending his own son, Immanuel, a name meaning “God with us.”
About eight hundred years later, the apostle Paul made a similar reflection in the book of Romans: If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all — how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
During this Advent season, let us be reminded that God cares for us. He is not only aware of our troubles, limitations, shortcomings and illnesses but is also interested in our wellbeing, desires, future and success.
God is our hope, today and tomorrow!
Mixed signals or which way do I turn?
The Week of Hope
You are our living hope, Lord, as we celebrate your promises for our present and our future on your birthday. We are your grateful people. Amen
Weekly Advent Prayers by Betty Claire Jackson
By Willard Teel
Psalm 62:1-2, 5-7
Mixed signals or which way do I turn?
Is your life similar to mine in the sense the world and the church give conflicting signals?
On one hand, I grew up being told to “Be All You Can Be”, you can do anything that you want to do, you can accomplish anything that you set your mind to accomplish, you need to be your own man, you need to figure things out yourself, and my Enneagram 8 number teaches me that I am self-preserving and self-reliant.
Then, during the holiday season, which begins near Halloween and continues through New Year, our time is preoccupied with festivities and the busyness of the season. There is always something to do or something that needs to be done. The season is loud and noisy and hectic.
So, what does it mean for us to turn away from “I” and the brightness and fullness of fall and winter celebrations for our soul to wait in silence? And, how will we find our salvation within that silence?
Who do we choose to trust? Do we trust ourselves, or do we trust silence to help us find ourselves?
It is easy to see that the signals are mixed between the “I” and acknowledging that God is our rock and salvation and in that, in silence, we will find God.
Too often in my life, I’ve chosen to trust myself and go it alone. God made me; therefore, He/She must want me to figure things out myself. But, the Psalmist says “hush”. We are called to know that God is, well, everything. All things on earth pale when compared to God. God is our Rock and Strength. Within God we find safety and strength and refuge.
Within God, the mixed signals disappear. The “I” disappears. The holiday frenzy disappears.
Which way do I turn?
Which way do you turn?
Where do we find our Hope this Advent season?
The answer lies within each of us in the silence from which we find our hope and strength. What will you choose? I choose to embrace the silence and God.
A Lot of Hope
The Week of Hope
You are our living hope, Lord, as we celebrate your promises for our present and our future on your birthday. We are your grateful people. Amen
Weekly Advent Prayers by Betty Claire Jackson
By Ken Williams
Romans 8:18-25
My New Testament of the Jerusalem Bible entitles chapter 8 as “The life of the spirit”, verses 14-17 as “Children of God” and verses 18-27 as “Glory as our destiny”. So, in a nutshell, the scripture assigned to me is about what those of us with the indwelling spirit of Christ can hope for.
Verse 18 starts with our sufferings on earth. Today is the 77th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor which, according to Wikipedia, killed 2,467 Americans. That attack led the US into WW II, the deadliest military conflict in history, resulting in over 70 million deaths worldwide. That’s a lot of suffering. But that level of suffering doesn’t compare with the glory God has waiting for us. That’s a lot of hope.
The other verses expand our hopes for:
- Freedom we can get from slavery to decadence by relying on the spirit of Christ without which we can never completely overcome the temptations of the unspiritual world and…
- Salvation based on our faith in God’s promises, i.e. our hope for things not seen.
With that terse overview, based on no theological education whatsoever, let’s end in prayer:
Our dear father in heaven, there is no way we can thank you enough for sending your son to earth. For he showed us the way to become one of your children. We also thank you for your spirit which enables us to overcome our struggles on earth and look forward to a glorious eternal life in heaven. Amen
Look Everywhere
The Week of Hope
You are our living hope, Lord, as we celebrate your promises for our present and our future on your birthday. We are your grateful people. Amen
Weekly Advent Prayers by Betty Claire Jackson
By David Goree
Jeremiah 29:11-13
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart,” the Lord says in Jeremiah 29.
When I’m looking for a lost item, I can imagine it everywhere. When I misplace my wallet, for example, I picture it in the likely places: on my desk, on the dresser, on the dining table, and in the car under the driver’s seat. As I continue searching, though, I can also picture it under the couch, and in the dryer, and on top of the refrigerator. I dutifully check each of these places, no matter how improbable. After all, once you’ve pictured your wallet falling into the recycling bin, how can you not take a quick look for it there?
When we seek the Lord, I think we look for Him in the likely places. We seek Him in church, in Scripture, and in the hospital waiting room. What if we sought Him everywhere? What if we sought the Lord in the voices of our aging parents, and in conversation with a stressed-out coworker, and in the voice of the neighbor’s kid, determined to explain a video game to us? What if we sought the Lord in the storm clouds—both real and figurative? Is this seeking Him with all your heart? I’m not sure, but once you’ve pictured the Lord in an unlikely place, how can you not look for Him there?
God With Us
The Week of Hope
You are our living hope, Lord, as we celebrate your promises for our present and our future on your birthday. We are your grateful people. Amen
Weekly Advent Prayers by Betty Claire Jackson
By Lisa Shinkins
Isaiah 7:14
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14
As I read this verse and thought about what to write about it; I kept thinking back to the day I found out I was pregnant with Killian. I was in a taxi on the way home from the Farah Hospital in Amman, Jordan. Kieran and I had been praying and praying for a child and, at that time, had gone through three miscarriages and were on the seventh round of IVF. I was so excited and scared at the same time. I remember the joy I felt at the news because my hormone numbers were great but I was terrified that this pregnancy would fail just like the rest of my pregnancies. To me the “sign from the Lord Himself” was the high hormone levels. Obviously, the pregnancy was successful as Killian Gerald Shinkins was born on January 31, 2013.
As you go through this Advent season, my prayer is that you focus on what Immanuel means — “God with us.” God is with us through every season in our life, even though sometimes we may not feel his presence. As Kieran and I went through all of our struggles with our pregnancies, we clung to the hope that God would grant us a child. Never did we dream that we would have two healthy children. God does fulfill all his promises to us. He did that through the birth of Immanuel.