Day One

by Kate Yates

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” -Hebrews 10:23-25

As Christmas approaches, we all have a variety of feelings, emotions and expectations–those we place on ourselves as well as others. As we grow older, the magic of Christmas fades as the hustle and bustle of trying to get it all done while maintaining our sanity becomes our focus and our goal. Taking time for Advent, which literally means “the coming or arrival, especially of something important,” is making the statement that we are choosing to prepare for the celebration of Christ’s birth. It is a great way to focus on why the holiday of Christmas exists. Over the next four weeks when you find yourself becoming stressed and overwhelmed with the never-ending to do list and the overbooked calendar, take a deep breath and remember the well known passage of John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life,” as ultimately that is what we are celebrating.

Entering into the holiday season our hearts and minds are full of hopes and expectations of what is to come. In our childhood most of those hopes and expectations were based on the toys and gifts we requested (or in some cases demanded!) from Santa. Now as adults those hopes may simply be, “let me survive this!”

So how appropriate that the first candle to be lit is to serve as a reminder of

the hope we have in Christ. The prophets who proclaimed the Savior was to come held out hope for just that (Isaiah 7:14 and Micah 5:2). And now, more than 2,000 years later, we celebrate his birth and hold onto the hope that he is to come again and take us with him to our eternal home (John 14:1-3).

Before we begin with the Christmas story, take some time to reflect where you are in life and what sort of expectations and hopes you may be bringing into this season. Can you relate to the psalmists of Psalms 42 and 62? Take some time to read through those and reflect on how your heart may relate or not.

In desperate times it can be hard to hold onto hope and believe that God is on our side and that he can bring us through. But it is also in moments of desperation and we throw our hands up in utter surrender that we find God shows up. Zechariah and Elizabeth were, I believe, past the point of holding onto any hope of having a child, but it was then that God showed up!

Pause this reading to read their story in Luke 1:5-25; 57-80.

Can you relate to Zechariah’s doubts? What about his question, “How can I be sure of this?” Do you want God to give you certainty when he is asking you to simply trust him?

Is there an area in your own life in which you have given up but God is asking you to keep hoping?

PRAYER

Lord, please grow our hope this Christmas season. Open our eyes to see your faithfulness in new ways. And we ask you to help us remind one another of the hope we have in you and the promise of your return. Amen.