In the busy Advent season it is easy to lose sight of the purpose of this part of the Christian year. Our calendars and to do lists are crammed full of important traditions and celebrations, and we don’t think we have any time or energy left to create housing for the Holy!
On this first Sunday of Advent we are focusing on making room for Hope in a world that often looks hopeless. In the short run where we live that may seem to be the case. But here’s the thing; God doesn’t live in the short run but in the cosmic expanse of time and space. And that’s where our hope comes from.
Emmanuel, God with us, isn’t just a December thing. The one we are preparing for, the helpless baby born in a barn is with us for eternity. Our hope is not in things or people that are here today and gone tomorrow, but in the God of all creation. As Diana Butler Bass reminds us reminds us with this quote from Revelation, our hope is anchored in one “who is and who was and who is to come”–a mysterious presence that warms our hearts on the coldest and darkest seasons of our lives.
And so today we light the Candle of Hope, a tiny flame that represents the reason a weary world can still rejoice.
Please pray with me:
O Holy creator and sustainer God, remind us as we begin this Advent season that you can bring forth hope anywhere and everywhere. You reveal your glory in a gorgeous sunrise, in a loving smile, and even in a humble stable. Your holiness is all around us, in a cloud of witnesses who have gone before us, in a warm embrace when there are no words required, and in random acts of kindness that are contagious. Our prayer today is that you will help us take time from our busyness to clear out some anger or doubt in our hearts and make room for the Holy, for our hearts are truly the only space you need to give birth to the gift of Hope. We offer our prayers and our hearts in the name of the babe of Bethlehem who still gives hope to our weary world. Amen
Northwest UMC, December 1, 2024
Peacefully Harsh 