The Hope of Advent

When we start to see Christmas decorations appearing in the shops, doesn't it bring a sense of excitement and expectation of what is coming? The Instagram clocks begin to countdown, 99 days to Christmas. It is That Festive Feeling, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. The expectancy of family gatherings, incredible feasts, presents and Santa.

In this holiday season, we want to highlight that sense of hope, joy and expectancy that the festive feeling brings and get a fresh understanding of what the birth of Jesus did in this world, through the journey of advent. We are going to walk through the three steps of advent: Joy, Peace and Love (note these are not the traditional order but the order we have chosen). Each day we'll be reminding ourselves of what happened on that incredible day 2000 years ago, when God himself sent his Son to earth to bring hope, life, joy, peace and love to all who believe.

This season is so much more than just decorations, gifts, and festivities; it's a time of spiritual significance, of reflection and contemplation of what God is up to in our lives and across the earth. The time leading up until Christmas Day is advent. Advent is the season in which we are expectant of the arrival of the “Light of the world.” Christmas is the season we want to celebrate and worship him.

Before Jesus was born the world was a mess; hate filled, divided, dark, no peace, no joy, no answers. In the days before the birth of Jesus, the Bible tells us that things were starting to rumble, that something was happening. The people were holding on to the promises in Isaiah, that one day a child will come that will change this divide forever. After the last prophet who spoke, Malachi, there was 400 years of silence. Then, finally, there came one crying in the wilderness preparing the way of the Lord,

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Matthew 3:2.

The promise was about to be fulfilled; Jesus was about to be born!!

Prayer Point:

Heavenly Father, thank you for what you have gifted humanity through your Son. While we journey through advent, we pray that we may have eyes to see and ears to hear what you're speaking. We pray for our friends and family as we come into the Christmas season, for a curiosity and an awakening to who you are. In your name we pray, Amen.