Our winter comes not only at the time when we in the northern hemisphere experience less sunshine because we are tilted away from the sun but also as we experience the aphelion. (Remembering that the earth’s orbit is not perfectly round but elliptical, the aphelion is that part when we are farthest from the sun.) The sun sets at its earliest right now (4:33 CST here in Franklin in early December). Interestingly, by Christmas we will already be experiencing later sunsets. Being that most of us learn better with visual or practical examples Advent takes advantage of our learning style AND the regularly occurring rhythms of the seasons to instill spiritual truth. So yesterday Sunday (December 1, 2024) was the first Sunday of this Advent season focusing on Hope.
Isaiah prophesied into such a hopeful future:
2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. 6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. - Isaiah 9:2,6,7
And St. Paul reminds us that the Holy Spirit instills hope from within the heart of the allegiant (one who trusts and follows Jesus as Lord and Master) believer. Be encouraged by the progression in steps of our walk with God culminating (in this earthly life) in Hope:
1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. - Romans 5:1-5
Despite the increasing incidences of Covid affecting family/ friends and even ministry partners, the separation we can feel with family and friends at a “social distance”, the uncertainty of job situations, political change and a world seemingly gone after other gods we are called to remember that just as Jesus came long ago as a little child he will indeed come again as the victorious reigning king he truly is. And that gives us hope.
(I wrote this initially 4 years ago, a ministry partner, Charles Ngoje in Kenya was deathly sick with Covid. Today he has mostly recovered, this disease took many others and shaped our perceptions yet as I reflect again, there is much to be hopeful about. And with open eyes we look toward those situations. Jesus has made /is making our lives better as we lean into Him). We await with anticipation the second Advent, Jesus’s return, Maranatha!
Hymn for the week: “My hope is built on nothing less”
The candles of the Advent wreath are lighted each on successive weeks As the light of Jesus’s coming comes closer.
コメント