Do Not Fear: Advent Hope

 - December 1, 2016

 

You may have noticed last Sunday the banner placed over the altar, with a single word to help us focus our meditation. Last week’s call to VIGILANCE is succeeded this week by an invitation to HOPE. Hope, as we know, is much more than pie-in-the-sky optimism. It is the conviction that even when the night seems dark and cold, the dawn is near: we are not alone, and God will never abandon us. God hears and answers us.

This hope is embodied in today’s [Sunday's] reading from Isaiah, who speaks of the coming of the Messiah: one anointed by the Spirit of “wisdom and understanding, counsel and strength, awe and reverence.” He will usher in the “peaceable kingdom”: where lion and lamb lie down together, and “a little child shall lead them.” This hope inspired John the Baptist to prepare the way for Jesus; this hope animated Mary and Joseph as they anticipated the birth of the Son of God into their family. So let us ask ourselves: What am I hoping for his Advent? What sustains my hope in difficult times?

Living God, we believe in a world made new.
Where mourning is turned into dancing, and slaves are set free.
We believe in a world where all are heard
And rivers flow where each may drink.
A world where the harvest becomes a banquet for all.
God of all creation, you have blessed us with a world of beauty.
You have gifted us with a table of plenty
Where no one stands outside your loving care.
Open our hearts and teach us your compassion.
Open our minds and grant us the courage to stay true to your will.
Give us the strength to cast off the shackles that bind us:
To wealth and possessions, to anger and fear.
Guide us as we work for your kingdom.
Lead us and move us to become a people filled with hope. Amen