I was a grinch in my former life. I had trouble getting into the Christmas spirit. I think it was mostly because I had such unrealistic expectations of it all.
This year I have been focusing on the Infinite Hope as I preach during the advent season. What a great theme! This came from a group at the church who put the theme together and it is really speaking to me (and I hope you!) Hope is probably my favorite topic to preach on – so I am really enjoying exploring it.
Week one, we talked about how everyday hope is hope in things – for example, we think: thinks will get better, I can try harder, next time will be different. Nothing wrong with any of those.
But Infinite Hope is different. It is hope in someone. That someone for us is the God we come to know in Jesus Christ. And this – the move from hope in some thing to hope in some one makes all the difference.
Week two, we talked about Mary’s song and how it painted the picture of another kind of peace. Mary knew Herod and his awfulness. He was a brutal man. But in her Infinite Hope, she sang a song of hope for what God would do.
When we look at it from this place in history, Christmas isn’t a holiday – according to the Bible it is the fulfilment of an ancient promise. The promise of a new King – Jesus.
I keep thinking about these two ideas – hope in someone and the fulfilment of a promise. This affects how I experience this time and what I am spending my time on this year. The grinch of my past isn’t anywhere to be found.
As we move toward the third week in Advent, may you experience Infinite Hope and may it make you whole –
Song of the Series “Hope for Everyone”
Thanks, Nicole.