During the four weeks before Christmas, a Christian tradition is the season of Advent. The word is from the Latin adventus, which means “arrival”. During Advent, we prepare for the arrival of Christ as a baby born in Bethlehem.

But this season, I’d like to also prepare for the next arrival of Christ: As the King of the Universe who conquered sin and death. The words used to mark each week of Advent — Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love — are equally appropriate for both Arrivals.

This week’s word is Hope.

First Advent

As the time approached for Jesus’ birth, the world was running pretty low on hope. The Jewish people in the nation of Israel, especially, were running very low.

From the beginning of their culture, starting with Abraham 2000 years earlier, they had been identified with God. They (through no virtue of their own) had been chosen as His own special possession. He guided Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as their founding fathers. He used Joseph to move them to Egypt where they grew into a large people group, then used Moses to lead them out of Egypt and back to the land promised to Abraham. He sent prophet after prophet to guide them in following His law to their benefit, to foretell punishment when they abandoned Him, but to also foretell restoration when they returned to Him. After 1500 years of this history…

Silence.

There had been no new prophet, no new word from God, for over 400 years. Had He abandoned them for good?

But flickering there in the background was a tiny ember of hope. God had always been faithful. He would not — could not — break His promises. According to Daniel’s vision in Daniel 9:24-27, the Messiah would come within 69 sets of seven years (483 years total) after the decree to rebuild Jerusalem following its destruction and the exile to Babylon. That decree was issued in 445 B.C. by Artaxerxes of Persia. It was approaching the time for Him to arrive. Would He come?

Yes, He would, and did. But He didn’t come in the way they expected. He came not only to fulfill their hope that God would send a Deliverer for their place and time. He came to provide hope that would extend to all people, at all times. He came to sacrifice Himself, and then to rise again in victory…a victory that He shares with all who trust in Him.

Final Advent

Right now, hope could be running a bit low again. Our world is in a mess. Christians are being persecuted in Nigeria, China, India, and many other countries. Tiny Israel is always battling for its life against enemies surrounding it on all sides. The United States is escalating from a war of words to physical violence over policy disagreements (which are really outgrowths of clashing worldviews). Many of us could list seemingly-hopeless situations in our personal lives.

But that ember keeps flickering. One purpose of the church, one reason that Jesus didn’t just finish history the first time around, is to fan that spark of hope into a flame that spreads to the entire world. Jesus commanded us to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel [the Good News] to all creation.” (Mark 16:15)

Has God abandoned us for good? As we forever stuck in the muck created by our own sin? Will the pain and suffering go on, and continue increasing, until we destroy ourselves?

No.

God has not abandoned us. Jesus has provided a way out of the muck. He will return to usher in an eternity with no more tears, no more death, no more mourning, no more pain (Revelation 21:1-4).

Hope

As we prepare for Christmas, let us look forward with confidence that we will be celebrating not only the first, but also the last coming of the One who is the Source of all Hope.

Note: For more on this topic, see the article “Hope” elsewhere on this site.