Introduction
We are entering into the season of Advent, the four Sundays before the Birth of Jesus Christ. Advent reminds us of the arrival of the Son of God over 2000 years ago. On this first Sunday of looking forward to the birth of Christ, we want to encourage our hearts with hope. Also known as the “prophecy candle,” the candle of hope for Advent assures us we can have hope that God will fulfil the prophecies declared in the Old Testament about Jesus. Isa 9:6-7 is one of the prophecies that speak of Jesus Christ - “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.” In the day and age in which we live, many are finding their hope deferred, due to tests and trials. We all need an extra dose of hope as we remember Christ’s birth. An encouraging thought is the hope does not disappoint (Romans 5:5) as we also look forward to Jesus Second Coming. As we light the Hope Candle let’s take time to be like Abraham, who “against all hope, in hope believed...”
Finding Hope
Hope is not a passive expectation or wish, it is an intentional joining with the heart of God. Hope helps us to anticipate a positive future. It allows us to dream and look for good and new things in life and in our relationship with God. Hope is one of the themes of Scripture and first appears in Gen 8:12 where Noah sent out the dove and waited for seven more days but it did not return. Waiting and patience go hand in hand when defining hope biblically. The Old Testament saints looked forward in hope to the coming Messiah. We now look forward in hope to the Second Coming of Christ. “For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently” (Rom 8:24–25). Finding hope is all about finding Jesus.
Children are by nature optimistic and resilient. When they're small, they haven't yet seen the full range of human sinfulness and brokenness. They believe in “once upon a time”, princesses and handsome princes on white horses. They know that every story will end with everyone living happily ever after. However, disappointments and frustrations can take hope out of the eyes of a child. After a while, they grow up and they not only expect loss and failure, but some people even sabotage their own efforts as a self-fulfilling prophecy - “I knew this would fail.” We all need hope. It is the oxygen of the human spirit. But like oxygen it is consumable, and we must learn how to find it and breathe it. Let’s not give up our hope but waiting patiently for God...
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom 15:13).
Come before Him
Psalm 100 - A psalm. For giving thanks.
“1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. 3 Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. 5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”
Let’s take a moment and connect hope and worship. The Israelites didn’t wait until the temple was completed before they worshiped God. The Psalmist didn’t wait until God had delivered him from his enemies before they worshiped God. And we shouldn’t wait to worship God until after we see our miracle or deliverance. We must learn to put hope and worship into action together in our hearts. There are times when we struggle with our worship of God because we put such a focus on ourselves and our circumstances. We can’t pay the bills. Our relationships are in disorder. We have this or that negative situation that is not resolving. We are most likely familiar with how important it is to guard our thoughts through God’s Word. It is just as important to watch over our emotions through worship. Worship is about God first, just as Psalm 100 reveals. Worship takes the focus off myself and what I can or cannot do and puts it on God and what He can do. Worship reminds us of who God is, our Saviour, Healer, Soon Coming King and our Baptizer in the Holy Spirit.
The has been a lot of research of late with regards to one’s mental and emotional health. Hope is one of the areas that has been a challenge for many. Oftentimes, the Christmas holiday can be difficult for various reasons. People find themselves alone. People are unable to live up to all the holiday hype the world promotes. People have lost family members. So, how does one overcome hopelessness? Come before Him! I have mentioned this before, but worship is a dialogue from heaven to earth. God invites us to worship and is looking for a human response. It is like a beating heart. It is giving and receiving.
Finding Hope in Worship
Worship is more than a song. However, we are encouraged over and over to worship God through praise and thanksgiving, especially in the Psalms. The Apostle Paul tells the church to - “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph 5:19-20).
What does this look like in practice? It is not just the musicians who are to be musical. We are all encouraged to sing and make music in our hearts to God. Giving thanks. Why is this so important? Why is this so emphasized? Because when we worship in song, we overtly declare who God is and this is the gateway to finding our hope restored. When we face problems, worship. This directs our thoughts and emotions to God. All too often, when we pray to God, we simply bring our dirty laundry to God. We must learn to worship first. That is how the Lord’s prayer begins.
I want to say that in worship we get to interact with Holy Spirit who is our counsellor, teacher, guide, encourager, empowerer, and who convicts us when we are off base and convinces us of God’s personal love. Hope and Worship grow in beauty and power when the Spirit of God is welcomed. I have been in churches where we are asking God for another Pentecost, a repeat today of what took place then. I don’t believe this is accurate. What I do believe the Scriptures teach is this. We have the Spirit of God living in us perpetually, day by day. Pentecost came and stayed. Jesus is now abiding in us through the Spirit of God moment by moment. We have a guarantee of what is to come (Eph 1:13-14). We have the Holy Spirit. I cannot emphasize enough, Jesus has given us another comforter to help us in this life (John 14:16), especially when we struggle with hopelessness. Holy Spirit came to abide, just like Jesus.
In Conclusion
I have been in pastoral ministry for over 30 years, and I have encountered people from every walk of life. Inevitably, the question arises, “how are you doing?” Some of doing very well. Others not so good. Some tell the truth and others hide their struggles. Some are unaware. Sometimes the same question is asked of me. In these conversations, people often express their struggle feeling hopeless. The one thing they all needed was hope to get through the day. This tells me hope is very powerful. And when put into practice with worship, we can overcome.
Hope is more than a motivational pep talk. It is connecting with God; nothing is too difficult for Him. His mercy is new every morning. His faithfulness reaches to the heavens. His goodness is with us every moment. This allows us to center on God and not on negative thoughts or emotions. We are not unstable but safe in God’s unshakeable kingdom. Hope is a positive expectation. Hope when tapped into the worship of God helps us to endure patiently.
So today, let’s dare to become hopeful. Let’s allow hope to energize and motivate us. We all need hope restored in our lives to some degree. As we approach this Christmas season, let’s do so with a renewed hope growing within us.