The eleven28 Advent Podcast is brought to you in partnership with Missio Alliance.
The First week of Advent: A Thrill of Hope
Hope feels like a warm cup of cocoa by the fire when its 20 degrees and snowing outside. Hope feels like an oasis in the desert. Hope feels like a brand new baby, warm and soft, full of potential but also so fragile. I have never felt the need for hope so desperately.
This first week of advent invites us to risk hope. Hope that the God who moved into the neighborhood of humanity will again bring new life, better life.
Hope is not only risky, it is a discipline. Activist Mariame Kaba reminds those who long for the world to be different that hope is a discipline we practice. Advent is a good season for that practice. It seems that during advent we all practice generosity in a way that outpaces other seasons of the year; that generosity is a hope practice. It seems we all practice optimism as a year draws to a close; optimism can be a hope practice. It seems we all practice intentional relationship building during December; this is also a hope practice.
But it seems valid to also say that right now, hope feels in short supply. Maybe its caught somewhere in a supply chain backup, but hope isn’t just falling from the sky around us. It takes focus and discipline to access hope and then apply it. To that end, I want to invite you to one place to approach hope.
If you are able, we are going to enter into a contemplative space. It would be helpful to have something to write on and the ability to sit still with your eyes closed. You can pause here if you need to wait for this portion of the podcast.
I will read two passages for you and offer some questions you might want to use for journaling.
Jeremiah 33:14-16 “‘Watch for this: The time is coming’—God’s Decree—‘when I will keep the promise I made to the families of Israel and Judah. When that time comes, I will make a fresh and true shoot sprout from the David-Tree. He will set things right. That’s when Judah will be secure and Jerusalem live in safety. The motto for the city will be, “God Has Set Things Right for Us.”
For you , today, right now, what things do you desire to be “set right”?
Jeremiah 33:14-16 “‘Watch for this: The time is coming’—God’s Decree—‘when I will keep the promise I made to the families of Israel and Judah. When that time comes, I will make a fresh and true shoot sprout from the David-Tree. He will set things right. That’s when Judah will be secure and Jerusalem live in safety. The motto for the city will be, “God Has Set Things Right for Us.”
How risky does it feel to hope for these things to be “set right” on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the riskiest.
Now hear a second passage:
Hebrews 6: 18-20 We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It’s an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post as high priest for us, in the order of Melchizedek.
What does applying hope as a discipline clarify about the things you want “set right”?
Hebrews 6: 18-20 We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It’s an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post as high priest for us, in the order of Melchizedek.
Hold these thoughts like a gift in your hands and offer them to God. See God’s gentle smile to receive what you bring today.
May the God of hope make you both whole and holy, keeping you safe in mind, body, heart, and soul so that you are ready to receive God’s presence. For God has called you Beloved and will not fail you. Amen.
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