ADVENT: Hope (Week 1)
To view these notes as a PDF, click here.
ADVENT: HOPE
A calendar reflects how we plan to live out our responsibilities, seek help for our needs, and establish our priorities.
Hope is looking outside yourself.
Isaiah 9:6-7 NIV: 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 Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the greatness 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. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
Hope is the gateway to peace, joy, and love in our daily life.
Luke 2:25-26, 28--32 NIV: Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”
I Corinthians 13:13 NIV: And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Luke 1:78-79 NLT- “Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, 79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.”
Hope is expectant waiting that often feels like foolishness.
Hope is active waiting. It is about acknowledging your need for Someone other than yourself, believing He exists and that he loves you, and moving obediently to the place you can see and recognize Him when He shows up.
Romans 12:12 ESV “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”
Hebrews 10:23 AMP: Let us seize and hold tightly to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is reliable and trustworthy and faithful [to His word].
