First Sunday of Advent 2019

Here we are. The first Sunday of Advent. The first Sunday of a new liturgical year, Year A if you are keeping score at home. A time for new beginnings.

I am always very grateful the first Sunday of Advent is the Sunday of Hope. I can’t think of a better way to begin a new thing than with hope. Whether it is a new year, a new job, a new relationship, a new . . . anything, starting it with hope and starting in hope seems likely to make it more successful in every way.

But what are we hoping for? There are books out there with titles like, Your God Is Too Small and Are Your Dreams Big Enough? so this question might be worth asking.

Our Old Testament reading for this Sunday was Isaiah 2:1-5 so how’s this for a hope, “they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” (Isa 2:4 NRSV) I think that’s worth hoping for but with so little evidence of it being on the horizon, is it a hope worth having? What about your other big hopes—someone to love you and let you love them, a broken relationship repaired, a serious illness gone—what about those? All our hopes are worth having and the season of Advent is a time to remember them.

My prayer for you is that you have a good Advent and Christmas season filled with hopes met and unexpected joys.

“Hope is for now” Knox Presbyterian (to download, right click and select “Save Link As . . .”)

“Hope is for now” St. Mark’s Presbyterian (to download, right click and select “Save Link As . . .”)

Blessings,