Hopeful? Yes, again.
It is the First Sunday of Advent today. It is the first Sunday in the liturgical, or church, year. As you probably know, each of the four Sundays in Advent are themed, or have an appellation. This Sunday is the Hope Sunday.
Hope. It seems painfully ironic to have a Sunday about Hope these days. COVID-19 continues to infect, sicken, and kill people. The Middle East is seeing some of the worst violence in decades and there is a European war, currently between Ukraine and Russia but we’ve seen this sort of thing grow in the past. Many of us have tragedy and catastrophe in our immediate circles to go with the messes we see in the rest of the world. So what’s this nonsense about hope?
I’ll get it out there. I am hopeful. I am not hopeful in some weird Pollyanna way; I won’t tell you everything is good when it isn’t. I am especially not going to tell you everything happens for a reason because that is specious nonsense and usually hurtful. No, I have hope and I’m hopeful because I am loved. I have hope and I’m hopeful because you are loved. I have hope and I’m hopeful because everyone is loved. God, who we know best through Jesus, loves us.
The sermon goes into a bit more depth, at least I hope it does 🙂 but if you don’t have the time to listen to it and want something hopeful . . . You ARE loved.
Blessings,
