Hope is here
I have always loved seeing people slow down as they journey through the season of Advent with such a beautiful reverence for God. We all know how the holiday season can easily slip through our fingers without giving Jesus a single thought — our great loss, truly.
So what is Advent?
Well the literal meaning of Advent derives from the Latin word adventus — meaning “coming”. Advent is a time for us to be intentional in remembering the arrival of Christ on earth but also, to look forward to His return. It is an invitation to experience true, gritty hope in the face of our present realities.
Like a tree sinking its roots deeper into the soil, we’re invited to sink our roots into God’s endless Well of Living Water. It is there, where hope, peace, love, and joy abound in our everyday ebbs and flow of life.
This week we are focusing on the hope Jesus brought to the world at His birth but also the hope we cling to in His redemptive return! Romans 8:22 speaks about how all creation is a groaning for Christ’s complete deliverance!
“For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now” (Romans 8:22).
“The imagery of "groaning" conveys a deep, visceral response to suffering and anticipation. The Greek word "συστενάζει" (systenazei) suggests a collective, ongoing lamentation. This groaning is not just a passive complaint but an active yearning for deliverance” (Berean Study Bible).
Everyone and everything in all creation is yearning for deliverance — the hope that only Christ brings. This yearning for deliverance is clear in the age we live in, isn’t it? We all yearn for someone to save us, to free us, to know us, and to love us. As a follower of Christ, we receive this blessing and so much more when we anchor ourselves in the hope of Christ.
The hope that Christ offers, allows us to face our present realities, sufferings, disappointments, and hurts with a confident footing to walk through our realities in full knowledge that God works together all things for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). This kind of hope cannot be replicated or produced — it’s the gift God offers us.
“The nature of hope in the Old Testament is often described as more anticipatory and focused on the coming Messiah, while the New Testament presents a more realized hope of Jesus Christ, who has already fulfilled the promises of the Old Testament; essentially, the Old Testament offers a "hope for" while the New Testament offers a "hope in" due to Jesus' fulfillment of prophecy” (The Gospel Coalition).
The Good News is this: Hope is here and His name is Jesus Christ. He provides a reliable and secure Hope to those who accept Him as Lord and Savior!
“May the God of hope fill you will all joy and peace as you trust him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).