On this first Sunday in Advent, Dave spoke from Isaiah 40:25-31 about hope. The single most important attitude for us to adopt is one of hope, and this is entirely Biblical, for God has plans to give us hope and a future. (Jer 29:11) In our culture, hope is often watered down to simply wishing something, but in the Bible, the word is associated with confidence in God. We can hope and therefore not be afraid; we can hope and face the future whatever it holds because of God’s power and faithfulness.

Hope is not the same as optimism – a person can have hope even if temperamentally they are pessimists! We hope ultimately because God is in control. Hopelessness is a desperate situation, leading to depression and often to suicide, but we have access to hope which enables us to:

1. get started! Hope is what gets us out of bed in the morning; as Isaiah tells us, ‘those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.’ Vigour and energy are fuelled by hope.

2. continue whatever the burden. Paul tells us in 2 Cor 1 that he almost despaired of life itself because of the opposition and burdens he faced, but this taught him to trust God rather than himself.

3. persevere and continue. The swimmer Florence Chadwick once failed in an attempt because fog descended and she could not see the shore. The fog of doubt and fear often mean we cannot see God’s promises, but they are still there. Mary and Martha were without hope because Jesus arrived too late to help Lazarus in their opinion, but in fact, Jesus raised him to life. There is much suffering in life, but 1 Pet 1:6 reminds us of the joy ahead, no matter what.

4. slow down. Hope enables us to rest, to accept that because God is in control, we don’t need to be! We can find rest in God alone. (Ps 62:5)

5. say no. We need to have power to say no to the temptations of life and to live with holiness (1 John 3:3)

Ultimately we have hope because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Pet 1:3) The word ‘hope’ is mentioned 70 times in the New Testament after the resurrection. The cross was the symbol of shame and humiliation, but that dark place became the place of God’s ultimate triumph and He both understands and can transform our pain. The resurrection of Jesus Christ points to a future hope of heaven, a ‘blessed hope’ which sustains us (Lam 3:21-22). Is 49:23 reminds us that those who hope in God will not be disappointed. We can live hopeful lives because of God’s presence and help.

Mark Burgin spoke this morning on the transforming salvation which God brings through His power. In Isaiah 61:1-4, we see that God can turn situations around, rebuilding ruins and bringing good from evil, beauty from ashes and joy instead of mourning. There can be a restoration of heart and mind. There is provision for grief, but as God restores us, He lifts us up and puts us back together.

These verses are sometimes called the ‘divine exchange’, for God gives us so much more. Instead of sackcloth and ashes, there is celebration; there is the oil of joy for mourning. God transforms and His anointing brings joy. Recent events have ‘sucked’ joy out of many people, but we do not have to stay in this position, for God is able to give us joy in all circumstances.

We are given new garments of praise instead of despair and discouragement; there is hope when God is around!

As we enter the season of Advent, a time when (in the words of the Christmas carol) we are to ‘let every heart prepare Him room’, a time when we prepare for Christmas and the arrival of the baby Jesus at Bethlehem, we are going to be looking at different themes connected with the word ‘Advent’ itself. Each week we’ll look at these themes using the acrostic poem and will see what the Bible has to teach us about this season of preparation.

Anticipation

Devotion

Value

Enjoyment

Nativity

Thankfulness

Advent is very definitely a time of anticipation and preparation, based on the sure knowledge that Christmas is coming. As we allow anticipation to build in us, the hope we have in Jesus Christ can be a fuel to motivate and move us and help us to live for God always.

The Borg, an alien species in the ‘Star Trek’ series, sought to assimilate others into a collective and had the mantra, ‘Resistance is futile.’

Many of us act as though we were living in a Borg collective, preferring a herd mentality to independent thought, secretly believing that resistance is futile and adopting a passive attitude that says one person can’t make a difference. As Christians, we often equate pacifism or a desire for peace with passivity.

The Bible tells us, however, that we are in a spiritual battle (Eph 6:10-20) and that we are to overcome evil by good. (Rom 12:21) It speaks of subversive resistance through love, forgiveness and a willingness to embrace God’s way of doing things (the way of the cross.) The methods of resistance which Christians adopt may well be very different to the world’s methods – which often involve aggression, violence, manipulation and deceit – but resistance to evil is a fundamental part of the Christian faith. We are not called to lie down and let evil go unchallenged. We are called to be salt and light, to dance to a different tune, to live in ways that are distinctive and different.

This is not easy. Loving our enemies, leaving room for God’s wrath, can seem a very wishy-washy response to people steeped in activism and protest. But the way of love and righteousness, of sacrifice and self-denial, will always be God’s way for us to resist evil.

We must not believe the Borg lie that resistance is futile, but our resistance and protest against evil must reflect Christ’s, rather than simply resorting to the world’s tactics.

J-P spoke tonight from Phil 4:10-20, entitling his sermon ‘Return on Investment.’ In the financial world, this refers to the profit made on investment (e.g. if you invest £1000 and your return is £1200, you have a 20% return on your original investment), but of course, investment does not just apply to the financial world. We invest in many things, including our families and the kingdom of God.

For a parent, what investment is made in your children’s lives? This is not just the financial cost (which was estimated to be £71,611 for a couple to raise a child to the age of 18) but those nights without sleep, the provision of transport to and from activities, the prayers and plans which every parent knows well. We invest in our children and grandchildren because of our love for them, and we reap a return through our ongoing relationship with them. In terms of investment in the kingdom of God, Paul had much to thank the Philippian church for. His evangelism (resulting in the conversion of Lydia and her whole household and the Philippian jailer and his household), told in Acts 16, led to the formation of the church there and in this letter, he was extremely grateful for their generosity and financial support. He was not dependent on them, but understood that their service and sacrifice to God would be rewarded (declaring that God would meet all their needs).

We can never outgive God. To the Corinthians, Paul said, ‘you will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion.’ (2 Cor 9:11) When we invest in God, He invests in us and blesses us in ways we can’t imagine. All we have is from God, but the question remains, what are we going to give to Him? He’s not just interested in our money, but our whole lives!