Many people feel that the Old Testament and New Testament are completely different. They see a wrathful, vengeful God in the Old Testament, a set of ‘thou shalt nots’ and are put off by the violence seen there. The New Testament, the story of life from the arrival of Jesus on earth to the end of time, is presented as a complete reversal of this, with love the main theme. Some people, therefore, feel there is little consistency in the Bible and shun God as a result.

However, whilst there are obvious differences between the two ‘halves’ of the Bible, there is consistency in how God is portrayed. He is love (as John’s first lesson explicitly tells us), but to simply focus on this without acknowledging His other attributes will lead to a lopsided view of God. His holiness, justice, righteousness, love, mercy, compassion and forgiveness can be found in both Old and New Testaments.

We looked at some of these themes in the New Testament last night and discovered there is much there about the coming judgment and God’s wrath (see Matt 3:1-12, Matt 7:P13-14, Matt 13:24-30). There, we also read of God’s forgiveness but this is not wihout warnings to repent and forgive also (see Matt 18:21-35). Judgment is seen in Acts too (think of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-11 or Herod in Acts 12:19-24). The New Testament actually develops the revelation of God seen in the Old Testament, where, for example, the Fatherhood of God can be clearly seen (see Matt 6:1-18, Ps 68:4-5, Ps 89:20, 26, Is 63:16, Jer 31:8-9). We need to understand that the New Testament is incomprehensible without the Old Testament and the Old Testament foreshadows all that is explained in the New. We need both, and can be reassured that there is consistency and hope within the entire BIble.

On our last day considering the anticipation of Advent, it’s worth remembering that there is a bitter-sweet quality to anticipation: sometimes, the excitement just becomes too much for us! As a child, I used to be so excited about Christmas that by the time Christmas Day actually arrived, I woke up far too early and felt sick most of the day, being unable to eat my Christmas dinner because I felt unwell! The Psalms capture that feeling sometimes, talking about longing for God’s saving help: ‘my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.’ (Ps 63:1) We can feel sick with excitement and anticipation, and in this world, Christmas can end up being a disappointment to us because we have perhaps looked for the wrong things (maybe getting disappointed if we don’t get a certain gift, for example) or are having to cope with the difficulties of life (maybe spending our first Christmas without a loved one, for example, which can be very painful.)

The Bible declares that God does not disappoint us (Ps 25:3), but there are certainly times when life does. Often, we have wrong expectations and are hoping for things that God has never promised us. We can become bitter and disillusioned, disappointed and disenchanted when things don’t turn out the way we expected. The truth is that the first Christmas must have seemed a bit of a disappointment in many ways: a crowded city, no room at the inn, birth in a stable, poverty and a decided lack of glamour. Life is often not as exciting or glitzy as we expect; there is far more to Christmas than tinsel, glitter and fairy lights. God works for good in ALL circumstances of life, Paul tells us (Rom 8:28). If you’re ‘not feeling’ the hope, peace, love and joy of Advent, don’t worry. God is still there with you in it all, and He will bring you through to the reality of these things, not just the outward substance of them.

What do you do whilst you are anticipating Christmas?

Families often adopt their own traditions, particularly at weekends or in the week before Christmas. They might hold a baking session (I vividly remember baking mince pies with my Mum as a child on the weekend before Christmas) or make Christmas decorations for the tree. They might watch certain Christmas films (our family tends to watch ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’ on the first weekend in December) or go to Christmas markets or visit Santa’s grotto. Our family likes to look at the reindeer and Christmas trees in Billingley on one weekend in December. All of these things help to build anticipation and excitement.

While we wait, it’s good to remind ourselves of what we are waiting for. We like to read the Christmas story in different forms and think about what it would have been like for Elizabeth and Mary, talking to each other about their miracle babies, or about the Wise Men, discovering the star and deciding to set off on a long journey.

What do we do while we wait for Jesus to return? Advent means ‘arrival’, and whilst we focus particularly on His arrival as a man at that first Christmas, there is always the hope that He is coming again to our world as Saviour and Judge. At this time of anticipation, it’s good to remember that we are called to serve God and live for Him each day, 365 days a year. It’s good to remind ourselves that God is at the centre of life and to live our lives in ways that honour and glorify Him.

Anticipation can make us feel giddy with excitement or sick with dread, depending on what we are anticipating! Perhaps the most notable thing about Christmas is that it’s all about birth, and as every parent knows, the birth of a baby is the end of a long period of waiting known as pregnancy. These days, a woman can discover she is pregnant very early on after only a few weeks, but a baby is normally born only after 37 or more weeks (unless premature.) That’s a long time to wait!

The miracle of scans means we can now see the baby’s form during pregnancy, but even so, there is a long period of anticipation for the family as they wait for the baby to actually be born. All eyes are usually on the ‘due date’, but babies rarely come on that exact date, so there can be waiting even after the date when the baby is expected! Nervousness, excitement, hope and apprehension are common feelings at this stage.

Hope is one of the key Advent themes. Paul says, ‘hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.’ (Romans 8:24-25) We have many things to hope for and wait for as we prepare for Christmas, but as with the birth of any baby, we know that pregnancy, the waiting period, won’t last for ever. The baby will be here soon!

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.