Advent Week 1: Hope
ADVENT WEEK 1: HOPE
Jeremiah: Israel and exile
Invitation / directions from God through Jeremiah: to settle down, to plant, to eat together, to build, and to dwell in the hope of His faithfulness.
In the place of exile or uncertainty, He wanted them to know He heard their petitions, held their future, wanted them to live fully, and to know in the midst of it all there is HOPE!
Jeremiah 29:1, 4-11 [NLT] - [1] Jeremiah wrote a letter from Jerusalem to the elders, priests, prophets, and all the people who had been exiled to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. ... [4] This is what the LORD of Heaven's Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem: [5] "Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. [6] Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! [7] And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare."
[8] This is what the LORD of Heaven's Armies, the God of Israel, says: "Do not let your prophets and fortune-tellers who are with you in the land of Babylon trick you. Do not listen to their dreams, [9] because they are telling you lies in my name. I have not sent them," says the LORD. [10] This is what the LORD says: "You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. [11] For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
Winter Solstice
We have seasons of uncertainty today — in our families, careers, finances, health, in our culture, and in our communities. God does not ask us to freeze our lives until circumstances improve.
Christmas is a celebration of Hope through the prophecy, life, teaching, sacrifices, death, and resurrection from the tomb of Jesus Christ.
Hope - God is in control of my future, my crisis of the moment, and the uncertainties of my past.
Hope is not denial of pain or difficulty; it is confidence in God’s character and His promises. It is the assurance that even when we cannot see him or trace His hand, we can trust His heart toward us.
All of the scripture today points to the following:
God calls us to live, plant, and build even in uncertain seasons.
God assures us He has plans, a future, and a hope for those who love and live in HIm.
God promises to listen when we pray and to be found when we seek Him wholeheartedly.
God promises restoration, healing, and a new covenant written on our hearts — fulfilled in the coming of Christ.
