Sunday, January 01, 2006
1st Sunday of Advent: Hope December 4, 2005 Sermon Notes
Note: this posting based on outline notes of pastor. Sermon may be available on video. Email or ask pastor in comments below for details.
Text: Luke 1:67-80
Today we light the first candle in the Advent wreath, the candle of Hope. Hope springs eternal, as the story goes. Yes, hope is a resilient and amazing sensation. Every spring, we have hope that this will be the Reds' year. And by May, we know it is not. However, each year, we come back full of hope, full of expectation of the coming season. By May, we are through. However, the hope and expectation we will be speaking of today is one that will not burn out, but only if our hope is in what it should be.
Let's look at examples of hope. Abraham based his faith on the hope that he would be given a child, much less a nation, even though he and Sarai were beyond childbearing age. He listened to God, though he and Sarah did waver in seeking to give a son in the form of Ishmael, but overall, Abraham's hope held firm. Even as things looked dim, he maintained his hope. Even through his doubts, there was still hope. And thru believing in that hope, he was rewarded.
Now, let's look at today's Scripture, another message and story of hope. Zacharias and Elizabeth wanted a child. They, like ole Abe and Sarah, were older folks. Abraham got visited by an angel of the Lord, and what did Abraham do? he doubted. He did not believe even when the answer to his prayers was nigh. This is what we so often do in the face of the amazing hope offered by that babe in the manger, by that Man on the Cross. It is just too good to be true. How can we pin our hopes on this, we must be dreaming, etc.
However, like Zacharias, our hopes will be fulfilled, if we believe, and if we follow through, even if we have doubts. Zacharias doubted, even scoffed, and he was silenced while Elizabeth carried little John the Baptist in her belly. We may have a rough go of things, we may be humbled, but as long as we believe and have that hope, we too will see the rewards. Of course, in order to have hope, we must believe. We can still doubt, though we should not, but we must believe to have that hope.
Hear the good news: our hope is beyond all of these, even Abe and Zacharias. Our hope is born of God Himself. Our hope could not be extinguished by temptation and death. Our Hope had the victory and holds the keys to death and life. Our hope was resurrected of God. It is, in fact, the one, true, only Hope. It is that sweet babe lying in the manger. It is the hope of eternal life, the hope of repentance, that we can be wiped clean as babes, and we can be, as long as we maintain that hope, that hope that there is more than just this world. That there are miracles, angels, and sometimes amazing events that are beyond belief, but we know of greater, deeper miracles, the miracles of Christ and Salvation. Our hope is in the name of the Lord, Jehovah, Emmanuel, Jesus. Amen.
Text: Luke 1:67-80
Today we light the first candle in the Advent wreath, the candle of Hope. Hope springs eternal, as the story goes. Yes, hope is a resilient and amazing sensation. Every spring, we have hope that this will be the Reds' year. And by May, we know it is not. However, each year, we come back full of hope, full of expectation of the coming season. By May, we are through. However, the hope and expectation we will be speaking of today is one that will not burn out, but only if our hope is in what it should be.
Let's look at examples of hope. Abraham based his faith on the hope that he would be given a child, much less a nation, even though he and Sarai were beyond childbearing age. He listened to God, though he and Sarah did waver in seeking to give a son in the form of Ishmael, but overall, Abraham's hope held firm. Even as things looked dim, he maintained his hope. Even through his doubts, there was still hope. And thru believing in that hope, he was rewarded.
Now, let's look at today's Scripture, another message and story of hope. Zacharias and Elizabeth wanted a child. They, like ole Abe and Sarah, were older folks. Abraham got visited by an angel of the Lord, and what did Abraham do? he doubted. He did not believe even when the answer to his prayers was nigh. This is what we so often do in the face of the amazing hope offered by that babe in the manger, by that Man on the Cross. It is just too good to be true. How can we pin our hopes on this, we must be dreaming, etc.
However, like Zacharias, our hopes will be fulfilled, if we believe, and if we follow through, even if we have doubts. Zacharias doubted, even scoffed, and he was silenced while Elizabeth carried little John the Baptist in her belly. We may have a rough go of things, we may be humbled, but as long as we believe and have that hope, we too will see the rewards. Of course, in order to have hope, we must believe. We can still doubt, though we should not, but we must believe to have that hope.
Hear the good news: our hope is beyond all of these, even Abe and Zacharias. Our hope is born of God Himself. Our hope could not be extinguished by temptation and death. Our Hope had the victory and holds the keys to death and life. Our hope was resurrected of God. It is, in fact, the one, true, only Hope. It is that sweet babe lying in the manger. It is the hope of eternal life, the hope of repentance, that we can be wiped clean as babes, and we can be, as long as we maintain that hope, that hope that there is more than just this world. That there are miracles, angels, and sometimes amazing events that are beyond belief, but we know of greater, deeper miracles, the miracles of Christ and Salvation. Our hope is in the name of the Lord, Jehovah, Emmanuel, Jesus. Amen.
# posted by Mark : 3:59 PM
