First Sunday of Advent: HOPE (1262 hits)

Five hundred years before Christ, Isaiah predicted the birth of the Messiah. Found in the Old Testament, Isaiah 9:6 reads, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."

As we enter the season of Advent, we are entering into a time of anticipation, expectation and hope. We can also say that this is a time of prophecy regarding the coming of the Messiah. Even as we look to celebrating the birth of Christ, we can also see this time as preparation for the second coming of Jesus.

The season of Advent is also a season of contradictions in terms of our feelings of expectations and hope. Rev. Henry Ticknor, Minister the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Shenandoah Valley, in his sermon entitled, 'Martha & Mary-A Story for Advent (December 7, 2003) said: "This season of advent, leading up to Christmas is a time of paradoxical feelings and contrasting emotions. We are excited about the holidays, but all that we are expected to do wears us down. We can feel very sentimental about family traditions; and at the same time we may resent the time and effort required to meet other people’s expectations. Seeing family and friends can be exhilarating; and yet we can also feel pangs of loneliness and despair. The media bombards us with the message that this is a time of love, hope and joy. But the love and joy that the season represents can also be mingled with worry about money, jobs, children and our relationships. Hope can be dashed by the current events. In the end, all the hustle and bustle of this season can leave us emotionally and physically drained."

This first Sunday of Advent is about hope and anticipation, about holding on and holding fast to the promises of God. This first Advent Sunday 0f 2008, should mark a fresh beginning on how we will approach this holiday season. While the world continues to draw away, let us be reminded that Jesus is the reason.

Let the most important gift we give to all those on our list and even to ourselves, be the knowledge that God's gift to us was his only begotten Son; our light, our salvation and our hope.

"And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee." (Psalm 39:7)

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Quote taken from: http://www.uushenandoah.org/sermons/031207... Posted By: Vanessa Humphries
Monday, December 1st 2008 at 11:13PM
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