Advent

I love advent.  It is an interruption of our lives as we prepare for the season of Christmas. For the next 4 weeks we dwell on Hope, Joy, Peace, and Love.  These are the 4 things that make our relationship with God and our lives complete. These are the things that we all desperately need in our lives.

After reminding the Christ followers of Jesus’ great sacrifice for us, we are reminded in Heb 10:22-25 to get back to the things that will help us live this God-Life.  I have preached on this before, but as I looked at it this time, I noticed an obvious connection to advent.

Hope, Joy, Peace, Love.

Heb 10:22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

This is our Joy.  We can draw near to God!  Jesus takes away our guilt!  Our bodies are cleansed!  Our faith should bring us Joy!  When you think of how God has restored our relationship with Him through Jesus, it should bring joy to your heart and life.  It should bring a smile to your face!

Heb 10:23 Let us hold unnervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

This is our Hope.  Hope is not just a wish.  “I hope you have a good day.”  “I hope my car keeps running.”  Hope actually means anticipation or expecting good.  It is a divine guarantee. If we say we believe God will save us, that God will forgive us, that God will use us, we should also expect God to be faithful.  Our hope is more than a wish. We have to believe with everything we have.  That is hope.

Heb 10:24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,

This is our Love.  The great command is to love God and then love others.  The best way to love God is to love others and the best way to love others is to show them God.  We need to be creative and inventive in looking for ways to help each other be better, helping each other grow, helping each other see God working in our lives.

Heb 10:25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Here is our Peace.  There is safety in numbers.  When we are together in Jesus name, He is with us.  Too often, this verse is used to somehow guilt us into coming to church more.  I believe when we get together for any reason, we can have church!  Sure, we are encouraged when we worship and study together.  We need to look to ways to encourage each other when we work together, when we play together, when we struggle together, when we eat together, and on and on.

May we draw near to God so much that it brings Joy.

May we believe God’s Word and promises that it brings us Hope.

May we love each other and our neighbors that we experience real Love.

May we live together each day to bring about real Peace in our lives and in our world.