The season of Advent in the Christian year begins four Sundays before Christmas as a way to prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ. This special season is often celebrated in churches through the advent wreath consisting of a greenery wreath holding four candles (typically three purple and one pink or four purple) with a larger white candle on the inside. Each of the candles has a special meaning. The first candle to be lit on the first Sunday of Advent is a purple candle representing Hope.
Scripture Readings
Isaiah 7:14-16: ‘“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, for before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste. The Lord will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah - he will bring the king of Assyria.”’
Matthew 1:20-21: “But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save the people from their sins.”’
Luke 1:30-33: “But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”’
Message
Jesus’ birth gives us hope. In Isaiah 7:14-16, God speaks to Ahaz through the prophet Isaiah, and gives Ahaz hope that his present suffering due to the two evil kings is only temporary as God will send a baby who will grow up to lead and make all things well for Ahaz’s family. This Old Testament promise shows that God has a plan for all of us, so we can feel comforted in knowing that there is a time for everything, and that every time is for hope.
God’s promises extend beyond the Old Testament as God makes a promise to Joseph in Matthew 1:20-21 that Mary’s baby, conceived by the Holy Spirit, “will save the people from their sins.” What greater hope is there than that? The baby that Joseph was not certain he wanted is destined for greatness. He is the son of God. He has been sent as a gift of reconciliation in order to save the imperfect, sinful people from a fate worse than death. While there are yet to be instructions as to how this will work, Joseph’s faith allows him to believe in the hope that one day his baby son will save the world. Jesus is the epitome of hope.
Mary also needed to hear from God that her current struggle as a pregnant virgin, who no one believed, is all part of a greater plan. In Luke 1:30-33 the angel, Gabriel, comes to Mary and tells her of all that Jesus will accomplish. His opening phrase “Do not be afraid” is a reminder to all of us that even when it seems like all is falling apart, we still must hold on to hope that it will all be okay. Jesus is our hope even in the midst of our darkest moments, and young Mary embodies amazing faith through her hope in God and his plan. Mary is a model for the blind faith we all need to have.
During this season, prepare a place for Jesus in your heart with hope. Believe that He is there through every moment of your day; you are never alone thanks to the greatest gift God gave to us. With a God like that, and a savior like Jesus, what do we have to fear?
