Sermon Preview: The Gift of Hope
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Job 17:15
Sunday begins the season of Advent, which is a time of preparation intended to make sure that our souls are set to receive the Christ Child as Christmas draws near. Each of the Sundays in Advent will focus on one of the “gifts” of Christmas: hope, peace, joy, and love.
This Sunday’s focus will be on hope, which is more than wishful thinking. As we will see from the story of Job, Bible hope is distinguished by its conviction that God can make a way when one doesn’t seem possible. Read the Christmas story and see how Job’s hope found ultimate fulfillment not in the restoration of his material and relational losses, but in the good news of God’s nearness in the Bethlehem baby.
This Sunday’s worship will also involve the Hanging of the Green, which symbolizes our spiritual preparation by the manner in which we prepare our worship space for this special season of the year. An innovation in this year’s observance is more participation from our members so that the service will begin in a relatively undecorated Sanctuary and conclude in a decorated one. I think you will be inspired by this “tweak” in our worship.
So, join us this Sunday as we prepare our Sanctuary as well as our hearts. Come ready to wrap your heart in hope, which will sustain you in the face of whatever challenges may be before you. You do not face them alone; you be confident that you will rise above them because of how God in Christ is there with you.