Advent Reflections - December 1

Hope

“The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from his descendants,
until the coming of the one to whom it belongs,
the one whom all nations will honor.”
 
 Genesis 49:10 


Reflection

Journey. Life is full of journeys. Some require great distance and endurance, while others are quite short in duration; ending before we've realized that they've begun. Some journeys are meant to be taken alone; proceeding in isolation. And some are meant to be shared with others; in communal precession; in the company of other sojourners.

Today we begin a journey together. A journey based on beginnings, but also a journey manifested in hope fulfilled. As we read these ancient words from the book of Genesis, we see that from the very beginning of time, God was breathing the eternal seeds of hope into the world. This truth came to fruition in the story of Christmas, transcends time and encourages us today, thousands of years later. 

As we light the first candle of Advent, we are reminded that within our Christ nature, that resides in all humanity, hope stands as one of the true essentials of faith.

Unfortunately, hope is not always easy to cling to. The world is unstable and uncertain in 2024. The future is uncertain. We dwell in a world faced with a chaotic and failing political system, racial injustice, global terrorism, environmental destruction, national disunity or threats of world war. We seem to be consumed within a culture that is influenced by anything that inspires hope. When troubles and discouragements seem to multiply each day, it becomes easy to lose our way and draw inward, isolating ourselves from the world and each other. Hope can seem to be pointless and unrealistic. Some may say that hope is just an idealistic utopian fantasy in the world in which we live.  

 

But the season of Advent is about hope. Hope in a God that joined humanity and lived among us. Walked the same paths and breathed the same air. Lived with the pain, fears and discouragements of life. And that same God dwells within us today. In the sometimes overwhelming reality of existence, and in the most minuscule and seemingly insignificant details of our daily lives. 

Advent is about the same hope that the people of Israel had over 2000 years ago. A hope in a God that “all nations will honor”, bringing peace, justice, universal harmony and unity to the world.

 As we begin this journey of Advent together, let us focus our minds and spirits on this hope filled truth: the Divine came into the world to live among us. And despite the chaos and turmoil that surround us today, his nature chooses to remain within us all. 
Emmanuel, God with us....  

Prayer

God of the universe and all that exists, as we begin this journey of Advent together, let our hearts be renewed with hope; the same hope that the world has had since the beginning of time, and the same hope that we have today. In the silence of this moment, calm our hearts and minds. Enable us to hold onto hope during this Advent Season, trusting in the Spirit that dwells among us all. 

Amen