HOPE

The Neighborhood Church

We begin the season of Advent by focusing on Hope. Advent is a season of waiting and wonder -- will God show up? Will darkness give way to light? Hope is the expectation of God's good end so our answer is "Yes." But every year we prepare for Christmas by aligning ourselves with those who longed for the Messiah's (the chosen King of Israel) arrival onto the world's stage in spite of the hopelessness they feel. So when news of the Messiah's forerunner shocks an old priest on duty at the Temple, will he actually believe it's possible? Or are we, like the priest, too often lulled into thinking that our status quo will remain unchanged? The Advent journey invites to hope in the God who works while we wait. NOTES -- // SCRIPTURE FOCUS -- Luke 1.5-25 // BIG IDEA 1 -- Our status quo can lull us into thinking that our story is a dead end. But God doesn’t lead us into dead ends. Detours? Definitely. The promise of God is that every detour is destined toward a good end, leading us toward a horizon of hope. The God of Life loves to turn hopeless ends into endless hopes. // BIG IDEA 2 -- Sometimes we just have to be quiet so we can watch and wait for God to work. When we‘re quiet we can listen. When we listen we can focus. When we focus we see. // BIG IDEA 3 -- Hope—the expectation of God’s good end—may not change our situation but it does change our perception in the present.