The Advent of Hope

We begin Advent.
It is a time of Hope.
"Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."  Hebrews 11:1

As people of faith, we enter Advent, this time of preparation, in anticipation of God's coming to us.

It was a time for the people who "walked in darkness" (Isaiah 9:2) who were conquered and exiled to see a great light.  They were hopeful that they would be returned to their land, their justice and freedom.

It was a time for the people who "sat in darkness" (Matthew 4:16) under (Roman) empire occupation and oppression to see the great light of deliverance in justice, peace and their autonomy.

It is the Hope that people will continue in faith until the darkness of injustice, corruption, exploitation, discrimination, inequities, inequality, hatred and ignorance that grow out of greed, lust for power and desire for status create will be eliminated by the light of truth in love, grace and mercy.

What is your darkness?
What is it that occupies and oppresses you?

Perhaps it is the darkness of others that oppresses you or holds you down, back or out.
Perhaps it is the darkness within you that keeps you from living in the light.

It may seem that the darkness is too great to be overcome.
It may seem that the darkness of greed, lust for power and desire for status wins in this world.
It may seem that the darkness within you that persistently and  negatively affects you is too strong to eliminate.

But exposing the darkness for what it is gives the hope of light's reign.
The prophet Isaiah exposed the darkness for what it was.
The Good News of Jesus exposed the darkness for what it was.
And hope was restored as people lived in faith - that irrational, seemingly impossible hopefulness that persists through the darkness, empowered people to address the darkness and eliminated darkness with light.  It turns on the light, which eliminates darkness, first from within and then, as people of God live it in this part of God's Kingdom, in the world around us.

Many people in our land and around the world suffer because of the darkness cast across the world by the insidious evil of greed, lust for power and desire for status of others.  What those who live these empire values put out in the world casts a great shadow over the rest of the world.  It is darkness, but they see it as the light (Luke 11:33-36).

The Good News of Jesus calls us to live the Kingdom values of Agape Love, Grace and Mercy.  These are forces of light for this part of God's Kingdom, here and now.  When people of God, who live in faith - the assurance of things hoped for and conviction of things (as of yet) unseen, live these values in the world around them, transformation in individual lives and community occurs and the light of God's truth eliminates the darkness.

Tired of sitting in the darkness of empire?
Tired of seeing others hurt by the darkness of empire?
Live in the light of Agape Love, Grace and Mercy in the world around you, and watch the darkness dim, shrink and evaporate. 
It starts from within.
It starts from within YOU and ME.

So, now, at the end of 2017, we have our Advent of Hope that the people who have sat in darkness will see the Great Light of Agape Love, Grace and Mercy in this world and eliminate the darkness itself in this part of God's Kingdom, here and now.

God is not supernaturally eliminating the darkness.  God is spiritually eliminating it through us, those who Jesus calls the "salt of the earth" and "light of the world."
God has planted within us the faith that will produce hope in the face of the darkness, and has given us the Good News to compel us to live in the light of Agape, Grace and Mercy and thus eliminate the darkness in this part of God's Kingdom, here and now.  God is working through us, by the Holy Spirit, to drive us to follow Jesus, be transformed and help others be transformed, and be those through whom the light is given that eliminates the darkness.
God's Kingdom come; God's will be done on earth as in heaven.

Give up those expressions of the darkness of empire values that others live.  * Make sure that what you believe is light is not darkness to others, which means that the light in you is darkness. *
Embrace the light and truth of living the Good News of Jesus - what Jesus taught, commanded and modeled for us as we have that in the Gospels - Agape, Grace and Mercy.  Only that will eliminate the darkness within you and around you.

This is the Advent of Hope for us all.

Pastor Jamie