First Sunday of Advent: Hope

The first Sunday of Advent is in a week - November 30th. I was asked to write the liturgy for the lighting of the candles on the Advent wreath. Here is what I wrote about HOPE. This is the short version - I had to cut it down by about half. As always, I was way too wordy. Imagine that!:

First Sunday of Advent: HOPE

Voice 1 - On this first Sunday of Advent we remember the hope that we have in Jesus.

Voice 2 - Hope is a deep, unquenchable current flowing down through the centuries and into the days of our lives. It flows from its source – Jesus – who was before all time, is now, and will be forever the same. All things were made by him and for him, and in him all things hold together.

Voice 3 - This hope is what enables us to plant our feet on the floor each morning. It is the song that we follow through the long dark night.; the porch light that beckons our footsteps homeward through the forest. It is the light that shimmers just out of sight at the periphery of our vision. Its sweet fragrance seeps in under the tightly locked doors of our hearts.

Voice 4 - If we hope in ourselves, our failures discourage us. If we hope in others, they may unwittingly or intentionally fail us. Material things may all too easily be lost, stolen or destroyed. Our jobs may end or change in spite of our best efforts. Our financial investments may diminish when markets fall.

Voice 1 - Our hope in Jesus, however, does not disappoint. In the days of the kings of Israel, the prophets foretold the coming of a king greater than David, who would reign forever in righteousness and peace. In the time of the exile, the prophets foretold the coming of a deliverer who would save his people from their sins – the Messiah. The words of the prophets were cherished with hope through 400 years of silence. The heartbeat of hope in the promised Messiah pulsed on until it took up residence in the breast of a baby asleep in a manger in Bethlehem.

Voice 2 - And so we light this candle in remembrance of Jesus’ first coming as a baby to redeem us. But the story doesn’t end there, for he also promised to return as the King of Kings.

(Light the candle)

Voice 3 - During these shortest days of the year, as darkness falls and shadows lengthen, we have lit this candle of hope as a reminder that we are watching and waiting this Advent season for Jesus’ return. With the psalmist we cry, “Be strong and take heart all you who hope in the Lord.” And with the prophet Micah we declare: “But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior.”

Voice 4 - LET US PRAY: God of all hope – thank you for awakening hope through the words of your prophets, for faithfully fulfilling our hope by sending the baby who came to save us, and for allowing the hope to live on as we await his return this Advent. Amen.