The Promise: Hope

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be always acceptable to thee, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer and Lord, give us here today, eyes to see and ears to hear so we can learn your word together as a family. We offer you all the praise, honor, and Glory for it in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Good morning, my fellow encouragers! Today marks the beginning of Advent, a season of preparation for the promises of Jesus Christ, the Savior of all humankind.

In the Advent season, instead of the Gloria in Excelsis, we will sing the Nunc dimittis—commonly called the Song of Simeon. This song, found in St. Luke’s Gospel, chapter 2, reflects Simeon’s encounter with the infant Jesus at the temple. This fulfilled God’s promise of salvation for all people, as prophesied by Isaiah, as read in our Old Testament reading this morning. Despite his long wait, Simeon remained hopeful that God would fulfill His promise.

Waiting can be challenging, yet it is central to the Advent season. The word “Advent” comes from the Latin term “adventus,” meaning “the coming” or “the arrival.” For hundreds of years, these four weeks leading to Christmas Day have been a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus in His first coming and to anticipate His future return.

Each of the four candles on our Advent wreath symbolizes something special. I’ll get into those each week as we light them. The first candle we lit today stands for hope, and I want to share three thoughts about that this morning. First, hope is a certainty about the future that influences our present. Second, hope arises from an intense longing and a deep need. Lastly, hope is ultimately found in a person.

First, when we speak of hope, we often refer to it as something we wish will happen in the future. However, hope also significantly intertwines with our present circumstances. It invites us to live differently now, guided by the promise of what will come. This hope reshapes our perspective, encouraging us to see the world as it currently is with an eye on what it will be when Christ returns to restore all things. The Christmas story is filled with figures who embodied such hope, eagerly awaiting the fulfillment of God’s promises.

Isaiah 9:2 (AMP) expresses, “The people who walk in [spiritual] darkness will see a great Light; those who dwell in a dark land, the Light will shine on them.” The Old Testament holds many promises about the coming of Jesus, sustaining the Jewish people as they awaited their Messiah in a world marked by darkness.

Following Jesus’s birth, Mary and Joseph brought their newborn to the temple for dedication following Jewish law. Simeon, who some traditions suggest was around 112 years old, was there when they arrived. He had received a revelation from the Holy Spirit that he would not die before seeing the Messiah (Luke 2:26). When he held Jesus in his arms, he recognized Him immediately and was overjoyed. As he held the One he had been anticipating—God’s promised salvation for the world—he blessed God and recited a prayer of thankfulness. His prayer, which encompasses the essence of hope in Isaiah 9:2, beautifully reflects this realization.

For Simeon, this was an overwhelmingly emotional moment. He had witnessed Israel endure significant struggles: Roman oppression, internal conflicts, and wars that devastated his people. Yet amid these trials, Simeon held fast to hope. St. Luke described him as “just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel,” maintaining his belief that God’s promises were still alive.

At last, after years of waiting, he finally held the Messiah in his arms, the one who would bring redemption. Simeon exemplifies for us the essence of hope: living a just and devout life while putting faith in God’s future promises—the hope that our deliverer is still on the way, just as He assured us.

Simeon’s experience also illustrates my second point about hope. Hope stems from a deep longing and yearning for God’s presence and comfort. St. Luke notes that he was waiting for Israel’s consolation, akin to the meaning of our church’s namesake, “St. Barnabas,” or “son of consolation,” which signifies encouragement and comfort.

Israel faced turmoil and suffering for centuries under various empires, from the Assyrians to the Romans. During these dark times, prophets like Isaiah delivered messages of hope, signaling the arrival of a comforting figure—the Messiah. They promised better days ahead and encouraged people to trust that God would bring change and comfort.

St. Luke describes Simeon’s waiting using the Greek term “prosdechomai, ” which signifies a deep yearning for something vital. His hope stemmed from an awareness of an innate need for Emmanual, which means God with us.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer says of Advent, “The only ones who can celebrate Advent are the people who carry restlessness around with them … whose souls give them no peace, who know that they are poor and incomplete, and who sense something of the greatness that is supposed to come.” As Christmas approaches, let us embrace our longing for God, allowing it to cultivate the comfort and hope found in Jesus.

This brings me to my final point. Our hope comes from one person, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as highlighted in 1 Peter 1:13, which calls us to “hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Unlike worldly hopes—such as in finances, relationships, or circumstances—our true hope is anchored in Jesus and His promise to restore all that is broken.

Many who met Jesus during His time missed His true significance, expecting a political warrior instead of a humble Savior. Simeon, however, recognized Jesus as the promised Anointed One, having a hope rooted in God’s promises rather than personal expectations.

When our hope is placed anywhere but in Jesus, we often settle for lesser things that lead to disappointment. Let’s strive to derive our hope solely from Him.

As I come to the end of today’s message, it’s important to understand that this season of hopeful expectation encourages us to be active, preparing ourselves for His work in our lives.

When Jesus entered Jerusalem on His way to the cross, He spoke a parable to His disciples, known as the “parable of the pounds.” St. Luke’s Gospel chapter 19 imparts the story. In it, Jesus says, “Occupy until I come.” The Lord Jesus bids us “occupy.” By that, He means that you and I are to be “doers” in our Christianity while we wait for Him to come again.

This season of Advent may be the perfect opportunity to forgive or seek forgiveness from someone we may have wronged. It invites us to embrace a deeper connection with God through repentance. It calls us to serve and love those around us actively. We wait in hopefulness, but we wait with purpose and intention. As we wait on the Lord, let’s prepare our hearts to be filled with His hope and express the hope of Simeon to others.

For my eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;

To be a light to lighten the Gentiles, and to be the glory of thy people, Israel.