God of Hope

We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.

– Psalm 33:20-22

The season of Advent is a time of watching and waiting. Our Lectionary passages point to the coming of Christ, both at his birth and at the end of times. In worship we light Advent Candles to remember God’s work of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. I am encouraged by Psalm 33:22, “May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.” I’ve been putting up our Christmas decorations and one of my favorite things is an evergreen tree in the front yard. Each year I put strings of lights on the tree, and every year I have to stand on a taller ladder than the year before. Because of its location and the fact that we get a lot of wind at our place, I call it my “Dancing Christmas Tree”. In the early dark of winter, it brings a smile to my face and hope in my heart that light continues to shine in the darkness. “We wait and hope for the Lord. He is our help and our shield.” Even in the darkest night, there is a simple little light dancing to remind us of the power of hope.

This Sunday, following our 11am worship service, (approximately 12:15pm) we will hold our BLUE CHRISTMAS service in the Garden Sanctuary. Blue Christmas is a service of remembrance and hope.  It is an opportunity for those who are grieving and struggling with loss through the holidays to acknowledge that it isn’t easy to celebrate when you are suffering.  We will light candles to remind us of the hope that God is with us in our pain. Please join us for this special time to connect with God and give space for your struggles. After Blue Christmas we will enjoy a soup luncheon together in the First Pres Center.

This week we lit the first candle of Advent, the candle of Hope.

We put our hope in the one to come, the promised one who comes from God to bring good news of salvation. We hope in the one who will lead us to walk in the light of the LORD. We hope he will not let us live in dark valleys, but on the high mountain of God.

We light this candle in Hope.

We remember to hopefully look for the coming of Christ.