HOPE | First Sunday of Advent

Today is the first Sunday of Advent. In whatever small moment of stillness you can make as December begins today, I want to invite you to make space for HOPE… through cultivating hope through giving yourself to the simple act of waiting.

Isaiah 40:31 reminds us that those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. The season of Advent reminds us that hope and waiting are intertwined. Advent reminds us that hope has to be tended and stirred up by the presence of the spirit of God. Because of Him, our hope persists when the news is dark, when the situation feels impossible and… in times of waiting. Most of us don’t like to wait. The virtues of self-control, and of patience, are difficult for us to practice. Our ability to wait for the Lord very often rests on our trust in His character, and in His presence, and in His timing. Is there something that you find yourself waiting for, today? Perhaps it’s a small thing, that seems inconsequential. Or maybe you are waiting for something that feels terribly meaningful, deeply important. Advent, in a way that is not naïve nor patronizing invites us to consent to times of waiting… by putting our trust and hope in the promises of God’s goodness, and His provision… even though His ways are not always clear to us.

Todays’ reading is from the Old Testament Prophet Jeremiah, chapter 33: 14 “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah. 15 “‘In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land. 16 In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it[a] will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.’ Consider this phrase: the days are coming when I will fulfill the good promises…. The Lord is looking forward to the fulfillment found in Jesus of Nazareth. In God, putting on flesh, and moving into our world. Humbling himself. Identifying with all the waiting found in our human condition. It is because of Him that we can wait in hope. Consider your own life: for what are you waiting? Are you waiting with hope? (moment of pause) As we consider our first Advent candle… the candle that after all this season of Advent will have burned the longest… place any areas of long waiting into the care of Christ. Speak out loud to the Lord what you are waiting for, hoping for...

For those listening now who might not feel hope, or who are struggling to experience the hope found in Christ… my prayer is that you would know that your sisters and brothers are carrying you right now as we pray together these words from Psalm 130: We wait for the Lord, our souls waits. And in His word we do hope. Our souls wait for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning. Yes, more than those who watch for the morning…. We wait for the Lord… Amen

This is a version of the five-step Daily Examen that St. Ignatius practiced.

1. Become aware of God’s presence.
2. Review the day with gratitude.
3. Pay attention to your emotions.
4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it.
5. Look toward tomorrow.

Today is November 28 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you.  
 
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”   
 
Today’s reading is from the gospel of Luke, chapter 8.  
 
4 While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: 5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. 6 Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.”  
 
Let’s enter into this story for a moment… Luke tells us that a large crowd begins to gather as people are following Jesus around, trying to understand who he is, and what he’s doing. All of a sudden Jesus stops, looks up and begins to tell a story about a farmer and some seed. Most folks in the crowd are farmers, so this is familiar territory…  
 
This passage of Luke is familiar for many of us. Can you try to hear it with fresh ears? As you listen to the passage again, think about the soil of your heart and life that the Gospel seed is falling into. Consider, is the seed of faith being choked out by something? Is it falling on a hard heart? Is the seed being choked by dry ground? Or is it falling on moist soil? Bring the condition of your heart to God.  
 
We all want to be good soil for God’s word to grow. Sometimes we need to do some work to cultivate the soil. To dig up the ground. To water it. To clear away some weeds. To scatter the birds. As we close our time of prayer, ask God if there is one thing you can do to cultivate the soil of your life today?  
 
Music: "Prayer of Consecration" - Vineyard Worship
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jlrvO_FwHU

Today is November 27 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.  
 
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”   
 
Today’s reading is from Psalm 71.  
 
 
      14 As for me, I will always have hope;  
         I will praise you more and more.  
       15 My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds,  
         of your saving acts all day long—  
         though I know not how to relate them all.  
      16 I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign LORD;  
         I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.  
      17 Since my youth, God, you have taught me,  
         and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.  
      18 Even when I am old and gray,  
         do not forsake me, my God,  
         till I declare your power to the next generation,  
         your mighty acts to all who are to come.  
 
This psalmist… remembering the days of his youth, all the way to his present… he says he is old and gray. What season of life are you in right now? Single? Newly married? Great-Grandparenting? Or somewhere in between?  How do you feel about this season of life? Talk to the lord about where youre at 
 
What season of faith are you in? Perhaps you’re a young believer or are re-constructing your faith. Or maybe you’re a sage… having followed Jesus for half a century! What unique things are real for you in this season of faith? Listen again…  
  
Is there any place in your life where you are declaring God’s power to the next generation? If so: thank you! It means so much! If not, why? What are you waiting for? What is holding you back from serving the next generation in the same way that someone served you? Talk to God about this as you end your time of prayer. 
 
Music: "God Of Our Mothers And Fathers" - Vineyard Worship 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCKcSGvj_lQ

Today is November 26.
  
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you.   
  
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”     
    
Today’s reading is from Psalm 63.   


1 You, God, are my God,  
    earnestly I seek you;  
I thirst for you,  
    my whole being longs for you,  
in a dry and parched land  
    where there is no water.  
2 I have seen you in the sanctuary  
    and beheld your power and your glory.  
3 Because your love is better than life,  
    my lips will glorify you.  
4 I will praise you as long as I live,  
    and in your name I will lift up my hands.  
5 I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;  
    with singing lips my mouth will praise you.  
6 On my bed I remember you;  
    I think of you through the watches of the night.  
7 Because you are my help,  
    I sing in the shadow of your wings.  
8 I cling to you;  
    your right hand upholds me.  
9 Those who want to kill me will be destroyed;  
    they will go down to the depths of the earth.  
10 They will be given over to the sword  
    and become food for jackals.  
11 But the king will rejoice in God;  
    all who swear by God will glory in him,  
    while the mouths of liars will be silenced.  
  

David is once again writing this Psalm as he is escaping and running for his life from his rebellious son Absalom. David and his men were in desperate need for food and water as they were crossing the Jordan River. In that very moment of starvation and thirst, David pauses and describes his deepest need as his need for God.  I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.  
    
David’s physical needs reminded him of his spiritual needs. Instead of first seeking for his physical needs to be met, David seeks first for his spiritual needs to be met, trusting that God also cares about his physical needs. As you listen to the Psalm again, consider your own needs, both spiritual and physical. Bring all of your needs to the Lord through David’s prayer.   
    
Jesus declared in the Gospel of John, "whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life… I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst."  Will you take his words into your heart today? Will you seek Jesus for every need of your life, even hunger and thirst – trusting that when you come to him that he will meet all of your needs?  

Music: "Breathe" - Vineyard Worship (YouTube)

Today is November 25.
  
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.    
  
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”     
    
Today’s reading is from the book of 2 Kings, chapter 23.   
  

24 Furthermore, Josiah got rid of the mediums and spiritists, the household gods, the idols and all the other detestable things seen in Judah and Jerusalem. This he did to fulfill the requirements of the law written in the book that Hilkiah the priest had discovered in the temple of the Lord. 25 Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did—with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses.  
  

Time and time again God calls his people to become holy. He reminds them of their proclivity to worship idols and vague spiritualities instead of God. Sometimes, even now in the midst of a holiday season, we become distracted, and our attention, our heart, our soul, our strength… gets aimed toward wrong, unhelpful, or harmful distractions. Take a moment as you come to prayer and ask God to help you turn your heart to the Lord.  
  
King Josiah does his part in bringing the people of Israel toward the call of holiness before God, and attention toward God. In order to do this, scripture tells us that he ‘gets rid of’ all sorts of things. In other words, he cleans house. As you listen to the text again, search your own heart for one thing that you may need to ‘clean up’ or ‘get rid of’ so that you can turn your full attention toward the Lord. What is distracting you from faithfulness today?   
  
As we close our time of prayer, consider what it means for you to live in such a way as to turn to the Lord with your whole heart, soul, and strength. Ask God for grace to be so oriented to him that you become an overflow of His loving-kindness to those around you. 

Music: "Prayer of Consecration" - Vineyard Worship (YouTube)

Today is November 24
May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way.


Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”  
 
Today’s reading is from the book of Acts, chapter 20.

22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

This scripture offers a glimpse of how the Spirit leads. It’s not always into wonderful experiences. Sometimes, the spirit leads us toward a steadfast followership in the face of suffering. Consider a hardship in your life, a difficulty or challenge. Is there a sense of being compelled by the spirit in your experience? Or, do you feel weak and weary in your faith? Bring that to the Lord today.
 
As you listen to the passage again, consider Paul’s determination to face the challenge that is before him with conviction, and with a sense of the Spirit’s empowerment. He only wants to finish this race, to complete this task. Ask God to give you all the need for the task in front of you.

So often, our faith grows weary and worn, and we forget what it’s like to be compelled by the Spirit on behalf of the grace of God. Or sometimes, our faith is lukewarm. The grace of God is overfamiliar. We take for granted what we have. As we end our time of prayer, would you ask the Lord to stir up your faith and your gratitude for the things he has placed before you today. Could you ask him for more of his spirit as you face the challenges ahead of you?

Music Credit:
"Anything and Everything" - Heaven & Earth (YouTube)

This is a version of the five-step Daily Examen that St. Ignatius practiced.

1. Become aware of God’s presence.
2. Review the day with gratitude.
3. Pay attention to your emotions.
4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it.
5. Look toward tomorrow.

Today is November 21.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you.  
 
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”   
 
Today’s reading is from Psalm 56.  
 
      3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.  
         4   In God, whose word I praise—  
         in God I trust and am not afraid.  
         What can mere mortals do to me? 
      10 In God, whose word I praise,  
         in the LORD, whose word I praise—  
      11 in God I trust and am not afraid.  
         What can man do to me?  
  
Scripture so often talks about fear, one of the most basic of human emotions. Fear can be acute – being afraid in a frightening situation – or chronic – being afraid in an ongoing way where fear or anxiety becomes a chronic part of our emotional landscape, even if there’s nothing in front of us to be afraid of. Do you struggle with fear, or anxiety, or worry? Is there a situation right now that makes you feel afraid? Bring that to the Lord. 
 
Now take whatever situation that has come into your mind… perhaps a specific thing you are worried about? Or a fear you have? Or chronic anxiety? And as you listen again to the words of this psalm, imagine offering it to the Lord, laying it down at His feet. 
 
What can man do to me? One the one hand, we might answer: A LOT! Humanity does horrific things, mankind can be cruel. On the other hand, we might consider what the Psalmist is pointing toward: that regardless of what happens in this mortal world, God is trustworthy. We can remember that in this mortal world we will have trouble. And there are things to fear. AND we can ask God for the power to trust in his eternal love, His eternal justice and mercy, and His eternal shalom. This is not a simple thing. As we end, I have two encouragements for you. First, if you are afraid of a particular situation or person… and if you have reason to be afraid, if anyone is hurting or harming you… please reach out to a pastor, counselor, or safe friend and talk to them… so that someone else knows and can help you. Second, if you know that you are safe… but yet struggle with fear or anxiety or worry… take time through your day to offer it – over and over – to the feet of Jesus. 
 
Music: "Be Still" - Vineyard Worship 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1gofYxnWpE&list=OLAK5uy_lORjIs-fhaoAb6ot2t54vI3oFG2Cvhwms&index=3

Today is November 20.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.  
 
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”   
 
Today’s reading is from the book of Acts, chapter 19.  
 
While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”  
They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”  
3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”  
“John’s baptism,” they replied.  
4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 
       
Paul tells the church in Corinth to Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts. Here, Paul traveled to Ephesus and prayed that they may be filled by the spirit. These believers had heard the Gospel message and were baptized into that knowledge by John… and now they experienced the presence and the power of God through the spirit. As you come to prayer today, do you feel the presence and power of God’s spirit?  
   
We know that God is near to us always – He is behind and before, above and beneath. Wherever you are, God is. At the same time, scriptures like these remind us that there is also an experience of God’s spirit… not just an intellectual assent, but an actual experience, of the truth in the nearness of God. As you listen to the passage again, imagine this group new disciples moving from a head knowledge about God, to an actual experience of God. 
  
Paul traveled in order to pray over these new believers, to impart God’s spirit to them, and to encourage them. Imagine how their faith was built up by Paul’s willingness to be present to them. As you go through your day today, pray that God would bring someone across your path that you can encourage through the Holy Spirit. Look for ways this week to be one like Paul, who is intentionally blessing others, and praying over them: Come Holy Spirit.  
 
Music: "Fall Afresh" - Vineyard Worship/Samuel Lane 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YUirsQjXmU