"Long lay the world in sin and ever pining, ‘Til He appears and the soul felt its worth

A thrill of hope; the weary world rejoices, For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn."

So goes the second verse of "O Holy Night," where it is hope that thrills us.

Hope. Hope is a distinctly Christian word. But hope in modern nomenclature usually suggests that desired outcome has a possibility of failure: "I hope I get to my gate on-time ... I hope I get to see that movie ... I hope that pretty girl says yes to coffee ..." No, Biblical hope is different. It is based on a promise of God that is coming, but not yet.

In this first message of Advent, hope is first seen as something that God promised long ago, and is beginning to emerge. There were at least two people who had thought of it all their lives - and soon they would see it with their own eyes. And if we're careful, we'll have the same experience!

Listen-in on Sean's conversation with Barry, then catching up with Nate!

▶️ Nate's Message on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/ytp4e3df

🍊 Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/4y3r8c9s

🍎 Apple: ⁠https://tinyurl.com/m54hzd3r

💚 Grace Community Church: ⁠https://www.roswellgrace.com/

📰 Grace COMMUNITY Blog: https://tinyurl.com/mue5epjf

📕 Get Pastor Nate's Christmas Devotional, Rediscover Christmas: https://a.co/d/05AGT2z

📧 Send us questions or comments! ⁠[email protected]⁠