First Sunday of Advent: Hope


The Arrival Of the Christ Child
Christ and Pilgrimage



Psalms 84:5 (NKJV) 5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in You,
Whose heart is set on pilgrimage.

Today we begin an intentional journey!  We by faith move intentionally in our Christian faith.  This is our advent series on the journey:

  • BECAUSE of Christ
  • The Journey OF Christ
  • The Journey TO Christ
  • The Journey WITH Christ
  • The Journey TOWARDS Christ



Dec 1. Hope. The Journey BECAUSE of Christ.

This is the first Sunday Advent



We begin our journey, we plan our journey, we move ahead on our journey…because of Christ.
Who is Christ to you?

When did this first begin?
What has changed since you began with Christ?

What does the Bible tell us about who Christ is?

(see how many of these you can think of before checking this link!)





What is the relationship/ association between Christ and hope?

Colossians 1:27-28 (NKJV) To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.

When you have Christ within you have hope:

Define Hope: expectation of good, hope in the Christian sense joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation

So, on our journey we intentionally need to think in terms of the hope we have that carries us through.  We are going somewhere!  There is a plan.  Regardless of your age, you are on the road to the most indescribable blessing your wildest imagination could think of!  You are going to be with Christ forever and enjoy all the blessings of eternality with Jesus!  

Imagine for a moment  Colossians 1:21-22 (NKJV) 21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—

WOW!  Isn’t that incredible!  We have hope!  We have assurance…
  • A confident expectation about eternity
  • A confident expectation about our participation in eternity
  • A confident expectation that Christ is with us, that he will not forsake us
  • A confident exception that Christ is the coming one!  He is coming again!


Listen to Matt Redman:



Prayer For Hope and Strength

Almighty God,
You reach into the darkness with hope, truth and light. Stretch out your strong hand in this situation, hold and rescue those who have suffered. Let your almighty love move mountains, cross seas and breathe life into the darkest places.

Light that redeems.
Light that restores.
Light that heals.
Light that protects.
Light that saves.

There is nothing higher, stronger or greater than your love.
We trust in you. 

(prayer courtesy www.lords-prayer-words.com)


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