First Day of Advent: Hope

Isaiah 11:1-10
Romans 8:18-25

On that first Christmas, Jesus didn't appear in the world out of nowhere.
             He was born.

That means he had family and a family history.

More incredible is that Jesus' birth continues and fulfills the story of God's promise to the world—God’s promise of life and salvation: Hope. Peace. Joy. and Love.

This is what we find in Christ—in the Christmas story—and throughout the Old Testament that leads to the New:
God chooses to be in relationship with the world.

From the very beginning, God refuses to abandon the world, no matter how much we mess it up.
Somehow, for some reason, God chooses to be with us.

So come prepare for Christ's coming anew
into our lives and our homes.
Come open the Scriptures
and trace the family tree of Jesus
Come follow the long tradition of divine grace
that brings us from Creation to Christ. 

Come celebrate Advent!