11/27-12/3

Advent Week 1 Devotional: HOPE

For hundreds of years the people of God waited for the coming of the Messiah. And then, that first Christmas day, the waiting was over. The Prince of Peace arrived to usher in a new kingdom, God’s kingdom, on earth as it is in heaven (Isaiah 9:6). It is hard for us to grasp and fathom how astonishing it was that the God who created the universe and all that exists came to the earth to be with us in the person of Jesus (Colossians 1:15-16). It seems strange and unthinkable that the Messiah’s story includes an unexpected pregnancy and the birth of the Christ child in a barn in Bethlehem (Matthew 1:18 and Luke 2:6-7). Yet we are reminded by the prophet Isaiah and the life of Christ that God’s ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8).

 

This Advent season you are invited to spend time with Jesus each day, focusing your heart and mind on the source of hope, love, joy and peace. This daily devotional for the first week of the season is designed to help you set your thoughts on the HOPE we have in and through the God revealed most clearly through Jesus the Christ. The format is designed for you to use as much or little as you have time to use each day. Below is a guide for the weekly and daily use of this Advent devotional:

Each Week

• Answer the Advent Questions
• Watch the Advent Theme Bible Project video once, preferably on Sunday or Monday
• Listen to the hymn a few times throughout the week, perhaps on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, or whichever days the Holy Spirit guides you to listen

Each Day

• Read the brief portion of the hymn lyrics to begin
• Read the Bible verses for the day
• Think through your responses to the Daily Questions
• Pray
• Live in Response to Jesus

 

 

Week #1 Advent Questions:

You may find it helpful to write your responses to these questions or to talk about them with a family member, friend, or your small group.

 

What are my expectations for this Advent season? Why?

 

What are God’s expectations for me this Advent season?

 

Jesus was born to set his people free, so what do I need to be set free from during this season?

 

How can I help to set others free?

 

What fears do I have right now? Why?

 

What sins, if any, are holding me captive? Have I asked God to help me to overcome them? Why or why not?

 

Am I resting each day by giving my body the sleep it needs?

 

Am I resting each week by observing a partial or full Sabbath? If not, what do I need to stop doing so that I can have time to rest each day and observe the Sabbath?

 

Daily Hymn:

To prepare your heart and mind to focus on Christ, each day this week read part of the hymn lyrics from “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” by Charles Wesley:

Come, thou long-expected Jesus,

born to set thy people free;

from our fears and sins release us,

let us find our rest in thee.

 

Advent Theme Video:

You are encouraged to watch the Bible Project video about the biblical theme of HOPE this week either using the link below or searching for it on Youtube: Hope by the Bible Project

 

Daily Bible Verses to Read:

Sunday – Isaiah 9:2-7 (a great light has dawned for those walking in darkness)

 

Monday – Isaiah 42:1-7 (God’s servant w/ the Spirit on him)

 

Tuesday – Isaiah 40:28-31 (Where are you placing your hope?)

 

Wednesday – Romans 15:4 (what was taught in scripture helps produce hope)

 

Thursday – Romans 15:8-13 (gentiles will put their hope in the root of Jesse, Jesus)

 

Friday – Romans 5:1-5 (we boast in the hope we have in God)

 

Saturday the Sabbath – Psalm 65:1-8 (the Lord is the hope of all the ends of the earth)

 

Daily Questions in Response to the Bible Verses:

What does this message from God shared through the Bible verses reveal about HOPE?

 

Where am I placing my hope today?

 

Who needs to hear God’s message of hope shared through me today, this week, or later this season?

 

Listen to the Hymn:

You are encouraged to listen to the hymn for this week at least on a few days either using the links below for the YouTube videos or using versions that are familiar to you that you have available:

“Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus”

Meredith Andrews’ version

 

Keith & Kristyn Getty’s version

 

Pray:

Jesus, light of the world, you are the source or our hope.

In the darkest moments, days, and seasons you provide hope.

I place my trust in you because you are trustworthy.

You fulfill your promises according to your timing, not mine.

You, Lord, came to set people free, which includes setting me free.

Release me from my fears and sins.

I am coming to you to find rest from my restlessness.

I want to cease from striving to find contentment in sources other

than in you.

Forgive me. Help me to forgive myself and others.

Guide me to live as a person of hope who shares my hope with others.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit I pray. Amen.

 

*If you do not have a Bible, consider downloading the YouVersion Bible App for free from the Apple App Store or Google Play for your smartphone or tablet. You can also use www.BibleGateway.com to look up and read various translations of Bible verses online.