The Advent of Hope

The word “Advent” originates from the Latin word “adventus,” meaning “arrival” or “coming.” In Christian tradition, Advent signifies the anticipation and preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ. It symbolizes the period of waiting and expectation for the celebration of Christ’s birth at Christmas and also reflects on the anticipation of Christ’s second coming in the future. Advent serves as a time for spiritual reflection, hope, and readiness for the arrival of Jesus.

Each week of Advent, one additional candle is lit. The lighting ceremony is often accompanied by scripture readings, prayers, and reflections on the corresponding theme for that week. The progression of lighting candles symbolizes the increasing light that Christ brings into the world.

Some Advent wreaths include a fifth, central white candle known as the Christ Candle. This candle is typically lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, representing the birth of Jesus Christ, the Light of the World.

1. What do you hope for this Christmas? 

• When I was a kid it was shallow stuff…
  • Schwinn bike
• As an adult we hope for more serious things…
  • For a future spouse
  • For a child (it took us a while with AJ)
  • For a family member to come to faith

Proverbs 13:12 (NLT) Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.

• Hope = expectation, longing
• Deferred = put off, postponed

Hope is the first concept we encounter in the Advent tradition…

The Messianic expectation in the Bible refers to the anticipation and hope for the arrival of a Messiah, a savior figure who is prophesied to bring redemption, salvation, and restoration to God’s people. In the Old Testament, various prophecies and promises point to a future anointed one, a descendant of David, who will establish God’s kingdom, rule with justice, and bring about a time of hope. In the New Testament the Messiah is revealed: Jesus Christ. Here are three key Messianic prophecies of hope in the Old Testament:

Genesis 3 

Genesis 3:15 (NLT) And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”

• This is called the “protoevangelium”, the first mention of the gospel in Scripture
  • Hostility: There will be a conflict between the descendants of the woman and the serpent.
    • Spiritual warfare
    • Sinful nature. Battling flesh vs spirit
  • Offspring: A specific descendant of the woman will be instrumental in this conflict.
    • Gen 12 starts to answer who this might be
      • Genesis 12:3 (NLT) I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”
    • Gen 49 gives more clues (Jacob’s blessings on his sons)
      • Genesis 49:10 (NLT) The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from his descendants, until the coming of the one to whom it belongs, the one whom all nations will honor.
    • Rest of the Bible reveals his identity: Jesus
  • You will strike his heel: cross
  • He will strike your head: resurrection  
• (Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Abridged Edition (2 Volumes)) The point is that for the rest of his life, when the snake crawls on his belly, he will “eat dust,” an expression of “total defeat” (cf. Isa 65:25; Mic 7:17).
  • Isaiah 65:25 (NLT) The wolf and the lamb will feed together. The lion will eat hay like a cow. But the snakes will eat dust….
  • Micah 7:17 (NLT) Like snakes crawling from their holes, they will come out to meet the LORD our God. They will fear him greatly, trembling in terror at his presence.
• The imagery is carried into the NT
  • Romans 16:20 (NLT) The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
  • Revelation 12:7-9 (NLT) Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. And the dragon lost the battle, and he and his angels were forced out of heaven. This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.

Isaiah 7 

Isaiah 7:14 (NLT) All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).

• Consider the background for this verse: 
  • The Syro-Ephraimite War: In the 8th century BC, the region was characterized by political instability. The Northern Kingdom of Israel (Ephraim) and Syria (Aram or Aram-Damascus) formed an alliance against the Southern Kingdom of Judah. The intent was to force Judah into an anti-Assyrian coalition. King Ahaz of Judah faced the threat of invasion.
  • Ahaz’s Response: Ahaz, fearing the combined military might of Israel and Syria, sought assistance from the powerful Assyrian Empire. However, the prophet Isaiah counseled Ahaz to trust in God rather than relying on foreign alliances. Isaiah assured Ahaz that the threat from Israel and Syria would not succeed.
  • Isaiah’s Sign to Ahaz: Isaiah offered Ahaz a sign from God to confirm the promise of protection. That’s what Isaiah 7:14 is about. The precise interpretation of the sign has been a matter of discussion. The Hebrew word used for “virgin” in this context is “almah,” which can refer to a young woman of marriageable age. The Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, uses the word “parthenos,” which specifically means “virgin.” 
  • Immediate Fulfillment: In the immediate historical context, the birth of a child named Immanuel served as a sign to Ahaz that, by the time the child reached a certain age, the threat from Israel and Syria would be nullified. This could have referred to the birth of a child during Isaiah’s time.
    • (Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Abridged Edition (2 Volumes)) The best view seems to be that the mother is a royal contemporary of the prophet, whose child’s name would symbolize the presence of God with his people and who would foreshadow the Messiah in whom God would be incarnate. An unmarried young woman within the royal house would shortly marry and conceive. Her son would be called Immanuel (“God is with us”), probably in ignorance of the prophecy (which may have been given in the presence only of Ahaz) and possibly even as a presumptuous gesture to give the support of a complacent piety to the king’s pro-Assyrian policy. Before the child is old enough to eat the characteristic solid food of the Land of Promise (and so well before the age of moral discretion), the Assyrians would lay waste the lands of Aram and Israel, which they did in 733-732 B.C., only a year or two after the prophecy was given.
    • (Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Abridged Edition (2 Volumes)) The “sign” of the child, therefore, constitutes an indication that the all-sovereign and all-knowing God has the situation completely in hand, and it rebukes the king’s lack of faith in him. It is true that the instrument of this devastation was to be Assyria, the very power Ahaz was courting instead of relying wholly on God. But in fact the events of 733-732 not only heralded the downfall in 722 of Samaria–the capital city of the northern kingdom that was a large part of the domain of the house of David in its earlier days–but within a generation led to the devastation of Judah itself (cf. 1:7).
  • Prophetic Fulfillment: While Isaiah 7:14 had immediate relevance to the situation facing Ahaz, Christians have also seen it as having a Messianic significance, particularly in connection with the birth of Jesus Christ as the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promise.
  • Matthew 1:18-23 (NLT) This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.
  • 20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
  • 22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: 23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”

Isaiah 9 

Isaiah 9:1-2 (NLT) Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory. The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.

• Hope!
• Galilee of the Gentiles. Hope isn’t just for Judah, but for all people
• Matthew 4:12-17 (NLT) 12 When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he left Judea and returned to Galilee. 13 He went first to Nazareth, then left there and moved to Capernaum, beside the Sea of Galilee, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14 This fulfilled what God said through the prophet Isaiah: 15 “In the land of Zebulun and of Naphtali, beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River, in Galilee where so many Gentiles live, 16 the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow, a light has shined.” 17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”
• Light
  • John 1:4-5 (NLT) The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.
  • John 1:12 (NLT) But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.
• This is why Israel was “chosen” – not to be the exclusive children of God, but to bring the Messiah into the world… to bless the whole world!

Isaiah 9:6 (NLT) For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

• (Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Abridged Edition (2 Volumes)) The word “child” is in a position of emphasis. The first person plural “us” suggests a link with 7:14. Just as the theme of the Branch of the Lord (see comment on 4:2) becomes more and more explicitly messianic, so it is with the motif of the child. If the child of Isa 7:14-16 typifies the ultimate divine Christ, the child of these verses is that Christ.
• Wonderful Counselor
  • The Heb word is “pele” – it’s actually a noun
    • It’s not just saying that Jesus is a “wonderful” counselor
      • But that Jesus is a “wonder”
    • The word means: extraordinary, astounding, hard to understand
    • 2000 yrs ago, wonder broke into our world = they named him Jesus
      • Everything about Jesus was unique, distinctive, amazing
      • Everything about him evoked wonder
• Mighty God
  • Hebrew → El Gibbor
    • Means: God is a mighty warrior
  • This word has a connotation of military strength / power
    • But this is not just about Jesus’ raw power
    • It is also about his identity: God with us! (Is 7:14)
• Everlasting Father
  • Hebrew → Aviad or Avi Ad
  • Means: “Father of Eternity”.
    • Father in this use: Author / Originator / Founder / Possessor.
    • So what we are seeing here is Isaiah using the term “father” to imply that Jesus is the originator or pioneer of eternity.
      • John 1:4 (NLT) The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.