A Time for Hope - Advent Devotions 2019
Sunday, December 1 - Daniel Collins
Isaiah 9.1-2 But there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness--
on them light has shined.
Hope. The hope of a thousand years, the hope of being set free. Isaiah talks about those in the lands that Jesus would come from and minister, Zebulun and Naphtali- two of the Northern tribes whose territory covered Nazareth and Capernaum. That region had been defined by war, strife, and conquest, much like it still is. The Galileans were looking for a great liberator, a savior, a light to dispel the great darkness. They received a rabbi who upset fellow Jews and Romans alike, and was killed for rabble-rousing. What many of them did not realize, what our faith holds true, is that the cross is our only hope, that Christ’s death and resurrection is the only true freedom, that which comes from God. In a sense we are also like the Galileans. We expect faith in God to be easy and a remedy to our worldly problems.
In the end, Christ and him crucified, is our only hope and light in a world filled with darkness, much like the Roman world at the time of his birth, or the Assyrian world when Isaiah was preaching. Where there is hope, there is faith, and where there is faith, there is salvation. Let us remember, too, our Lutheran core beliefs: that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Hope is crucial to receiving grace, to have faith in that which we have not seen (Heb. 13.1). As we reflect on the brokenness of our world in advent, as the days get literally darker and shorter, let the cross be our hope and the resurrection our guide.
Jesus, by your holy cross you have redeemed the world. Advent reminds us not only of your birth, but the sacrifice that you would give for our salvation. O hope of Zebulun and Naphtali, be our hope as well- for with hope comes trust that you have a plan for us. To you O God, be all honor, glory, and worship, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Isaiah 9.1-2 But there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness--
on them light has shined.
Hope. The hope of a thousand years, the hope of being set free. Isaiah talks about those in the lands that Jesus would come from and minister, Zebulun and Naphtali- two of the Northern tribes whose territory covered Nazareth and Capernaum. That region had been defined by war, strife, and conquest, much like it still is. The Galileans were looking for a great liberator, a savior, a light to dispel the great darkness. They received a rabbi who upset fellow Jews and Romans alike, and was killed for rabble-rousing. What many of them did not realize, what our faith holds true, is that the cross is our only hope, that Christ’s death and resurrection is the only true freedom, that which comes from God. In a sense we are also like the Galileans. We expect faith in God to be easy and a remedy to our worldly problems.
In the end, Christ and him crucified, is our only hope and light in a world filled with darkness, much like the Roman world at the time of his birth, or the Assyrian world when Isaiah was preaching. Where there is hope, there is faith, and where there is faith, there is salvation. Let us remember, too, our Lutheran core beliefs: that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Hope is crucial to receiving grace, to have faith in that which we have not seen (Heb. 13.1). As we reflect on the brokenness of our world in advent, as the days get literally darker and shorter, let the cross be our hope and the resurrection our guide.
Jesus, by your holy cross you have redeemed the world. Advent reminds us not only of your birth, but the sacrifice that you would give for our salvation. O hope of Zebulun and Naphtali, be our hope as well- for with hope comes trust that you have a plan for us. To you O God, be all honor, glory, and worship, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.