Sunday, November 27, 2011

Advent 2011 - part 2: HOPE

Mark 13: 26 27 “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens"..

We live in the in-between times, between the first and second coming of Jesus. We are waiting upon the Lord in hope of his great power and glory that will completely change our existence. Christ will and can establish his Kingdom. We are the agents of change to bring about faith in the truth that Jesus reigns and will come to effect, in the smallest detail, the wonders of his merciful and loving reign.
This hope should transform our lives!

1. We have the privilege of Christ’s presence through the Holy Spirit living and working in us. He is Emmanuel, that is, God with us. As we prepare to remember the first coming of Jesus at his birth, advent brings us hope. Through the work of the Spirit this hope should transform our lives, even though we are often confronted by hopelessness.
2. We can look at life in a new way: We need to see the real world with its pain and shocking sadness, and choose to be messengers of hope for those in need. We can help them to expect more of Jesus and his love.
3. We wait upon the Lord, serving him.. While we wait for Jesus to return, we serve him as we worship him in all we do, and we serve in his Name in serving those who need the good news of his glorious coming into our lives, our church and our society.
The Lord is coming and it is a message of hope!

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