ADVENT 3 – Lighting The Candle Of Hope
Christmas is coming! We prepare our homes for the celebration. Yet even more important
than this outward preparation is the preparation of our heart.
The Advent season is a beautiful reminder to prepare our hearts as we prepare our homes —
to celebrate the birth of our Saviour, Jesus! At the start of this week, we light the third of the
four candles in the Advent wreath: the candle of Hope.
Is your heart filled with hope? Do you have a confident expectation of your tomorrow?
In one word, the answer to confident expectation is “JESUS” — the Jesus of Christmas.
Hope in Jesus comes from more than just a belief that he was once a baby in a manger.
This hope in him has been called “an anchor for the soul.” It is something deep within,
that secures you through the storms and trials of life.
Let us place our hope in Jesus
Hope for Help – We are invited to come to him and confidently ask for help. Hebrews
4:16 tells us, “to come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find
grace to help in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
Hope to Overcome – Things that leave one feeling powerless and hopeless come in
many forms. With Christ’s strength you can overcome great obstacles, and faith in Jesus
gives hope and help to overcome: “and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our
faith” (1 John 5:4).
Hope for Power – Sometimes in life we find ourselves with a task that simply looks too
big for us. We do not just need a cup of God’s strength added to our own; rather, we need his
strength in us to do what we need to do. He will give it!
2 Corinthians 12:9 says, “My grace is sufficient for you:
for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”
Seeing our weakness as the entry point of God’s strength gives access to his power!
Hope for Eternity – When we put our faith and hope in Jesus, it not only gives us help,
strength, and power for where we walk today, but it also gives us hope for life after death.
It is a confident expectation of the ultimate “tomorrow.”
The God of Hope sent his Son to be our Saviour.
When you may need the confident expectation of his strength and wisdom in your today, and
his help and hope for your tomorrow, you need only ask that you may overflow with hope.
He is only one prayer away.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace, as you trust in him, so that you may
overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).