Week One of Advent is the Sunday of Hope or the prophecy candle. It causes us to anticipate the birth of Christ, as spoken by the prophet Isaiah
“Listen, house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you also try the patience of my God? Therefore, the Lord himself shall give you a sign: the maiden is with child, and she will bear a son and will call his name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:11-16)
In Isaiah 7:14, the prophet Isaiah addresses the “house of David,” meaning the family and descendants of King David, and speaks of a virgin conceiving a child and giving birth to the child. Isaiah says this in the context of it being a sign from God. He also says that the child would be referred to as “Immanuel,” which means “God with us” or “God among us.”
The first candle harkens us back to Isaiah’s foretelling of the birth of Christ and all of the promises God gave us in the Old Testament that Jesus would fulfill.
Most Christians focus on hope during the first week of Advent. Possibly inspired by that, “faith is the assurance of all things hoped for.” (Hebrews 11:1). We reflect on hope and faith as we prepare our hearts and minds to celebrate the birth of our Savior.
Think of it as a hope-faith chain reaction. Hope springs forth in our hearts to help us make a positive change. These glimmers of hope can inspire us to assume new ways of thinking and conducting ourselves.
If you increase your hope in this chain reaction, you enter into a realm of belief. We believe because an inward witness of the Holy Spirit encourages us to. Our faith increases because we reflect on past experiences of God’s goodness. If you have two beliefs contradict each other, for example, I believe in the God of abundance, but when my funds run low, it can cause me to doubt. Reflecting on God’s past goodness in the economic area of your life will cause your faith to be more dominant than your doubt.
We are blessed because we have access to hope, belief, and faith in the Christmas story’s promise of God being infinitely good and His everlasting love.
Activities for Advent:
- Bake cookies for college students.
- Sing a favorite carol.
- Set up a nativity scene.
