Monday of Advent 1

 The Gift of Hope

Romans 15:4-6, 13 (ESV) For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ… May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
 
Many congregations adorn their sanctuary with an Advent Wreath with four candles, one for each Sunday of the season. Although the practice is not universal or even uniform, the four themes most often associated with each Sunday are hope, peace, joy, and love.
 
At our congregation, our first candle symbolizes “hope.” Like many English words, people use “hope” to express a wide variety of ideas, but most often it is used to express an uncertain desire or wish: “I hope…it doesn’t rain today / my team wins the game this week / so-and-so gets elected / we find a cure for my illness / etc.”
 
However, the Greek word used in the New Testament that is usually translated as “hope” (ἐλπίς, elpis) is not intended to convey any uncertainty. In fact, a preferable translation would be “expectation”—that is, by faith the believer lives in anticipation that a promise of God is going to come to pass at any moment.
 
God does not want us to languish with uncertain desires but rather in faith that all of His promises in Christ are dependable so that we have joyful expectation of their fulfillment. We see testimony of God’s reliability in the promises He kept to our forefathers in the faith in the Bible: “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Romans 15:4).
 
The Lutheran Book of Concord cites Romans 15:4 at significant junctures in Article 11 of the Formula of Concord (“God’s Eternal Foreknowledge and Election”) to provide an interpretative key to all the Scriptures: namely, if someone is using God’s Word to make a believer doubt his salvation (or, conversely, to give false assurance to an impenitent unbeliever), it is surely a misuse of the Bible (Concordia, 615).
 
As you make use of the Word and Sacraments this Advent season, be confident that through them the Holy Spirit will produce in you true hope: more than just an uncertain wish, but a lively confidence that by God’s grace you are justified for Christ’s sake and a joyful expectation that Christ’s return will be a glorious day for you.
 
Prayer: Almighty God, grant us a steadfast faith in Jesus Christ, a cheerful hope in Your mercy, and a sincere love for You and one another; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.