Traditionally, the first Sunday of Advent is about hope. So in this week’s sermon, we examine the nature of hope. Hope is built on expectation. But how often does reality fall short of our expectations? In this sermon, Peter looks at how believers need to trust in God, not in outcomes.

While God is faithful to his promises, he often fulfills them in ways that are very different than we might expect.  The nativity is just such a case. In the nativity, God was working out his long-promised plan involving the descendants of Abraham and of David. Yet, nobody expected the messianic king to be someone from the margins of society, born in a stable. It is as believers set aside their expectations about how God must fulfil his promises and learn to trust in God, rather than in the specific outcomes, that they can begin to see him at work. It follows that trusting our expectations will lead to disappointment. Trusting in God will never lead to disappointment.

Questions for Reflection

1. Do I ever experience life falling short of my expectations? If so, how?
2. How do I make sense of these disappointments? And how do I struggle with them?
3. Do I start with the belief that God is faithfully at work? If not, then how do I experience disappointment

More Resources

If you want to do some more thinking about Advent, then you can download the Be In Christ Church of Canada’s Advent Devotional.