This Sunday will be the first Sunday of Advent, and we will light a candle for Hope. We look forward to the coming of Jesus, who is our hope today and forever. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope” (1 Peter 1:3). We celebrate the hope that came into the world through the birth of Jesus, and we eagerly anticipate the fulfillment of all hope when Jesus comes again!
Prayer is a vital part of our life and walk with God, so that we can “draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings” (Hebrews 10:22). This week we look at Desiring God’s Will. Praying “your will be done” is a request both for God to act in the world and for him to act in us. We need to “reject our own wills and to obey [God’s] will without any back talk” (Heidelberg Catechism). May the desire for God’s will kindle our prayers and our lives.
We don’t need much convincing that we are not perfect people; sin is a huge problem for us. Yet God has adopted all who believe as his children and has declared that we have full rights as his heirs. What kind of God can do that? Today churches around the world focus on the triune God: the Father who created us and adopts us; the Son who by his life, death and resurrection opened the door to the family, and the Spirit who seals our adoption and shapes us to live into the family name. May we live into our family identity as we walk in step with the Spirit.
At first glance we sometimes get the impression that the God of the Old Testament is an angry God, and then Jesus shows up in the New Testament to provide a much kinder and gentler face of God. A closer reading shows an unchanging God whose wrath remains real against whatever seeks to destroy his kingdom and his people, and who also generously showers love and grace on his flawed people through Jesus. Propitiation by the blood of Jesus makes that possible for us. If propitiation is a new word for you, be sure to join us this week!