1It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High,
2to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night,
3to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre.
4For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands, I sing for joy. Psalm 92:1-4
Advent is called the Season of Hope. But what exactly is hope?
Hope is a word I say a lot. For example:
I hope you have a good day
I hope the weather is nice
I hope your COVID test is negative
I hope you don’t lose your job
I hope that homeless person finds shelter tonight
These expressions of hope cover everything from polite conservation to fervent prayer. Yet I express all these different hopes using the exact same word.
As a young child, my anticipation during Advent was achingly real. However, my Advent Hope was bound up in the desire for a specific gift to be under the tree. I counted the days. I could hardly wait. This Advent is a time for me to recapture that joyous longing and expectation—but not for a gift under the tree. Now I hope for the promises made in the Bible to be fulfilled.
In Psalm 92, the writer hopes:
For a life filled with joy.
For each day to be spent in gladness.
To give thanks, day and night, for all the good gifts God gives us.
I HOPE that this Advent, and every season, finds us singing for joy and filled with overwhelming thanks for all God has done and continues to do.
Nancy G.
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