Advent – Hope for Newness

Advent – Hope for Newness

Advent tells the story of a new journey. Before we tell about our new journey we should tell about our old journey. We were brought till the border of new heaven and earth. But we broke our covenant relationship with God (we have sinned) and thereby God deserted God’s people in wilderness, we became the deserted people. The boundary between heaven and earth widened and God became absent in our journeys.

In Advent, we who are lost in the wilderness are brought back to remember that God is not finished with the world. Thus, our yearly journey in Advent is our insistence to recall that there is always hope for newness. The difficulties, hardships, and evil of today are not permanent. There is always a hope to come out of such perils of life. In Advent we anticipate a day when every tear will be wiped away, death will be no more, and we will be with God.

Advent Journey – An Expedition of Hope: 

For those whom life is a constant struggle, who find themselves in the midst of scarcity, exile, and brokenness, the advent journey becomes an expedition of hope. They trust in God and move forward to break all barriers that prevent their journey of hope. This expedition of hope starts with repentance and will continue their new journey with God towards newness.

Advent Journey – A Wakeup Journey from lethargy to Repentance:

We are living in a materialistic world and many of us are hypnotised with the seductive influence of self-sufficiency. Those who are hypnotised by this materialistic world will not expect anything new or they never see the eruption of newness (due to lethargy). And the people who are accommodated with the present self – sufficient life will be in a kind of sleep filled self – contented life style and they will slow to repentance.   But the advent journey reveals the fact that the present settled nature will not last long. The power, money, empire, will not last long. But this advent journey provokes us to repent by leaving our allegiance with the lethargic life.

Advent Journey – A Hope for Newness:

Our hope is that we will be provoked enough to repent; that is, in encountering the promise of God's coming kingdom. Here we will both move our allegiance back to the One whose kingdom knows no end and join God by offering ourselves for the renewal and restoration of justice, righteousness, and truth. “Hope is in the overriding power of God to work a new will against the order of the day” (Walter Brueggemann)

Advent is the celebration of those who wait for the Lord. They seek truth and expect God’s invitation to come and settle in a land where God lives.

But God decided to come and dwell with us…..that is the story of Advent. Are we ready to live with that Lord?

Rev. Sajeev Thomas (sajeevachen@gmail.com)