Advent: A Season of Hope Devotionals
ADVENT WEEK ONE: HOPE
The King has come. The King is coming again.
A seven-day devotional based on the Sunday lectionary readings and sermons of Pastor Bill Harmon.
Read the Scripture. Reflect on the devotional. Consider the question. Pray the prayer. Then use the suggested song as a final act of worship.
SUNDAY – OUR ULTIMATE HOPE
Read: Mark 13:24-37
One of the greatest gifts Jesus came to bring is hope. Sometimes we see that hope demonstrated in wonderful ways. We have witnessed people with cancer receive an amazing report. We know people who were trapped by alcohol whom Jesus set free. We have seen marriages on the brink of divorce restored. Those are wonderful answers to prayer.
But sometimes the disease isn’t cured. Sometimes the relationship isn’t restored. Sometimes the addiction isn’t broken. What do we do then?
Our hope has to be bigger than getting the outcome we want. Jesus told His disciples about a day when the sun would be darkened, the moon would no longer give its light, and even the stars would fall from the sky. It sounds frightening. But then comes verse 26: “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.”
Then Jesus comes.
And everything is going to be okay.
As wonderful as it is to celebrate the first coming of Jesus at Christmas, Advent also points us toward His second coming. And He won’t return to a quiet stable in Bethlehem. Everyone will see Him. Jesus will return in power and glory, and everything that sin has broken will finally be made right.
Our hope isn’t that nothing bad will happen to us. Our hope isn’t that every prayer will be answered the way we want. Our hope is Jesus.
There may be something in your life today that is barely hanging on by a thread. Hang on. Jesus is coming.
THINK ABOUT IT
Where do you need a hope today that is bigger than your circumstances?
PRAYER
Jesus, sometimes I don’t understand why You don’t change the things I desperately want changed.
When that happens, remind me that my ultimate hope is not in my circumstances. My hope is in
You. Thank You for coming once, and thank You for the promise that You are coming again. Amen.
SONG FOR TODAY
MONDAY – AN UNUSUAL PRAYER
Read: Isaiah 64:1-9
Isaiah prayed an unusual prayer: “Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down.”
God, tear open heaven!
That’s quite a prayer.
Most of our prayers are a little safer: “Lord, help me today.” “Please heal my friend.” “Help me make the right decision.” There is certainly nothing wrong with those prayers. God invites us to bring our needs to Him.
But Isaiah wanted something bigger.
He wanted God to tear open heaven and come down with such power that mountains would shake, God’s adversaries would recognize Him, and nations would tremble.
Isaiah wasn’t merely asking God to change his circumstances. He wanted God to show up.
And when God comes down, things change.
Isaiah says God works on behalf of those who wait for Him. He meets those who gladly do what is right. And when sin gets hold of us, He doesn’t abandon us.
Isaiah eventually gives us a beautiful picture. God is the potter and we are the clay. We are all the work of His hand.
Maybe that is the Advent prayer we need today: “God, come down. Come into my family. Come into my problems. Come into the places where sin has gotten hold of me. Come into the parts of my life that need to be reshaped.”
Put Your hands on this old lump of clay and make me into what You want me to be.
More than anything God can give us, we need God Himself.
And Christmas reminds us that Isaiah’s prayer was answered. God tore open heaven. And He came down.
THINK ABOUT IT
What might change if, instead of only asking God to fix your circumstances, you asked God to make
His presence real in the middle of them?
PRAYER
Lord, tear open heaven and come down. Meet me where I am today. Forgive my sin, reshape my
life, and make me the work of Your hands. More than anything You can give me, I want You. Amen.
SONG FOR TODAY
“Come Thou Long Expected Jesus” – classic hymn
TUESDAY – YOU COULD USE SOME RESTORATION
Read: Psalm 80:1-7
My wife once decided to restore an old cedar chest that had belonged to her grandmother.
When I first looked at it, I thought it looked pretty good. Sure, it was old. It had some scratches and dings. But it was still functional. You could put things inside it. Besides, it was going to sit in our bedroom. How many people were really going to see it?
Why go to all the trouble of restoring something that wasn’t really that bad?
Then it occurred to me: That’s how some of us look at ourselves.
Sure, I have a few scratches. I’ve accumulated some dings along the way. I’ve got a couple of attitudes that aren’t great, but considering everything I’ve been through, I’m doing pretty well. Besides, other people are in much worse shape than I am!
The problem is that the cedar chest will never be restored if we can’t admit it needs restoration. Neither will we.
The writer of Psalm 80 had reached the place where he could see that things weren’t right. God’s people were hurting. They had eaten the “bread of tears.” Their enemies mocked them. So the Psalmist prayed: “Restore us, O God; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.”
Maybe that is a prayer some of us need to pray this Advent. Not, “Lord, I’m doing pretty well considering the circumstances.” Not, “Lord, fix all those people who are worse than I am.” Just: “Lord, restore me.”
When Jesus comes into our lives, He changes us. But He isn’t finished with us.
There are still scratches. There are still rough places. There may even be damage we’ve gotten so accustomed to seeing that we hardly notice it anymore.
The good news of Advent is that Jesus didn’t come merely to help us get by. He came to restore us.
And just like that old cedar chest, you may be surprised at what the Master’s hands can make of you.
THINK ABOUT IT
What is one area of your life where you have been saying, “It is really not that bad,” when perhaps
God wants to restore it?
PRAYER
Lord, restore me. Show me the places in my life that I’ve learned to overlook. Put Your hands on me
and continue Your work until I become what You created me to be. Make Your face shine upon me.
Amen.
SONG FOR TODAY
“Refiner” – Maverick City Music
WEDNESDAY – GIVING THANKS FOR KNUCKLEHEADS
Read: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Paul begins his letter to the Corinthians by saying something rather surprising: “I always thank my God for you.”
Really, Paul? These people?
If you keep reading 1 Corinthians, you discover this wasn’t exactly the perfect church. They argued with one another. They divided into groups. They misused their spiritual gifts. They had moral problems. They even managed to mess up the Lord’s Supper.
They were a bunch of knuckleheads!
Yet Paul said, “I always thank my God for you.” Why?
Not because they had everything together. Paul was thankful because of what God had done for them.
God had given them grace. God had enriched them in Christ. God had given them spiritual gifts. And despite all their failures, Paul believed God would keep working in their lives.
“He will also keep you firm to the end.”
That’s good news for knuckleheads.
And here’s the part we probably don’t want to admit: We are the knuckleheads!
We don’t always get it right either. We say things we shouldn’t say. We lose our patience. We make poor decisions. Sometimes we know exactly what God wants us to do and do something else anyway.
Yet God hasn’t given up on us. Paul tells us why: “God is faithful.”
Our hope isn’t based on our ability to get everything right. Our hope rests in a God who remains faithful while He continues shaping us into the people He wants us to become.
Maybe instead of concentrating on everything that’s wrong with the other knuckleheads in our lives, we could thank God for the grace He has already given them – and trust Him with the work He hasn’t finished yet.
After all, that’s exactly what we want Him to do with us.
THINK ABOUT IT
Who is one “knucklehead” in your life whom you need to start thanking God for instead of merely
being frustrated with?
PRAYER
Faithful God, thank You for giving me grace even when I don’t get everything right. Help me see
Your grace at work in other imperfect people too. Thank You for not giving up on any of us
knuckleheads. Amen.
SONG FOR TODAY
“Goodness of God” – Bethel Music / Jenn Johnson
THURSDAY – THE GREAT REUNION
Read: Mark 13:26-27; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
My mother has been gone since 2008, and I still miss her.
You would think after enough years you would get used to someone not being around. But grief doesn’t really work that way.
I especially notice her absence around the holidays when families gather. There are people who simply leave an empty place that nobody else can fill.
But I believe there is another family gathering coming.
Jesus said that when He returns, His angels will gather His people “from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.” Paul describes that day by saying the dead in Christ will rise.
What a reunion that will be.
Christianity doesn’t teach us that we shouldn’t grieve. We cry. We miss people. There are moments when something happens and our first thought is, “I wish Mom were here.”
But Paul tells us that we don’t grieve like people who have no hope. There’s a difference.
Goodbye isn’t forever.
I love my life. I’m having a blast. There is still so much I want to experience and so much work I want to do for Jesus. But there are days when I think: “Wouldn’t it be nice if today were the day?”
Someday faith will become sight. Someday the graves will be empty. Someday God’s family will be together.
Maybe there will be some familiar faces waiting for you. That’s our Advent hope.
THINK ABOUT IT
Who are you looking forward to seeing again when Christ returns?
PRAYER
Lord, thank You that death doesn’t have the final word. Comfort those of us who are missing
someone today. When the empty chair hurts, remind us of the great reunion that is coming. Amen.
SONG FOR TODAY
FRIDAY – YOU CAN’T SOLVE THIS PUZZLE
Read: Psalm 80:3-7
Remember the Rubik’s Cube? It was all the rage in the 1980s.
The frustrating thing about that little puzzle was that you could finally get one side looking exactly right – and discover that you had messed up another side.
Sometimes life feels like a Rubik’s Cube.
We think, “If I could just get my finances straightened out, everything would be okay.” So we work more hours and make more money. Great! The financial side is looking better. Then we discover we’ve neglected our family.
So we turn our attention toward the family. Now something else gets out of place.
We keep twisting and turning the pieces of our lives, desperately trying to get everything lined up. And we’re exhausted.
The Psalmist finally came to a different conclusion: “Restore us, God Almighty; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.”
He realized he needed God to do what he couldn’t do for himself. That’s where restoration begins.
Some of us gave God control of our lives years ago. But somewhere along the way, we climbed back into the driver’s seat.
We still ask God’s advice. We still listen to Him occasionally. But He’s become our co-pilot instead of our pilot.
Maybe it’s time to change seats.
You don’t have to figure everything out. You don’t have to solve every problem. You don’t have to get every square on every side of your life lined up perfectly.
Relinquish control. Let God start moving the pieces.
THINK ABOUT IT
What part of your life are you desperately trying to control instead of surrendering it to God?
PRAYER
Lord, I admit that I can’t put all the pieces of my life together. Forgive me for taking back control.
Today I surrender my plans, my problems, my family and my future to You. Take the driver’s seat
again. Amen.
SONG FOR TODAY
“I Surrender All” – classic hymn
SATURDAY – YOU HAVE AN ASSIGNMENT
Read: Mark 13:32-37
When is Jesus coming back? I don’t know. Neither do you.
In fact, Jesus said: “About that day or hour no one knows.”
People have been trying to figure out the date for centuries. Jesus saves us the trouble.
We don’t need to know when He’s coming. We need to know what we’re supposed to be doing until He does.
Jesus compares His departure to a man leaving his house and putting his servants in charge. Then He includes an interesting detail: He gives “each their assigned task.”
I love that. You have an assignment.
God has placed you where you are for a reason. There are people you can encourage. There is somebody you can serve. There may be someone you can invite to church. There is somebody who needs to hear what Jesus has done in your life.
There is Kingdom work that God has uniquely positioned you to do.
Waiting for Jesus isn’t sitting on the porch staring at the sky. We have work to do.
Your assignment may not be my assignment. That’s okay. The master didn’t give every servant the same job.
The important question isn’t whether you’re doing somebody else’s assignment. It’s whether you’re doing yours.
Tomorrow begins another week. If Jesus gives you another seven days, use them well.
And if He returns before then, wouldn’t it be wonderful if He found us busy doing exactly what He asked us to do?
The King is coming. Stay awake. Stay faithful. Stay busy with your assignment.
THINK ABOUT IT
What assignment has God placed in front of you right now?
PRAYER
Jesus, I don’t know when You will return, but I want to be ready. Show me the assignment You have
for me today. Keep me spiritually awake and help me faithfully do the work You have given me until
You come. Amen.
SONG FOR TODAY
