Hope

Downloadable Reflection Guide

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this

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Sometimes called the Prophecy candle, the Hope candle reminds us of the promised coming of the Messiah. In Isaiah’s famous prophecy, God laid out who this promised Messiah would be. The Messiah was to be a child born and a son given. Imagine that our salvation was promised to come as a small baby. How would such a helpless child help us all?

The Messiah would be wonderful in His counsel. He would be the Mighty God Himself, a bold claim that offended many in Jesus’s day. As the Everlasting Father, the Messiah would bring eternal wisdom into the lives of those He came to save. Finally, the Messiah would be the Prince of Peace bringing a restoration of the relationship between humanity and our Creator.

The promised Messiah has been the Hope of the world since the fall into sin. Since Adam and Eve were confronted with their sin, the promise of their redemption was the Hope that God’s good grace would bring about the arrival of His Son, incarnated as the baby of Bethlehem, who would live the life we could not, die the death that was required of us, and restore us to an eternal relationship with our heavenly Father.

Now that is Hope!

Thoughts for Reflection

As we begin Advent, what is your hope for your walk with Christ in this season?