Thanks to Helen Ince for these two acrostics about hope

Have

Only

Positive

Expectations

Hold

On

Pain

Ends

Thanks to Elizabeth Cumberlidge for this reflection

Read Matthew 1:18-23

God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life John 3:16 (NIV)

At the beginning of Advent, I brought my nativity set of the attic to put on display and was sad to find that many of the figures were broken.  The angel had only half a wing, the shepherd was missing a hand, a wise man had no foot and the donkey had one lone ear.  Only baby Jesus was intact and appeared unharmed.  I’m not sure what happened, the figures were fine when I packed them away last January.

Initially I thought of purchasing a new nativity set.  Then I realised that maybe God had a message for me.  We are all broken people.  But God can accomplish great works through us.  When we repent of our sins and ask for forgiveness, God can give us new life despite our brokenness.  Jesus’ birth was all about bringing new life to the world.

I think that I will continue to display my imperfect nativity set as a reminder of God’s great love for me.  God loves us so much that Jesus came to take on the brokenness of this world by being born as a tiny baby.  Through Jesus’ willingness to live a human life, we have the hope of eternal life.  Isn’t that what Christmas is all about?

Prayer: Dear God, thank you for loving us so much that you sent Jesus into the world so that we can have eternal life. Amen

Thought for the day: Though I am broken, God loves me and can use me to accomplish great things.

Susan L. Stombaugh

“May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace, as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”
Gracious God, as we come to the end of a week of reflections upon Hope, we remind ourselves of the Hope You promise us, the promise of eternal life in Your presence where nothing can separate us from Your love. Lord God, as we find ourselves in this time of challenge and insecurity, help us to have the faith to continue to believe and trust in Your promise. Creator God, there are many in our communities who for different reasons do not feel loved, valued or cared for. Help us to reach out the hand of friendship and compassion to those who need. So too Lord, give us the courage, the conviction and the creativity to let them know that You, our almighty creator God, loves them too. Give us the opportunity and enthusiasm to tell people about the birth of Your Son and how on the night that He was born, Love came into our world, Love was born. In the name of Jesus, the child in the manger, we pray, Amen.

“May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace, as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”
Gracious God, on this first Thursday in Advent, as we reflect upon the hope of the birth of Jesus, we give thanks for the news of the vaccine, bringing a sense of real hope for the future, into our communities. We give thanks and pray for all those involved with this amazing breakthrough, for their continuing work, and for the huge and challenging process of setting up a vaccination programme. As we wait for this process to begin, we rejoice in this hope for things to come, but so too we pray for those known to us who will face their own very real challenges today; those dealing with the grief of loved ones, those undergoing treatments for health issues and those awaiting diagnosis. As we pin our hopes on a vaccine that will heal our nation, we lift before You all those in need of the touch of Your healing today, all those in need of Your love, Your compassion and the assurance of Your presence with them. In a moment of quiet we place those known personally to us, into Your hands.
Lord God, at this pivotal time for our nation, we ask for the outpouring of Your Holy Spirit upon our land, and we pray too for the needs of all nations seeking healing from the virus. In the name of Jesus, we pray, Amen.