Dear New Hope Family,

I don't know about you, but I love the holiday season! I love Thanksgiving with lots of family and friends around, eating yummy food and enjoying good conversation and, yes, some football!

But the thing I love the most about Thanksgiving is that it kind of ushers in Christmas for me. My husband gets the lights on the house ready and turns them on for the first time on Thanksgiving night. We go the next day to get our tree. We begin to prepare for all of the fun and festivities of Christmas and we do it big so there is much to prepare for.

Focus and Prepare

As we heard Sunday, we are in the season of Advent, which is a time of expectation, and preparation for Christmas. This isn't about presents or food. This is about having a hopeful expectation of the second coming of Christ just as the Jews were to be in hopeful expectation of the first coming.

Pastor David shared with us some lessons from Zechariah's experience in the Temple and how he was not focused or prepared for what was about to happen. How could he be? He was sent in to do a job that likely he would never do again and a great many priests would never get to do.

Every day, twice a day, the priests and people gathered to pray. Traditionally this was a time to pray for Israel, that God would not forget them. It had been almost 400 years since Malachai wrote some of the last words God had said, "Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord arrives." (Malachai 4:5)

I wonder if Zechariah was thinking about that when the Angel Gabriel appeared and told him that he would have a son with the "Spirit and power of Elijah"? Was he hopefully anticipating and expecting God to act or was he going through the motions? I sometimes have to ask myself the same question.

The expectant hope that we have in anticipation of Christmas should be in the return of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords returning in Glory to claim His beautiful bride. How can we prepare for that? Worship!

Elizabeth worshiped God and praised Him for the blessing of having a son. Mary also had a similar experience when she came and visited. When we truly believe that Jesus is coming back it should motivate us to praise God and tell others.

Are we preparing our hearts for Christmas with a wish list, or a faith list? Let's prepare for Christ's return by sharing His gift with others and worshiping Him for the outcome.

Comfort and Joy,
~Michelle Negron, New Hope Children's Director

The Expectation of His Second Coming

Focus and Prepare