Extend Hope Advent Guide

Advent Guide
Made Available to Us from The Alliance

We use the word hope fairly often in our day-to-day language—“I hope the weather’s good
tomorrow”; “I really hope we have time”; “We’re hoping for some good news.” We hope for
things and circumstances outside of Christ, and when we do that, we often feel hopeless.
In a world where it feels like we can’t be fully confident in anything, where nothing feels
absolute, hopelessness is too often felt.

For 400 years, the Israelites felt all of the emotions and feelings surrounding hopelessness—
they were oppressed, enslaved, unrestful, defeated, and disheartened—but they were
anticipatory of the Messiah’s arrival, He who brought hope and light into the darkness.

But when we think about hope within the biblical context of our Savior, we need to dig
a little deeper. In the original Greek, the word for hope is ἐλπίς, pronounced elpis—an
expectation of what is sure or certain, joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation.
We can live with confident expectation in Christ—a hope that never fails, that is never
deferred. Advent is a time where we remember the incredible landscape in which the
Messiah came. In Him we place our hope, and He draws us near in love, peace, and joy.

Sometimes, we really just need reminded where our hope lies. This Advent devotional is
a reflection guide that offers poems, prayers, and prompts to draw us back to the hope of
Jesus. Set aside some time each week to sit before the King of Kings, open your hands in
humble adoration and readiness, and reflect on the prompts within this guide.

As we sit in His presence, let us remember that hope has a name—Jesus.