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Program Transcript
Advent—Hope
A new year begins not with fanfare or fireworks, but with a flicker — a single flame lit in the darkness. This is how the Church begins its calendar: in quiet expectation. Advent invites us into a rhythm of looking back and looking forward. It’s a season of holy wonder, a time to stand in awe at the promises of God that stretch from the garden to the manger, from the prophets to the cross, from our present struggles to our eternal future.
In this first week of Advent, we begin with hope.
Not a fragile wish or vague optimism, but the deep, steady assurance that
Jesus is our hope.
Hope for the reality of forgiveness.
Hope for the truth of our identity.
Hope for the resurrection.
Hope for eternity with Father, Son, and Spirit.
The whole Old Testament speaks to this longing. Its poetry, its prophecies, and even its pain points us toward the coming of the Messiah. And now, we live in the in-between, between the first Advent of Christ and his promised return. And so, we wait, not in fear, but in faithful hope.
As we begin the new year in the worship calendar, let us ask ourselves: Where are we placing our hope? How might we reflect Christ’s hope to others this season?
In Matthew 24, Jesus speaks of the day and hour no one knows — the moment of his return.
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
Matthew 24:36-44
Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
Jesus doesn’t give us a date — he gives us a posture:
Stay awake. Stay ready. Stay rooted in hope.
The hope of Advent is not wishful thinking.
It is anchored in the faithfulness of God —
A God who keeps promises.
A God who entered our world and walks with us still.
In this season of Advent, let us watch and wait with hope, trusting in the One who has come, who is with us now, and who will come again in glory.
Program Transcript
Advent—Hope
A new year begins not with fanfare or fireworks, but with a flicker — a single flame lit in the darkness. This is how the Church begins its calendar: in quiet expectation. Advent invites us into a rhythm of looking back and looking forward. It’s a season of holy wonder, a time to stand in awe at the promises of God that stretch from the garden to the manger, from the prophets to the cross, from our present struggles to our eternal future.
In this first week of Advent, we begin with hope.
Not a fragile wish or vague optimism, but the deep, steady assurance that
Jesus is our hope.
Hope for the reality of forgiveness.
Hope for the truth of our identity.
Hope for the resurrection.
Hope for eternity with Father, Son, and Spirit.
The whole Old Testament speaks to this longing. Its poetry, its prophecies, and even its pain points us toward the coming of the Messiah. And now, we live in the in-between, between the first Advent of Christ and his promised return. And so, we wait, not in fear, but in faithful hope.
As we begin the new year in the worship calendar, let us ask ourselves: Where are we placing our hope? How might we reflect Christ’s hope to others this season?
In Matthew 24, Jesus speaks of the day and hour no one knows — the moment of his return.
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
Matthew 24:36-44
Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
Jesus doesn’t give us a date — he gives us a posture:
Stay awake. Stay ready. Stay rooted in hope.
The hope of Advent is not wishful thinking.
It is anchored in the faithfulness of God —
A God who keeps promises.
A God who entered our world and walks with us still.
In this season of Advent, let us watch and wait with hope, trusting in the One who has come, who is with us now, and who will come again in glory.
Psalm 122:1–9 • Isaiah 2:1–5 • Romans 13:11–14 • Matthew 24:36–44
Today is the first Sunday of Advent, a season of waiting — we wait for the coming of the Lord. Advent focuses on three “comings” — Jesus’ arrival in history as the babe born of the virgin Mary, his glorious return at the end of the age, and his intermediate entrance into and presence in our personal lives by his Spirit. Advent includes looking back and looking forward, looking in wonder at the promises of God from beginning to end. The whole of the Old Testament is the text for Advent.
Today we celebrate the first Sunday of Advent with the theme of Hope. Jesus is our hope, our hope for the reality of forgiveness, our hope for the truth of our true identity, our hope for the resurrection, our hope for eternity with Father, Son, and Spirit.
This week’s sermon theme is his coming is our hope. In our call to worship psalm, David declares the joy he feels in being invited to the house of the Lord, where all tribes go up to give thanks. The prophet Isaiah talks about when the house of the Lord is established, and “all nations shall stream to it.” Paul tells believers in Rome that salvation is nearer every day — our hope is closer, the day is near. And Matthew describes the day of the coming of the Lord and tells us to be ready.
Reminder: This introductory paragraph is intended to show how the four RCL selections for this week are connected and to assist the preacher prepare the sermon. It is not intended to be included in the sermon.
How to use this sermon resource.
Our Hope is Jesus
Matthew 24:36–44 NRSVUE
Today is the first Sunday of Advent, and we focus on Jesus being our hope. But what exactly are we hoping for? We often talk about Jesus’ coming as if it is only something that happens in the future. The truth is Jesus is already here — living in us through the Holy Spirit. He is not only our hope for the future, but also our present reality.
For Christians, our biggest hope is tied into our waiting with anticipation for the full establishment of God’s kingdom — a time when there will be no more sadness, pain, or war. This hope is described in the last book of the Bible, called Revelation. It paints a picture of a peaceful future where all suffering ends. Is that something you hope for?
That hope isn’t just for the future. Christians also believe Jesus is already with us in a spiritual way, through someone called the Holy Spirit — God who lives within believers. So, Jesus is both a future hope and a present comfort.
This longing for a better world isn’t new or unique. Even Jesus’ first followers — his students, called disciples — were hoping for freedom from the Roman Empire, which ruled over them harshly. They believed Jesus was the one who would bring the change they had been waiting for — freedom from occupation and oppression. How many people today long for this world to change?
Today’s sermon text in Matthew is part of one of Jesus’ longer discussions with his disciples, and is the direct result of their question, “Lord, when will the kingdom come, and what are the signs we should be watching for?” When will the change we long for happen?
Let’s read Matthew 24:36-44.
But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so, too, will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken, and one will be left. Keep awake, therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
After all the background he gave them about some of the signs they would experience and that we would look back on, he was quite clear about the timing:
But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Matthew 24:36 NRSVUE
Even the Son of Man did not know the “day and hour” when he shared this with his disciples. So, predicting any potential date is a foolish endeavor.
What Jesus seems to be telling the disciples (and us) is you don’t need to worry. Don’t worry about when; just know it will happen and be ready. Have faith, trust me, it will happen. And he continues:
For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so, too, will be the coming of the Son of Man. Matthew 24:37–39 NRSVUE
Jesus makes it even clearer — and a bit more relative for us to consider. No one expected the flood. Times seemed normal to most in Noah’s day, the people were living “normal” lives. They were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage — in other words, they were living their lives, never expecting God’s intervention.
Peter describes Noah as a “preacher of righteousness,” indicating he spent time warning others of their wickedness. Scripture doesn’t say, but we can assume his warnings were met with mockery and disbelief.
They never saw the flood coming, perhaps because they didn’t see things as being that bad. They didn’t see the need for change. Certainly, they hoped some things would change, better leadership perhaps, perhaps less taxation, more income, more freedom. But overall, they didn’t see the need for God to intervene. Maybe they were content with the status quo. They knew nothing until the flood came and swept them away.
But there’s another way to look at this. They didn’t see it coming because they had no hope things would change. They accepted their way of life filled with pain and suffering as “the way it is.” They had no hope for a solution, and Noah’s warning, if it reached them, didn’t make sense. They had no hope because they had turned away from the One who gives us hope.
This is important to help us understand the next part of this passage.
Then two will be in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken, and one will be left. Matthew 24:40–41 NRSVUE
People have debated for centuries what this means. But the bigger point is this: some people are ready for change, for rescue, for something better – and others aren’t. And going back to the example of Noah, Jesus could be referring to their blindness. “They knew nothing.” They didn’t have an expectation of something better. They had no hope in a Savior because they didn’t believe in a Savior.
Proverbs 29:18 says, “where there is no vision, the people perish” (KJV). I like the way George Washington Carver stated this premise. He said, “Where there is no vision, there is no hope.” Do you ever feel hopeless? A modern version might be: “If you can’t imagine things getting better, you stop trying.”
Jesus continues:
Keep awake, therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Matthew 24:42–44 NRSVUE
What could be the point Jesus is making here? Jesus’ message has been consistent throughout Scripture — keep your eyes on me; I am love and you belong to me. The one who loves you will usher in the kingdom. We don’t need to worry about prophetic events or be fearful of a thief breaking into the house. You don’t know what day Jesus will return, but you don’t need to know, because you are always ready to welcome him, to worship him, to join him, to participate with him. And whenever he returns, we can be assured that it will be good because Jesus is good!
So, we can live with a sense of anticipation, purpose, and hope, not dread. Jesus is bringing the better world we hope for. Believe in Jesus. Trust that he is with you. And live like someone who is waiting for something wonderful.
This week, take a few moments to quietly talk to God. Ask for hope to grow in your heart. Try to rest in the hope that things will change.
Small Group Discussion Questions
- Share a hope you have about Jesus’ return. What do you look forward to the most?
- George Carver Washington said, “Where there is no vision, there is no hope.” How does that relate to Proverbs 29:18?
- Do you see this passage in Matthew as a warning, a promise, or a bit of both? Explain your reasoning.
- How is the message of Advent 1 helping you look forward to celebrating the Incarnation?
