The Promise-maker is a Promise-keeper!

      Today is the first Sunday of Advent and our focus is on HOPE. In an ordinary sense of the word, "hope" conveys uncertainty (e.g.. I hope her lab results are negative, I hope that Lucas gets the job he wants, I hope that the Bears win)…but in a Biblical sense, hope is NOT related to doubt at all.  For Christians, "hope" is the assurance of things yet to come because we trust in the promises of God. Hope, to people of faith, is trusting that God is both a Promise-maker and a Promise-keeper. As Christians our hope rests on the promises of God and our faith enables us to live AS IF God’s promises true, despite the brokenness we see, the cries that we hear, and the sadness we experience. 
      If God’s promises are NOT true- if He hasn't raised up a Righteous Branch, if the boy lying in the manger is not God incarnate, if were not forgiven and accepted by grace, if death is still the victor- then we might as well play golf or go fly fishing. If we can't stand on God's promises, our faith would be in vain... but if the Promise-maker is a Promise-keeper, we can claim His promises for ourselves, trust in them, and live them out! 
      Christian hope is anchored in God's word... and it's trusting, regardless of circumstance, that our Promise-maker is a Promise-keeper. There are scores of promises in Scripture, but I will cite a few that give us reason to walk by faith from day to day: 

1. Let me begin with the 23rd Psalm because it promises us that, when we walk through the darkest valleys in our lives, God will be with us. We will never walk alone, and this means we can walk in confidence… even when our hearts are breaking and there are shattered dreams all around. I trust that God will always be with me because the Promise-maker is a Promise-keeper and this gives me great hope;

2. We are promised (Rom. 8) that neither angels nor demons, nor anything else in all of creation will ever separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Nothing can separate us from God, not even our sin, because God has already ransomed us. We are God’s forever. I trust in this because the Promise-maker is a Promise-Keeper;

3. In Isaiah’s book, God promises us that, if we trust in God, if we don't take things into our own hands or wander off in our own ways, we will find new strength and soar like an eagle. This is a great hope. I may get tired, frustrated, disappointed... but I won't quit because my strength will be renewed by God. I will count on this and expect to soar... because my Promise-maker is a Promise-keeper;

4. In the book of Genesis, we're assured that we're all created in God’s image, which means that we're all worthy, all loved,  all accepted in Christ. If we are all children of God, then we are family. Knowing this gives me hope and believing it changes the way that I see and treat others; 

5. Scripture tells us that God didn’t send his Son to condemn the world, but to save it. This means that we're serving a God who is inviting us into a loving and saving relationship. It means that God is for us, that He's the one who's knocking at the door… and this should fill our hearts with great joy;

6. "For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in His shall NOT perish, but have everlasting life." Wow, what a promise this is! I will die, but I will NOT perish. I will die, but I will not be a nothing in a nowhere (to use Walter Wangerin’s words). I will not perish, and the day will surely come when He'll call my name and welcome me home. This hope gives me great joy... and I claim it because the Promise-maker is a Promise-keeper;

7. Did you hear about the zookeeper who kept a wolf and a lamb in the same cage? It was a wonder to behold and people came from miles around. Finally, someone asked the zookeeper how he did it... and he said, "It's easy. I just put a new lamb in the cage each morning." Well, that's pretty much the truth of it when it comes to what we see and experience in this world. Putting a new lamb in the cage is about as good as it gets in this world, but God promises that there's a great day coming... when the wolf will will lie down with the lamb (for real)... when there will be no more pain or death, no more tears, no more worries, no more poverty, no oppression either!

      The Promise-maker tells us that there will come a day when every knee shall bow to Christ as Lord... and my hope rests on this promise. There will be a time when we will praise God together, with all of our hearts. This is the promise for a day to come, but we can claim it today. We can hope for this day, live as if we believe in it… and work to bring it about by embracing, lifting, feeding, clothing, and caring for Jesus whenever he appears to us! Amen.