Celebrate Advent at Mallard Creek Presbyterian Church
December 5, 2025/
WEEK 1: HOPEFULNESS
The Epistle to the Hebrews is a fascinating book within the New Testament. It tells us that Jesus is our great high priest—the only priest able to offer a sacrifice, be the sacrifice, and claim the power of the sacrifice to make us one with God and one with one another. To many of us, it is a strange book that is hard to get our minds around. We do not worship as they did. It seems so alien.
But the intent of the book is inspire hope for all generations.
It reminds us that hope is actually about faith—trusting the promises of God to be kept; trusting that we are included within the fold of God’s grace; and trusting that Jesus is the one through whom it all came to pass.
The writer reminds us of the great history of our faith, running through the ancient generations of saints who believed as we ought to believe. There is Noah, loading up and ark, trusting God’s providence; there is Abraham, leading Isaac up a mountain, not quite sure they would return together, but trusting God to be good and promises kept; and on through the list. All of these ancestors held faith. So can we.
I think of the Magi who came to the infant Christ. They had no reason to be there—even if he was a messiah, he was not THEIR messiah, for they were not part of the covenant community. Yet, they believed that somehow, some way, he was their messiah. They saw what was unseen and unspoken. They trusted in all of it. They believed.
Hope is trusting things we have not seen. Hope is looking ahead, free from fear because we believe God is already there. Hope is allowing that trust to become the core of our being.
So we gather at the manger, trusting the promises revealed there. We gather in hope.
Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-3
Prayer—
O Lord
Strengthen our ability to trust your promises
Broaden our vision to see Christ all around us
Embolden our hearts to hear and believe good new to be truly good news
Come, Lord Jesus
Amen
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THURSDAYWhat was the most impossible thing you ever hoped for? You knew the likelihood of ever receiving it or experiencing it was zilch or worse, but you simply could not let go of the hope that it just might come to pass. Ever longed for something that way?
Yes, it is Advent, but Mary Magdalene teaches us something important about such hope at the other end of the Gospel.
It is hard to imagine what her life was like in the period from Good Friday to Easter morning. The teacher and mentor she had followed for years (Luke tells us she was part of a group of women that managed the affairs of the disciples and Jesus as they worked) was taken from her in a horrible 24 hours of madness. Jesus died—executed by Rome through the horrific means of crucifixion. All the hopes she had held to were seemingly dashed beyond repair. I cannot fathom the depth of her grief on Good Friday evening as she and the other Marys gathered spices with which to anoint the body of Jesus. I cannot imagine the emptiness of Saturday—the Sabbath—when all she could was sit with her loss.
Yet, there was still a glimmer of hope…
Mary goes to the tomb early on Sunday morning, even before the sun had risen completely. She goes knowing it will simply be further confirmation of her grief and loss, but…
…the tomb is empty…
What could that mean? Rationally, she assumed someone had stolen Jesus; but there was another possibility—one that defied all logic—one that turned creation itself upside down—what if Jesus was no longer dead? What if he lived? Could that possibly be the case?
It is this sort of hope that Advent brings to us—the hope of resurrection—the possibility of new life—or life anew. It is the hope that tells us there are no truly lost causes. It is the hope that calls us to look more closely, seek more deeply, and step into the unknown seeing what God might be doing.
An infant is born in a backwater stable in a village that cannot find room for his family. While most of the world ignores his birth completely, shepherds celebrate, storming into a sleeping town with wild tales of angels, heavenly hosts, and child who would be king. How could any of that possibly be true?
Yet, it was…
Scripture: John 20:1-18
Prayer—
O Lord,
Offer us hope against hope; come, Lord Jesus, amen.
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WEDNESDAY
St Luke tells a long and wonderful story of Jesus’ birth, going all the way back to the birth of John the Baptist, the harbinger and preparer of all for the advent of Jesus (October, FIFTEEN MONTHS before the birth of Jesus), then continues, telling us the story of Mary, the mother of Jesus, from the angelic announcement that God chose her to be the messiah’s mother (March, if you’re keeping track) right on through the birth of Christ in Bethlehem, even into the young Jesus’ childhood. It is quite a story.
What is so striking in her story is her complete trust in God, a remarkable, if not miraculous trust. Mary was young. Most scholars agree she was probably a young teen (women were considered eligible for marriage at twelve in the 1st Century!). She would not have had much experience of the world, having been sheltered at home to protect her from the world seen as a threat to a young girl. She would have had enough training in her faith to know the commandments in the Torah regarding childbearing and birth—commandments that had a seriously dim view of unplanned, out of wedlock births. Yet—SHE BELIEVED! She handed herself over to God to be whomever God needed her to be.
What empowered this powerful commitment and decision to become an instrument of God?
In a word—hope.
When she visits her cousin, Elizabeth who was six months pregnant with John, Mary offers a song of praise, adoration, humility, and gratitude for the work of God, despite all the trials, tribulations, and danger obedience brought to her. Note—Mary was probably with Elizabeth because staying at home would have imperiled her life because nosy neighbors were never going to believe in a Holy Spirit conception. Yet, Mary offers a song that celebrates the saving grace of God—God’s predilection for the poor, the isolated, the alienated, and lost. She knows her child will be the implement of the redemption of the world.
May such faith and hope guide us this season. May we also sing that God is good and grace abounds!
Scripture: Luke 1:46-55
Prayer—
O Lord
May we trust you as Mary trusted you
May we offer ourselves as servants of love, hope, and grace this season
Come, Lord Jesus
Amen
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TUESDAY
The Book of Isaiah is sometimes called ‘The Fifth Gospel’ because of the numerous references the gospels make to the set of oracles found there. The Prophet Isaiah offered a vision of hope and expectation nearly unmatched in the library of Hebrew prophets. He took stock of his time and place—a hard time of trial and tribulation for the people of Israel—but found within it sure and certain signs that all could be well and that all would be well.
Each Advent, many preachers and congregations run through his oracles celebrating the coming messiah—a savior who was not yet here, but who was surely on the way. Isaiah saw a child coming who would become Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. He saw this child establishing a peaceable kingdom in which predators and prey would dwell in harmony, eating straw together; a kingdom in which weapons of war are remolded into implements for farming; and kingdom so settled that a little child could lead it. All of these statements inform our celebration of Christmas—this child, we know, is Jesus Christ.
But…
That peaceable kingdom still seems out of reach.
Or so it seems…
The truth is that the Christ Child is the sure and certain sign that God is indeed refashioning all that is. As the great hymn to Christ sings in Colossians, in Christ, all is being made new, gaining new life through him and for him. Advent is the reminder to stay awake and look for the signs of the coming kingdom blossoming around us.
Isaiah offered his visions for a singular purpose—the comfort of his people. They had gone through enough, endured enough, seen enough, and struggled enough. They needed to know the overwhelming promise of God that all could be so much better. They needed to believe, even as they cried with the father of a sick child before Jesus, ‘I believe, help my unbelief!’
May we know that comfort as well. May it guide us through this season of light.
Scripture: Isaiah 40:1-11
Prayer—
O Lord
May the words of the prophets ring within us
May we look expectantly for the dawn of grace and rising of the sun of salvation
May we allow hope to guide us and lead us each and every day
May we take in your promises of grace
Come, Lord Jesus
Amen
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MONDAY
ago, I heard a sermon that told us that John the Baptist was the gate through which we had to pass to get to Christmas (Second Presbyterian Church, Richmond, VA, the Rev O Ben Sparks). Every Advent, I am reminded of those words, always wondering just what it means for us as we head toward Christmas.
Most of us know the story of the Baptist—Jesus’ cousin (according to St Luke), living a life of wilderness asceticism, forsaking nearly all physical comforts, preaching reform through repentance—a Baptist ‘get right with Jesus’ sermon centuries before such sermons entered the landscape. The gospels all agree he was sent to prepare the world for the coming of Jesus. He offered baptism—a ritual cleansing—to those who sought such a reformation. He minced no words in his critique of the religion of his day, calling the leaders of the faith ‘a brood of vipers’! To him, the religion of the day was empty—no heart, no communion, no depth of faith—just a self-serving, self-preserving institution enamored with its own power.
Well what does that have to do with this season of comfort and joy? Why do we need to pass through this gate to get to the festival of celebration awaiting us?
Because, it seems, we still need that reformation.
The Christian community has become an institution global in its scope, structured through hierarchies, and woven through with all manner of ins and outs. The challenge is to remember that it is only as effective as it is in bringing human beings into communion with God and with one another.
Is that happening?
One of the wondrous pieces of good news Advent always brings is the chance to sit at the manger, lovingly taking in the infant Christ, allowing all the promise and possibility of a child to infect us, effect us, and affect —to regain our joy, hope, wonder, and adoration.
John calls us to task. May we have ears to hear.
Scripture: Matthew 3:1-12
Prayer—
O Lord
Grant us an openness and a readiness to hear your call to turn ourselves around
To recapture the joy and wonder of being in the presence of Christ Jesus
To let go of all that keeps us from fully participating in the loving communion he founded
And to rekindle our faith, hope, and compassion
Come, Lord Jesus
Amen
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SUNDAY
Advent is a season of waiting and watching. Children capture it best as they count down the days to Christmas morning—each day becomes a little more exciting than the last as anticipation builds for the BIG DAY!
When was the last time you waited for something with that much expectation, excitement, and anticipation?
Sometimes we adults have a hard time with waiting. It is just one more trial to be endured. We wonder and complain why we can’t get what we want right when we want it.
But the truth is that waiting might be good for us—ever acted rashly? Done something on pure impulse? Then come the regrets…
Advent is a season of waiting, but is not a season just to be endured. It is a time when we can prepare ourselves anew for the gift coming on Christmas—the renewal of the covenant between God and man—the celebration of the Christ Child—the sure and certain sign of God’s astounding and abiding love for us. We need to time to make room in our hearts, to still our burdened and worried minds, and soften our outlooks for the reception of the Child.
Doing so ensures we will welcome him as we need to—receiving the gift of grace anew and aright. He is our hope—then, now, and always.
Be still and wait.
God is coming.
Scripture: Psalm 46
Prayer—
O Lord
Help me wait
Grant me the gift of patience
Grant me the serenity of waiting with an open heart and ready spirit
May Christ be born anew within me
Come, Lord Jesus
Amen
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