During this time of year, we remember specifically different aspects of the Christmas story each Sunday of Advent. The four Sunday’s leading up to Christmas Eve are celebrated by the light of a candle remembering part of the Christmas story. The first is to be lit today. It is the Prophecy candle proclaiming the coming birth of Christ, Isaiah 7:14, and it represents hope. The second is the Bethlehem candle highlighting the manger and coming Christ child, Luke 2:12, and it represent love. The third is the Shepherd’s candle highlighting the announcement to the shepherds of Christ’s birth and it represents joy, Luke 2:8-11. The fourth is the Angel’s candle which represent peace from Luke 2:13-14. The last or center white candle is the Christ candle. This candle is lit on Christmas Eve and represents the arrival of our savior who came to cleanse us from sin, Isaiah 1:18.

Today’s verse from Isaiah was given hundreds of years before the birth of Christ. It is such a specific prophecy that it is amazing. “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” From this the Israelites were to expect their Messiah to have a miraculous birth and he would reveal God to them, as his name means ‘God with us’. Since he would be born, he would be a human child, but He would reveal himself as God. He would live with them and it would be as if God himself was with them. I can’t imagine how hopeful and yet confused they must have been to read this over the centuries. As time elapsed, they knew that God had promised them a flesh and blood representative to reveal God among them. It was a hope-filled message for them and for us. Today as we know Jesus came revealing God to all mankind. He died to redeem and reconcile us to God. His resurrection frees us from the bondage to sin and promises eternal life to all who believe in Him.

Today we learn that God is a god of HOPE. He wants us uplifted from our everyday lives with His blessed hope provided in Jesus. Jesus came to bring us hope so we would know ‘Immanuel’, God with us.

May you experience His hope today as you worship Him on this first Sunday of Advent.

Linda