Hope is Coming!

Hey, I have something to tell you: Hope is coming!

The anticipation of what this means begs my flesh to stand down that my heart might beat in holy rhythm. My soul is desperate for it. Yours too?

Like spiritual glue, hope holds the pieces of my life together. In fact, I wrote a book telling my own story of holding tightly to it through one of the deepest, darkest seasons of my life. When I felt stripped of everything else, hope remained faithful.

The best thing about hope is it constantly reinvents itself according to the situation for which it’s needed most, and at the same time, it’s a source of stability because its foundation is unchanging. Isn’t it something how the chief cornerstone makes all things new? Hope is the most beautifully abundant of all gifts, and I often find myself catching glimpses of it in the ordinary, mundane of every day. It exemplifies a mysterious tangibility, as if it waits for me to reach out and grab it, beckoning me to share it with others. And, friend, I cannot for the life of me think of a better way to express hope than correlating it to Advent season.

The word Advent comes from the Latin – adventus, which means coming or arrival, and is actually derived from the Greek – parousia, holding the same meaning. Though there have been many opinions and explanations handed down throughout centuries from scholars working to explain the history of what this word was intended to represent, for me it embodies hope.

Hope came to a fallen world and will one day come again. (Tweet that)

If it’s possible to worship together through an online space, then I want to do that. Beginning today, this first Sunday of Advent, all the way through Christmas Eve, I want to take a few moments each day to take a deep breath, brush the glitter from the Christmas decor off our hands, and focus on the hope of a coming Savior.

Every December, my life consists of directing two Christmas musicals, shopping, wrapping, baking, decorating, and praying I can make Christmas meaningful for my family and others. To be honest, it’s overwhelming. I know you can relate…

Here’s the crazy part: As chaotic as life is for me this time of year, I don’t want to change anything. I have no desire to decorate less, bake fewer cookies, or hideaway from the endless hustle and bustle. I’m not writing a series about simplifying what we do to celebrate. I’m writing to encourage worship of our Savior within every moment of preparation. I want each action to shout, “Christ is Coming! Hope is on the way!”

With every fresh cookie baked and ornament hung on the tree, with every dollar spent and gift wrapped, all I want to do is adore Jesus is in all of it. It’s my heart’s cry that every part of this season would be an act of worship.

What do you say, can we worship together?

Last year, I read a beautiful book that changed the way I think regarding the days leading up to the birth of Christ. I really want to share it with you! So to begin this journey, I’m having a giveaway!

In a way only she can, Ann Voskamp wrote a book about Advent season entitled The Greatest Gift. I’m overjoyed to give a copy away. To enter, just leave a comment on this post anytime starting today, November 29, 2015, through Thursday, December 3, 2015. A winner will be randomly selected and announced here on the blog Friday, December 4, 2015.

Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.

-Hebrews 2:1

Our salvation and reconciliation with our Father God began with the first coming of Christ. Let’s take this life-giving advice from the writer of Hebrews and heed the things which we’ve heard, lest we drift away and lose focus in the middle of all the festivities. A birthday celebration awaits, let us not lose sight of Hope.

Love,

Jennifer

PS: When you subscribe to Jenniferkostick.com via email you receive my eBook, Mercy Waits, FREE! To learn more about me, click here.

Day Two: A Covenant Keeping God