Abound in Hope

And another thing!

During Advent this year, we have been skipping the epistle readings in worship. Romans 15:4-13 was the text appointed for Advent 2, and it is like a breath of fresh air.

(Check it out: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%2015%3A4-13&version=NRSVUE)

Paul emphasizes how Jesus came not just for the Hebrew people, but for all the world. The Gentiles (us) are brought into the family of God through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. We get to receive the promise, no matter who our ancestors were. We’ve been adopted.

Because we are made family by adoption, it means that the church is one, but made up of different parts. Gentiles and Jews came in with different traditions and understandings of God, just like blended families have different holiday traditions or ways of running the household. Jesus did this for us, bringing us together. The early church had a tough time figuring out how to live together. Sometimes, the church still has a hard time figuring out how to be unified in our faith life.

Paul talks about the challenges in other parts of Romans. Here, he blesses us.

5 May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, 6 so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

We are led by the God of hope, steadfastness, and encouragement. We are filled with all joy and peace in believing. We are made able to glorify God with one voice and to abound in hope.

As we go through these days where the to-do list never seems to end, I invite you to sit with these blessings for a bit. Read them again, slowly. Hear God’s good word, written for you. I’ve copied out verse 13 on a post-it note and put it where I’ll see it often. It’s good to remember that joy and peace are God’s gifts to us. They aren’t something we have to do. They are something we receive.

It’s not Christmas yet, but these are presents we don’t have to wait for. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.