Hope toward the Future from the Past in the Present, Zechariah 14:1-9, Luke 21:24-33

As we consider ‘hope’ in Advent, Father Jeremiah points out how it looks to the future while being rooted in the past that we might be sustained in the present. Advent helps us continue forward in this world knowing that God the Father will fulfill his promises.

Image: Second Coming icon, public domain, location: https://garystockbridge617.getarchive.net/media/icon-second-coming-d49e6f

Comprehending the Advent of Hope, Isaiah 64.1-9

Isaiah prays that Yahweh would rend the heavens and come down and judge the nations. However, during this prayer he moves to a time of confession and contrition for his own and the people’s sins realizing that for Yahweh to come would mean his own judgment. What does this mean for us today?

Image: The Second Coming of Christ window at St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in Charleston, SC. Cadetgray, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons. Image location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Second_Coming_of_Christ_window.jpg