Hope: Advent Sunday 2


People of God: be glad!
Your God delights in you,
giving you joy for sadness
and turning the dark to light.
Be strong in hope therefore;
for your God comes to save.
You are God’s children.
Lord, make us one in the love of Christ
today and for ever.

Amen.
(Advent resources)

The Church of England's prayer for the second Sunday of Advent could be Paul's prayer, as he looks back over his experience of transformation. The light that shone on the Damascus road showed him that his zealous pursuit of righteousness had in fact blinded him to the startling truth that God was offering not a reward, but grace! Our God delights in us, and has come to save us in the person of Jesus. Paul's darkness turns to light as he learns that this Jesus is God's anointed one, and our hope is not based on our background, our education or our behaviour but God's love for us.


Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 
And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
                                                                Romans 5: 1,2,5

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