This week we are in the first week of Advent, a time when we celebrate the anticipated coming of Christ, and we are studying hope. Hope for the Christian is about more than being optimistic, it is living in anticipation of something sure, something we’ve been witness to for thousands of years, that is God’s Holy Presence coming among His people to renew all things. This Christmas season as we hang lights, deck the halls, and wrap gifts, we are being asked to remember that hope, true hope, was made possible through the work of Jesus, His life, death, and resurrection on our behalf.