Romans 15:13 * December 12, 2007 * Midweek Advent 2 * Prof. Daniel
Leyrer
“Living in Hope of Christ’s Abiding Presence”
Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
Dear children of hope,
During their morning walk one summer day a retired couple came upon their young neighbors hustling from their house to the car in the driveway and from their car to the house, back and forth, frantically throwing some luggage into the trunk. It was clear they were going on vacation. Noticeably unstressed by all this was the young couple’s four-year-old daughter Zoe who was already fastened into her car seat in the back. The retired couple thought they might have a conversation with Zoe while mom and dad put the finishing touches on the packing.
“Hello, Zoe. And where are you going today?” Zoe replied, “I don’t know.”
“Where will you be spending the night?” was the next question. “I don’t know” was the next answer.
“How long will you be gone?” they asked. And Zoe maintained, “I don’t know.”
Zoe’s kind neighbors weren’t put off by her “I don’t know’s,” but they thought it might be nice to hear what she did know about this trip, so they asked the most important question for a four-year-old headed into the unknown. “Zoe, who are you going with?” “Mommy and Daddy!” was the smiling, certain answer.
When you’re a little child, knowing who you’re with, being certain of who’s with you, makes all the difference. And knowing who you’re with makes all those other questions—Where are you going? When will you get there?—just a bunch of minor details.
Jesus once encouraged us, his disciples, to think of ourselves as little children. Well, little child, who are you going with? Who’s with you on this journey through life? We children of God do not know what twists and turns await us on this journey. And we do not know how long the journey through this life will take. But we know, we’re certain, who we’re with. Christians live in the sure hope of Christ’s abiding presence.
And that’s what I’d like you to think about as you hear this one verse from Romans 15. In this verse there are three incredible gifts that are ours because Christ is with us every step of our lives. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom 15:13). Hope. Joy. Peace. Because Jesus is with you right now, you have hope, joy, and peace. And friends, these are unlike the hope, joy, and peace the world has to offer.
What does it mean to live in hope because Jesus is with us on our journey through life? Paul says God is a God of hope, and by giving us his Son Jesus he allows us to overflow with hope! Hope is the confidence to lay every bit of our future in God’s hands and to know that he will work all things out for our eternal good. Hope is as Paul wrote earlier in this letter to the Romans: “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things” (8:32)? Hopeless we were born into this world. Steeped in rebellion against the God who formed us in our mother’s womb and with no power or inclination to do anything but continue in our rebellion. Hopeless. Then God acted. Then God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem us who have broken God’s law. God forgave our rebellion by not sparing his Son. He gave us Jesus. He took care of our greatest need. Now I live in hope knowing that he will take care of all my needs the way he sees fit in his perfect love. Because of Christ you have hope.
Because of Christ you have joy. What’s that?
You’re a Christian and you’re not smiling and laughing and bubbling over
with happiness all the time? Well,
that’s not really what Christian joy is.
The joy that God gives when we trust in him is an inner contentment that
is not dependent upon outward circumstances.
Being content with all the blessings God gives us for body and soul will
often show itself in a smile or a laugh.
But not always.
Yet, Christian joy is always a smile on the inside as we recognize, with
appreciation that God has smiled on us.
That nothing that happens to us can change what happened at
And because of Christ you have peace. Peace is one of those gifts Christmas cards promote, but Christmas card recipients may have a hard time finding it. “Peace on earth” the card says; yet in our world there are wars and rumors of war. A peaceful winter scene on the front of the card is pretty to look at; oh, that such peace could jump off the card into my stressed out life. But, you see, real peace cannot come from a treaty between nations or from an artist’s brush. Real peace comes only from Jesus. “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” Paul wrote earlier to the Romans (8:1). Jesus worked peace between us and the holy God. No longer do we live in fear of his righteous condemnation. Through faith in Jesus you are secure in your status as God’s friend, God’s child. That’s peace for the heart. Peace for a lifetime. Because of Christ you have peace.
Hope. Joy. Peace. They really exist. Jesus earned them. God really wants us to have them. How do they become ours? How do we feel them, enjoy them as we journey through life? Permit one last encouragement from this verse: “…by the power of the Holy Spirit.” God the Holy Spirit puts the hope and the joy and the peace in your heart by working your faith in Jesus and strengthening your faith in Jesus. And his hope-inspiring, joy-bringing, peace-working tool is the gospel in Word and Sacrament. This, my friends, is how Jesus is present with you right now. His good news message splashed into your hearts at your baptism and you live in that baptismal grace still now. His good news message waits for you at this communion table where his body and blood are present with the bread and wine. His good news message sets up shop in your hearts as you share a devotion with your family, a Bible class with your brothers and sisters, or when you open your Bible to read when you’re all alone. But you’re not really alone, are you? Jesus is there. In the gospel, that’s where we find him. And the more we do, the more hope, joy, and peace abound.
Someone once told me that blue is the color for Advent because it’s the color of the sky. It’s the color of Christians with heads raised, looking to the sky for their dear Lord’s second coming. What a blessed season Advent is—as we prepare to celebrate Christ’s first coming, we eagerly await his second coming.
But what of the time in which we live, the time between the advents? Be an Advent Christian. Meet, greet, enjoy each day the Lord gives with hope, joy, and peace. Jesus is with you right now and that makes all the difference.
Amen.
Rejoice, then, you sad-hearted, who sit in deepest gloom,
Who mourn o’er joys departed and tremble at your doom.
Despair not; he is near you, he’s standing at the door
Who best can help and cheer you and bids you weep no more.