Tonight we looked at the themes of hope and desire. Advent joins with Israel in the hope for the Messiah (Is 9:6) to come and also the Christian hope for Jesus' return and the resurrection of the dead. Hope is something often short supply. Generally humans are not a hopeful people and I'm not sure the beliefs of the church translate into hope for many Christians - not a real and living hope. The theme of desire was opportunity to search our hearts for those secret desires some of us try to hide. I borrowed some of David Ford's idea in The Shape of Living and explored the ideas that God desires us and invites us to desire what he desires. Ford writes:
We are invited to desire what God desires ... In desiring what God desires we find the long-term shape of our life. God desires that we respond with our desire for him ... Desire for God often grows by living, almost without realizing it, in ways that please him. Habits of respect for other people, faithfully fulfilling our responsibilities, going to church, having compassion for the marginalized or suffering, praying regularly according to some pattern, reading the Bible – these and many other practices both [are the motivation for and the result of desiring God].
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