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Sermon: The feeling of expectation (Advent 3)
Submitted by Randy Johnson on Wed, 12/30/2015 - 12:14pm
By:
The Rev. Miguel Hernandez
The feeling of expectation always warms our hearts with hope.
For those who are still in school, in college or in any kind of educational
programs there is the hope of completing the requirements and be able
For those who are still working and becoming seasoned in age are
hoping for the time when they can meet their requirements for
retirement to be able to enjoy some “free time” to pursuit those hobbies
There are people who are expecting for something to be resolved in their
Let me tell you the story of a salvadoran man named Jose Figueroa. He
has been given Sanctuary at the Walnut Grove Lutheran Church in the
Vancouver area, Canada, in order to avoid deportation to El Salvador.
Jose has not left the church in about two (2) years awaiting for the
Immigration authorities to grant him a visa so that he can stay in Canada
legally with his wife and his Canadian children. He has the expectation
that people of goodwill will continue to support him morally and
spiritually thru the movement “We are Jose.” I decided to be part of that
movement so, I am Jose. Like Jose, I am hoping for the best too.
We all have experienced those feelings of expectation.
We also have the expectation in the coming of Jesus, the savior of the
We are in our third Sunday of Advent. We are waiting for the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ. We long for his coming to be with God. What a
Day. What a Day indeed!
The writer of Philippians give us some words of encouragement when
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your
gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.
Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
And he goes on to remind us that:
The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
We all need these words of encouragement in these days of darkness.
When we hear of wars, violence, and destruction. We all need the peace
that only God can provide for us.
The Gospel reading this morning reports the sensation of those who
were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts
concerning John, John the Baptist of course.
They were asking themselves questions as to who was this man who has
come to baptize them. We sometimes ask similar questions about our
ministers. Why are they doing this or that?
That is fine. It is okay to ask questions.
That is how we get some clarification. It is better to ask questions than
to stay in the dark. We all need some light as to what we are doing and
John answered to the crowd by saying, "I baptize you with water; but
one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the
That person is Jesus Christ. The Savior of the world. John added that
Jesus will baptize people with the Holy Spirit and fire.
And so, we continue in our walk toward God, in faith, as we wait for his
coming in glory. Amen.