Hope for Everyone
Advent Week One, Day Three
Matthew 12:15-21

Focus: “…he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles…and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”

Have you ever felt left out? Maybe as a child you were the last one chosen to be on a team in a neighborhood kick-ball game. As an adult maybe you didn’t get an invitation to that special event your friends had been talking about. We all know what it feels like to be left out. It’s not fun.

Have you ever felt left out by God?

The heritage and tradition of the Jewish people has long fascinated me. Add to that the fact that they were the “chosen” people of God, the ones who would receive a promised Messiah, and well, you get the idea. So, here I am, a mix of Native American and Caucasian blend that is 100% Gentile. Not of the chosen people. Left out. Hopeless.

Through Jesus’ birth and life on earth, God declared hope for Gentiles like me. Through his death, burial and resurrection he satisfied justice and brought victory. Because of that, I hope in his name.

Where is your hope? Are you feeling left out? As followers of Jesus, our heritage comes not from earthly lineage, but rather from our Heavenly Father. Hope isn’t seated in where you come from or in the traditions you follow. Hope is found in whose you are and in whom you follow. The hope given through Jesus is for everyone.

Take time to reflect on and thank God for the hope you have in Jesus.