On this first Sunday of Advent, we light the purple candle symbolizing hope, and Pastor Victor commences a new sermon series, entitled “Jesus, Our Hope”.

In the passage taken from Luke 1:26-38, Mary from the small town of Nazareth is visited by the angel Gabriel. He tells the young virgin that she is honored with the favor of God, and though Mary is confused by Gabriel’s pronouncement that she has been chosen to be the mother of Jesus Christ, she surrenders to His will for her life. In this world, there are distinct preferences for specific traits or lofty origins and accomplishments, however, the Lord honors His own with favor. In today’s message our preacher shares with us three common aspects of God’s favor.

The first aspect of favor is that God is pleased when we are welcoming and open to His plan for our lives. Just as Mary chose not to reject the message from the angel, God favors us when we welcome His direction and follow the path He has designed for us. God also favors an inquisitive spirit. An inquisitive spirit is one that does not reject God’s plans but seeks to understand and discover new, different and better ways of being.

Finally, one must be available and surrender all to the Lord. By allowing God to use us for His purposes, submitting mind, body and spirit to the Lord, we gain His favor. God’s limitless power enables us to accomplish all that He has in store for our lives. Thank God that as children of the Most High we are not dependent on the favor of humankind to have hope in our lives. Even though the world may relegate us as “other”, we have hope because of the child born in the manger. When we welcome God into our lives, have an inquisitive spirit and are available to Him, He will in turn honor us with divine favor. As we await with great anticipation the birth of our Savior, let us hold on to a spirit filled with hope, the hope that is ours because of His favor.