Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. —1 Peter 1:3-5

What is “

Hope?”

The Hebrew word for hope is

.

Tikvah is defined variously as a

, expectation, and hope. It comes from the Hebrew root kavah, meaning “to

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together.”

The story of Rahab of Jericho: “…she tied the scarlet

in the window.” (Joshua 2:21)

Our focus today is 1 Peter 1:3: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a

hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

1 Peter 1:4 describes our living hope as “an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, unfading and kept in heaven for you.”

“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” —Jeremiah 29:11

There’s a difference between almost hope and

hope.

“Hope—the real thing—breaks into seemingly strange, unexpected places…” —Rev. Ingrid McIntyre

That is exactly where Jesus is

…in a strange an unexpected place.

The priests in the Temple had waited for God’s word for centuries. But God’s word became

in a Bethlehem stable.

John Wesley reminded us: Almost hope stands at a distance. Altogether hope dives into the

bringing light.

What strange and unexpected place is God calling you to right now?

Go to that place, and you’ll experience

.

What happens when hope doesn’t show up?

.

God longs to bring hope to you

!

Remember, Rahab is in the

story! (Matthew 1:5)

Action Steps

1. Ask: Where is God calling me to

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   from almost hope to altogether hope?

2. Commit to Altogether Hope by being a part of the Christmas

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   .

“My additional notes:

”.