I wanna start off this morning by having you think back to some of your favorite Christmas memories. Maybe it was that excitement and anticipation in your childhood of coming downstairs Christmas morning. Maybe it was a, a favorite family tradition. Or you remember what character you played in a Christmas pageant? Maybe you think back to wrapping up in a cozy, warm fuzzy blanket next next to the crackling of a fireplace or maybe since we live here in Phoenix, you remember opening the windows and finally turning off the ac what smells come to mind. What movies come to mind, what tastes. There's something special that comes with Christmas, isn't it? This Sunday? Today marks the beginning of the season known as Advent. An Advent comes from the Latin word which means coming and it's the expectation of the coming of Jesus. So over the next four weeks here in the middle of 2120 we wanna lean into that nostalgia and help you rediscover the wonder of Christmas because when you compare all those traditions and feelings and emotions and memories of sledding or hot cocoa and then you think 2020 it just seems very contrasting, doesn't it? But while this year is very different, it doesn't mean that we can't recapture those feelings, those emotions that come from the Wonder of Christmas. Because at the end of the day, it's actually about the Wonder of Jesus. And so over the next four weeks, we're gonna talk about these topics and today we're gonna start off and talk about wonderful, hope, wonderful, hope, hope that inspires hope, that encourages hope that can change lives. Now, before we go into this morning's passage, let me share with you a working definition for those who like to take notes. And that is this, that hope is the confident expectation that God will do what he promised. Hope is much more than optimism. Well, maybe it'll work out. No, it is the confident expectation that God will do what he promised. There are many words in the Old and New Testament that are translated as hope. But let me share one really fun one with you today that I'm guessing you probably haven't heard before. And that word is the Hebrew word Kava. Kind of sounds like a ninja chop. Come up. Ok? Some of you want to try it. Go ahead, go ahead and turn to your neighbor. Don't actually hit them, ok. But go ahead and just make a ninja chop. Go ahead and go, come out right. I watch American Ninja Warrior with my kiddos. And so if I could be on that show, I would love to be the the hope Ninja Ka, right? And go through it. Well, this word Ka means to wait. But in the root of that word cav means cord. And actually the definition of Kava refers to wading through tension. So I have a bungee cord up here. And I want you to picture OK, that when you have a cord and you have tension, I want you to picture here the tension of waiting. Now, the question is what is the tension? Well, you have where you are and then you have where you wanna be and the waiting in the middle is the tension. So a farmer plants seeds in the spring and then has to wait or Kava and that tension of waiting for harvest and you can feel this tension really in many situations. When you think about the tension you have for excitement on a Christmas morning for sports. If you get the last two minutes of a game, don't you just feel the tension or even a good book or a good movie or a story? And you're watching, it gets to the climax of the story. There is tension. That's what makes movies and stories and sports so great is the tension itself. One of my favorite live sports memories in recent dates back when you could actually go to sporting events was I was with my son Jackson. We were at a Suns game, they were playing the Milwaukee Bucks and I was bummed because their best player, Giannis was injured and so he didn't get to play. We were like, I, we will still go and the suns were down. I, I forget the exact numbers, but I think they were down like six with like 40 seconds left or something like that and they didn't have the ball. So I was like, ah, let's go, Jackson. And so we started going from the upper level down to the lower level and all of a sudden we heard this roar and then a pause and then another roar. I was like, what? And we, and we run back into the lower section and they had made shots, got a turnover, made another shot. Um, and then fouled the person. And so now they were only down one and the other team was shooting free throws. And so they made both free throws, but there was only like one second remaining and they, they didn't have any time outs left. And so they made the two free throws, took the ball on the baseline, threw it all the way across the court. Devin Booker just on the other side of half court. Caught it. This is about two years ago, caught, it turned shot, it at the buzzer goes in and the stadium just went nuts. I mean, we're high fiving, we're hugging strangers, everyone if you've been a part of these sporting events, you know, right when you see something. And there's this at the buzzer moment goes, we're going crazy. Why? Because the tension of the moment that tension is hope. But what's interesting is that people can also experience tension that's described as worry when you have where you currently are and you're not certain of where you're gonna be. Worry also experiences tension, doesn't it? But the difference is the focus worry focuses on the problem. Hope focuses on the promise. Worry focuses on what you may lose. Hope focuses on what you may gain. Worry focuses on the pain. Hope focuses on purpose. And here in 2020 what I want to encourage you is that everybody experiences tension but it's your choice. Whether or not you focus on hope or worry, turn to your neighbor and say, choose hope that didn't seem very hopeful. I'm gonna be honest with people in the room. I'm hoping people watching online were more exciting than that. But let's try that one more time. Go ahead and turn to your neighbor and say, choose hope and I'll say back, I want you to say embrace the tension. Go ahead and say that with because it's in the middle of tension that you get to experience hope. If there is no tension, there's no need for hope. Do you realize that you're not gonna need hope in heaven? You don't need hope in heaven because you already will be there. Hope was made for you and for me, right? Now, in this moment, in other words, hope was built for tension. Hope was built for 2020. Hope was built for the tough times and the uncertainty and the unknown and this is exactly what we need. That's why I say hope is so wonderful and so amazing because it is the cure. It is the antidote for the tension and the worries that you might have. And that if you actually embrace the tension, embrace the uncertainty and choose to focus on hope. Instead of worry, God can work in miraculous ways, but don't just take my word for it. Let's dive into God's word and see what he has to say. We're gonna go back to the Old Testament 700 years before the coming of Jesus. Actually, there were several prophecies um about the coming of Jesus, about being born of a virgin and being called Emanuel, which is crazy because Isaiah was written 700 years before Jesus came. But today I want to focus in on this word Kava and hope found in this particular passage. But we're gonna do a long lead up to this passage because I want you to see just how powerful and just how wonderful hope really is. So Isaiah chapter 40 starting, I believe in verse 21. Let's go ahead and put on the screen here. Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood? From the foundations of the earth. It is he who sits above the circle of the earth and inhabits and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers who stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them like a tent to dwell in, who brings princes to nothing and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness scarcely are. They planted scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth. And when he blows on them, they wither and the tempest carries them off like stubble to whom then will you compare me that I should be like them? Says the holy one. This is God speaking, lift up your eyes on high and see who created these, who brings out the host by number and calls them by name. God doesn't only have the stars on speed dial. He knows every single system and star by name and by the greatness of his mind and because He is strong in power, not one of them is missing. Why do you say oh Jacob and speak oh Israel, my way is hidden from the Lord and my right is disregarded by my God. Have you not known? Have you not heard that the Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint and to him who has no might. He increases strength, even youth shall faint and be weary and young men shall fall exhausted. But they who wait. Oh, there's our word Kava. Hope for those who hope for the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not be faint. So this incredible passage, you see all these verses leading up to this encouragement to Kava to wait, to hope. It's almost like those preceding verses was giving the resume of God. I mentioned, I love sports, so I love golf as well. And if you're unfamiliar with golf, professional golf tournaments, when somebody is announced that the first tee, they, they give the resume of the player and they share now introducing to the tea and they, they give the introduction to the player and then they hit their first tea shop and everyone just politely claps. Well, there's a funny story of back in 2002 as they head into the final tournament of the year, the tour championship. This is back when Tiger Woods was in his heyday and Tiger Woods was matched up with Phil Mickelson and two of the best golfers head to head tour championship 2002, all coming down to this and, and Tiger was first up to the T and so the lady introducing Tiger said, introducing in the 2002 tour championship winner of the Masters tournament, the US opened the Bay Hill Invitational, the Buick opened the American Express World Golf Championship and it was in that moment, Phil Mickelson off on the side said, ok, we get it enough already. And everyone chuckled. They said, ok, we get it, we get it. Tiger is good. Just let him tee off and let's play. And everyone had a big laugh. Well, that's what happens actually in this passage, those verses I just read to you was talking about the victories of God, the power of God, the resume of God, the God who created the world, who created the universe, the heavens and the earth who can bring down princes and rulers of this world like nothing can blow and they blow away the God who holds up the heavens and spreads them out like a tent in the sky under which we can dwell, who calls them each by name. This God who no one can compare. This is the God of power. This is the God of strength, this is the God of incredible presence and purpose and this creator, all powerful, all knowing all present God is here and then we are then challenged and encouraged to hope in Him. And he says, if you hope in Him, you will renew your strength, that you will mount up on wings like eagles that you will run and not grow weary, you will walk and not grow faint. I appreciate the fact that the writer here says no matter your speed, God's got you, you will soar, you will run. OK? Even for those of you that are just going to walk God's got you right. But I want to zone in actually on this word, renew, renew their strength in deeper study of this word. This word when placed next to CAVA actually means exchange. Remember what we just talked about, God created the world spoken into existence, sustains the universe numbers the stars by name who can compare, who is higher, who is greater. There is nothing that He cannot do. And so if you put your hope in God, you can exchange your strength for his, you know, 2020 is a crazy season. And so I don't know if white elephant gift exchange are going to be a thing this year, but a quick show of hands of those in the room. How many of you have taken part in a white elephant gift? OK. Online, I appreciate if you also raised your hand, but I can't see you. So, but the idea of a white elephant gift exchange and usually with friends family or in the office is that you go in and you don't know what's in and it's typically silly, but there's always a few really good prizes and, and you go and you exchange and, and if you see something, you like, you get to steal it, but it's Christmas season. So we say exchange after so many steals or exchanges, you get to keep it as a youth pastor for 12 years, we would always do the white elephant gift exchange and there was always some funny things coming in. I know one year someone brought in a toilet seat, you know, and then there's like gift cards to Dutch, bros or coffee or other things there too. Well, one kid who some of you might know his name was Brody. He thought it would be funny to wrap a brick in a hoverboard box and this girl got it and opened it up and thought that she had just won a $300 hoverboard. And I knew, I know Brody and I knew it wasn't in there and it was the saddest just being transparent internally. Funny moment. I couldn't laugh because I was running the thing and I felt so sad. She opened this gift and goes and she starts running around the youth room and she had just run a hoverboard and I'm like, oh no, this is not gonna be good. And then of course, I see Brody just cackling in the corner and like, I just give him that look, you know, you get the parent, look, the youth pastor look the ok. That look like, what do you do? And sure enough opens it and there's like a brick inside. I mean, it was like a t-shirt something. Ok too. And she was like, no, and like threw it to the side and I was like, oh No, it's so bad. Here's the thing. Well, that moment and she got over, it was fine and she got like, you know, gave her a little gift card and a T shirt and she, and it was a fun night. A lot of what the world is going to offer you this Christmas season. It's like that bad gift exchange. They're gonna say, hey, what you need is materials. What you need is possessions. What you need is newer and bigger and better. You need money, you need fame, you need this, you need this in your life. Do you want to have a great Christmas and buy this, do this? And you're gonna see it repeatedly this Christmas season. Online social media. What scares me is that? Have you ever thought about buying something? And then now it's on your social media feed and you never even said it out loud. That's scary, right? Anyway, the world is gonna say you need this, you need this, you need this. Well, if you go and pursue that and you open it up, I promise you it's not going to deliver what you're hoping it does. But hope k for those that hope in the Lord get to renew their strength. In other words, they get to exchange their strength for God's strength. And now with the strength of God, there is no tension that you can't face. That's why you can mount up on wings like eagles, you can run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint because you have the hope of the Lord living inside of you. The writer in Hebrews chapter 10, verse 23 said this. Let us hold fast. The confession of hope without wavering for He who promised is faithful. If you did a gift exchange and you got to grab hold of God's hope, God's strength, you ain't letting that thing go. And so today as you go into Christmas season, I want to encourage you with this. Write this down. Don't waste your waiting. Hold fast to home. Don't waste your waiting. Don't waste your 10. Every single person more than any year I can ever remember in life or in ministry has had to experience some form of waiting or tension this year. And so don't waste that instead. Hold fast to hope, choose Kava take to opportunity to embrace the tension and hold fast to hope. Ok, John, this is supposed to be advent, this is supposed to be Christmas. And you have said nothing about the biblical characters of the Christmas story yet. And that is because every single major character in the Christmas story had to Kava had to embrace the weight. Mary Joseph Wise Men, the shepherds, all of them experienced a prolonged period of questioning, doubting uncertainty, tension and waiting. But what they chose to do was to hold fast, to hope. What does it mean to hold faster? Hope? It means this that one day's hope should lead to today's obedience. One day's hope should lead to today's obedience. Everybody has a one day in their heart and in their mind, one day, I'm gonna be cancer free. One day, I'm going to be reconciled with my kids. One day, I'm gonna be financially stable. One day, I'm gonna be on the other side of this valley. One day, God, you're gonna remove pain, you're gonna remove sickness, you're gonna remove death. The problem is that's one day, but we're stuck in today. But what you see in scripture is that people that had one day hope had two day obedience. They didn't know in that exact moment that God was gonna relieve the pressure, relieve the pain. Instead, they embraced the Kava, they embraced the tension. So they said God, one day, you're gonna heal me. And so today I'm gonna be faithful. One day, we're gonna be past Covin. But today I'm gonna be courageous and prayerful. One day my marriage is going to be healed or reconciled or new relationships, whatever you called me to do. But today I'm gonna be forgiving one day I need to be out of debt. So today I'm gonna be a good steward one day, I'm gonna have what I want. But today I recognize that you give me what I need. And so when you embrace one day, hope that gives you the strength, when you exchange your strength for God's strength He gives you the power and the purpose and the ability then to turn around and have two day obedience. One day hope leads to two day obedience. That means right now, everybody experiences tension. The question is, will you embrace the tension, embrace hope and choose to obey God in your waiting. If you do that, I think you're gonna discover wonderful hope and rediscover the wonder of Christmas. Do you have any father? We thank you for who you are and what you've done. God, we thank you for giving us hope. We thank you that in 10 of waiting, we can have confident expectation that you can do what you've promised because you've created this world and you sustain it and you've given us the greatest picture and proof and that you sent your son Jesus to come down in a cradle, but ultimately not for the cradle, but for the cross. And so because God, you have given yourself to us that you have exchanged our strength for yours. Got in the middle of our attention, in the middle of our difficulties. In the middle of this pandemic. Gone. Give us hope. I want your strength. I want your hope, help me to have one day hope so that I can have two day obedience. Thank you for loving us. Thank you for saving us. Help us embrace this tension because and your son Jesus alone, we are saved and we are healed. And so because of that. We embrace your hope today, it's innocent. We pray. Will you stand and sing with me?