Hello Bridge Town Church and those of you joining us online, my name is Bethany Allen.

And I'm Gavin Bennett and this is the fourth and final Bridge Town Daily for the Advent

season.

This week we are exploring the Advent theme of hope.

As we've discussed, Advent comes from the Latin word Adventus, meaning coming or

more poetically the one who is on his way.

The Advent season is a mirrored reflection on one hand of Israel's anticipation of the

coming a manual or God with us, who we now know to be Jesus of Nazareth.

But on the other, it's also this season in which we pause to practice the anticipation

of his future return.

To remember that the one who is coming will wipe away every tear, destroy evil of every

kind, he will eliminate injustice and write every wrong.

He will in the words of scriptures restore to us the years the Locust have eaten.

He will bring an end to death itself, which Paul says is the last enemy to be defeated.

But waiting can take a toll.

Hope deferred for too long can ferment, an expectation over time can fade, leaving

us in the throes of disappointment.

Disappointment seems to be the great enemy of hope.

It does not just take away our hope.

It also seems to take away our ability to hope.

But what if disappointment was an emotional signal from our body, telling us that our

hope was on the wrong object or in the wrong person?

...