As Paul rounds out this section of his letter in Romans 15, he prays that God would fill his fellow believers in the Roman church with all joy and peace in believing so that through the Holy Spirit they would abound in hope. Much in our lives pushes against joy, peace, and hope. Often, we find ourselves filled more with bitterness, anxiety, and fear. We sense our need for the hope that comes at Christmas—the hope of Jesus Christ—to fill our lives. Yet, this hope can seem elusive. As Paul prays, he reminds us that this hope comes through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our advent series has us considering the hope of the gospel as Paul unpacks it in Romans 15. The hope of the gospel is for our good and for the glory of God. When we come to share in the hope of Christ, this hope overflows from our lives in worship and honor to God.

Romans 15 reminds us that the hope of the gospel is for all people. As gospel people, this hope should overflow from us into serving those around us in Jesus’s name.

Not only does the hope of the gospel unite us as a community of believers, it is precisely this community that causes such hope to flourish. We learn the Scriptures that bring encouragement in the community of the church. Together, we work to spur one another toward endurance in our faith. The God of endurance and encouragement has given us one another to remind each other of shared gospel hope. Often, it is through our lives together in the church that he grants the endurance and encouragement we need.

As a church, we are turning to Romans 15 for this Advent. Over the next four weeks, we’ll read and consider the first thirteen verses of this chapter. Like Advent, this passage helps us look back to Christ’s first coming and to look forward to his second. In doing so, it calls us to center our lives on the hope of Jesus Christ.