Advent Hope in Unmet Expectations

I recently found the perfect gift for my husband. We are both obsessed with the comedian Nate Bargatze. We’ve watched all of his stand up and listen to his podcast religiously. He started back on tour early this year and we have both anxiously waited to see if he would come to Denver. We were even willing to go to a neighboring state.

But the longer we waited, the less likely it seemed that it was going to happen. Until 4 days before my husband’s birthday when it was finally announced he was coming to Denver.

Because Scott isn’t on social media as much as I am, he missed the announcement. He had no idea that I had been the most stressed out I’d ever been trying to get these tickets that sold out in 30 minutes. He lived life normally as I sat on the most perfect gift for days without saying a word.

His birthday arrived and I handed him the envelope. He looked at it and said “Are they tickets? Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh are these tickets to…”

Before he could finish the sentence, I yelled out “Hamilton! I got us tickets to Hamilton! Can you believe it?? They were so hard to get but I knew it would be the chance of a lifetime! Do you love them??”

I wish I had recorded my husband’s reaction. This sweet man tried so hard to mask his disappointment. He didn’t want to ruin my excitement but he clearly did not share in it. He simply said “Oh….wow….sweetheart that’s…amazing.”

I continued in my excited blabber as he pulled out the tickets, saw “Nate Bargatze” on them, realized I was playing him and then he properly lost his mine in real excitement.

Wouldn’t it be nice if all our unmet expectations ended up like that? Before fully accepting the reality of our disappointment, someone walked in and yells “Psych!” and our wildest dreams come true?

But life rarely goes that way.

I think about the amazing trip to Scotland we had planned and purchased in February of 2020 - Cancelled because the pandemic struck. I remember the discussions of potential physical therapy for our daughter because she wasn’t learning to walk in the timeline she was ‘supposed’ to follow. I think about the news we received from the hospital that my dad was starting to improve, offering us all hope right before things took the worst turn.

But then there’s the everyday expectations that are unmet - dinners we make that fall flat, misunderstanding between spouses that result in disappointments, fun family activities we plan that turn into a display of disastrous meltdowns.

From minor miscommunications to big dreams being dashed, we live in a world full of unmet expectations.

But here we are, in the middle of Advent season - literally “a time of expectant waiting and preparation for both the celebration of the Nativity of Christ at Christmas and the return of Christ at the Second Coming” (according to the ever trustworthy Wikipedia).

This whole season is a daily building up of our expectations. Our souls groan with anticipation, waiting for our Savior to appear. As we celebrate his birth, we look towards his second coming - a day where everything will be made new, sin will forever be destroyed, and believers in Christ will see all the brokenness in themselves and the world restored.

Can it really be? As we live life surrounded by disappointments, is it possible to set our hope fully on this grand expectation?

For the believer, absolutely YES. Follow this line of thought with me through the Scriptures.

“For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
Romans 15:4

“For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.”
2 Corinthians 4:17-18

“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Revelation 21:3-4

“Behold, I am coming soon.”
Revelation 22:12

God has given believers his words so that we may be encouraged to endure. We will all face afflictions and trials in life, but they are nothing compared to what lies in eternity for us. And what does that eternity look like? God will dwell with his people once again. He will wipe away our tears, he will remove our pain, he will restore all things.

And friend, he’s coming soon.

It sounds too good to be true. But in a world full of unmet expectations, our expectant hope in the coming of our Savior will not let us down. It will be far greater than we can ever imagine. We will not be disappointed. We will not be sold short.

In this season of expectation, let your excitement grow as wildly as it can. Look back at the majesty at the manger and look towards the glorious future we’ve been promised. What hope the believer has been given!