The Gift of HOPE | Rev. Damien Lee [December 7, 2025]

I love coming “home” to Rexdale, especially in Advent, because this season is about the arrival of Hope Himself. We name how thin hope can feel right now—war, loss, polarization, anxiety—and we remember that the first Advent was not tidy either. Isaiah 9 promised a ruler who would carry government on his shoulders, yet when the promise arrived, it came through a teenage girl’s scandal, a husband’s confusion, an empire’s rage, a midnight escape to Egypt, and a massacre that ripped futures out of families. From the beginning, hope did not avoid chaos; it entered it.

That is still how Jesus moves. In Southeast Asia, colleagues created dignifying work to rescue children from exploitation and employ their parents—beauty rising through ashes. Yet we also reckoned with the disparity: Christians stewarded trillions, but so little reaches those who have never heard the good news. Advent asks us not to sentimentalize hope but to embody it: presence that costs us something, generosity that reorders our budgets, love that refuses to look away.

In the Middle East, I sat with an underground church that meets under threat. They don’t ask if suffering will come, but when, and they prepare with worship, Scripture, and courage. When I asked why they stay when exile might be safer, they said, “If we leave, who will be the church in our country? Jesus is the only hope for our country.” Our presence told them they are not forgotten; theirs told me that hope is not fragile. It is resilient, communal, and stubbornly joyful.

In Ukraine, at the front, we saw a parking lot of burnt vehicles turned into art—a quiet defiance of death. A man living under an unexploded bomb told us, “My life is in God’s hands, not this bomb.” Paul’s words landed with new weight: “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” This is the heart of it. Advent hope is not the absence of chaos but the presence of Jesus. I know some of us are walking through deep waters—relational, financial, physical, emotional. Emmanuel does not always calm the storm on our timetable; He climbs into the boat. And because He does, the church can be the embodied hope of God—present, generous, resilient—so that our homes, neighborhoods, and nations might overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Hope is presence, not escape. [53:41] Advent teaches us that God does not sidestep our storms; He inhabits them. The incarnation declares that holiness moves toward chaos, not away from it. Christian maturity is not the management of risk but the abiding of Christ within it. The deepest peace is discovered in companionship with Jesus, not in the disappearance of trouble. [53:41]
• 2. God births hope in hard places. [39:19] Mary’s pregnancy, Herod’s violence, and a refugee road to Egypt show that God’s promises are often wrapped in vulnerability. Waiting becomes holy when we refuse to numb our ache and instead ask, “Where might God be arriving here?” Honest grief can become the soil of resilient hope. Advent turns our lament into the cradle for new life. [39:19]
• 3. Stewardship must match the gospel. [43:12] The disparity between what we spend on ourselves and what we invest in unreached neighbors exposes competing loves. Hope becomes credible when our budgets and calendars move toward those Jesus moves toward. Sacrificial presence—rescuing, employing, equipping—translates belief into blessing. Generosity isn’t charity; it’s participation in God’s redemption. [43:12]
• 4. Persecuted saints teach resilient joy. [47:38] The underground church prepares for suffering with worship, Scripture, and communal courage, and their joy is not naïve—it’s battle-tested. Their conviction that “Jesus is the only hope” confronts our comfortable illusions. Suffering, shared in Christ, clarifies what truly lasts. Their witness invites us to a sturdier hope than circumstances can supply. [47:38]
• 5. Courage stands before unexploded bombs. [01:00:30] The Ukrainian brother’s confession—“My life is in God’s hands”—embodies “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Hope does not deny danger; it dethrones it. When fear is not our master, love becomes free to build, serve, and send even at great cost. This is how resurrection life leaks into war zones—and living rooms. [60:30]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [30:34] - Baptism memories and Advent setup
• [31:44] - Naming our lack of hope
• [34:18] - Gabriel’s greeting to Mary
• [37:03] - Magi, Herod, and danger
• [39:19] - Refugee Jesus and grief
• [41:37] - Poverty by the numbers
• [43:12] - A sobering look at Christian spending
• [47:38] - Inside the underground church
• [49:27] - “Jesus is our country’s hope”
• [53:41] - Advent hope: presence, not absence
• [54:49] - Into Ukraine: convoy to the front
• [57:51] - Beauty from ashes: subversive hope
• [60:30] - Christ in you, hope of glory
• [69:26] - Prayer to overflow with hope

Bible reading (ESV)
Isaiah 9:6–7
"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this."

Observation questions (3–4)

1. What leadership and hope expectations does Isaiah 9:6–7 create for Israel (titles, government, justice)? How do those images set the scene for the coming of the Messiah?
2. The nativity involved scandal, fear, and flight—Mary’s shock at the angel, the magi, Herod’s rage, and the escape to Egypt. Which detail of that messy arrival stands out most and why? [37:03]
3. The phrase "Christ in you, the hope of glory" was quoted as a way to explain Advent hope in danger and war. Where does that phrase come from and how was it used in the talk to describe people living under threat? [01:00:30]
4. Specific numbers were given about global Christian resources versus spending to reach unreached people. What were those numbers and what did they highlight about stewardship? [43:12]

Interpretation questions (3–4)

1. How should readers reconcile the royal, triumphant language of Isaiah 9 with the humble, vulnerable, and violent circumstances of Jesus’ actual birth? What does this tension say about the nature of the kingdom being announced? [34:18]
2. The claim was made that Advent hope is "presence, not escape." How does this statement interact with the Isaiah promise of an unending reign? In what way does God's presence in chaos fulfill or reshape expectations of "victory"? [53:41]
3. Underground churches prepare for persecution by worship, Scripture memorization, and practical planning. What is the theological logic behind that preparation, and how does it form a different kind of mature Christian hope than safety-first approaches? [47:38]
4. The disparity between what Christians globally spend on themselves and what they spend to reach unreached people was presented as a moral and spiritual problem. What does that disparity indicate about where loyalties and trust are placed, and how might that affect the credibility of Christian witness? [43:12]

Application questions (4–7)

1. Advent says God comes into our storms by being present, not by removing every problem immediately. In a specific way this week, how can you choose presence (with a family member, neighbor, or friend) rather than offering quick fixes or avoidance? Name one concrete thing you will do. [53:41]
2. Honest grief and vulnerability were described as soil for new life. Where in your life is there unprocessed grief or ache that could become the cradle for hope if given over to God and community? What is one step you will take to name or lament that this week? [39:19]
3. Stewardship should reflect the gospel—budgets and time that move toward those Jesus moves toward. Looking at your household budget and calendar, what is one reordering you could make (big or small) to invest in gospel presence beyond your immediate circle? Be specific about the change. [43:12]
4. The underground church values being seen by the global church. Who in persecuted or marginalized situations could you intentionally remember or advocate for in prayer and action this month (a nation, a congregation, a ministry)? Name someone and one practical action (prayer, giving, letter, partnering). [47:38]
5. The Ukrainian brother said, "My life is in God’s hands, not this bomb," modeling faith amid real danger. Where is fear controlling a decision in your life (work, family, mission, finances)? What small act of trust could you take that would move you away from fear and toward faith? [01:00:30]
6. A local presence can rescue and restore (example: a livelihood program freeing children from exploitation). What is a local or global ministry you could join or support that translates belief into sustainable blessing? What is one first step to get involved? [41:37]
7. The sermon emphasized that if Christians are the body of Christ, the church bears hope for the world. How can your small group become a more visible sign of Emmanuel in your neighborhood this Advent season? List one joint project or visible act of presence you could commit to for December. [53:41]