Becoming Hope For Others
Sunday Rewind is a 5-day Devotional based on the weekly sermon at Resonate Community Church
December 7th Sermon, Day 5
The Christmas story reminds us that God didn't wait for us to get our act together before He reached out to us. While we were busy, distracted, and even resistant to His love, He stepped into our world. This is the foundation of our hope - not that we finally found God, but that He found us first. Now we get to be part of extending that same hope to others.
Every time we welcome someone, we're reflecting God's heart. Every act of kindness, every moment of genuine attention, every gesture of hospitality becomes a way of saying to someone else what God said to us: 'You matter, you're seen, you're loved.' The world around us is full of people who feel invisible, overwhelmed, and disconnected. They're wondering if anyone notices their struggles or cares about their story.
You have the incredible opportunity to be the answer to that longing. You can be the person who sees them, who makes room for them, who offers them hope. This doesn't require grand gestures or dramatic changes to your life. It happens through small, consistent acts of love - a listening ear, an encouraging word, an invitation to coffee, a helping hand. These simple moments can become profound experiences of God's love for someone who desperately needs it.
As you go through this week, remember that your welcome isn't just kindness - it's God's mission. You're not just being nice; you're participating in the same work that brought Jesus to earth. You're helping hope find a way into someone's heart, just as hope found its way into yours. The same God who made room for you can work through you to make room for others.
Bible Verse
'In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born. And she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.' - Luke 2:1-7
Reflection Question
How can you intentionally position yourself this week to be an instrument of God's hope and welcome in someone else's life?
Quote
One small welcome may be the doorway through which hope enters somebody's heart.
Prayer
Lord, thank You for reaching out to me first and making room for me in Your family. Now help me extend that same welcome to others. Open my eyes to see people who need hope, and give me courage to be Your hands and feet in their lives. Use me to help hope find a way into someone's heart this week. Amen.
