Hope Church (Dubuque)

This third week of Advent centers on joy—not as a shallow feeling, but as a deep, steady reality available to us even in hard seasons. Walking through the familiar story of the shepherds in Luke 2, we see how God delivers a joy-filled message to an unlikely group of people who felt overlooked, unimportant, and on the margins. The angel’s announcement reminds us that the good news is for all people, and the shepherds’ response shows what happens when we truly take that message to heart: we move toward it with faith, we can’t keep it to ourselves, and we return to everyday life changed on the inside. This message invites us to see that real joy isn’t rooted in circumstances, but in knowing that God meets us right where we are and calls us into something new.

In this Advent message, we explore how God brings life and hope out of the most unlikely places—often in the very conflicts, tensions, and strained relationships we carry into this season. Romans 15:4–13 reminds us that God’s power doesn’t just remove conflict but breaks and transforms our hearts so real peace can take root. Sean reflects on surprising moments of peace in history, like the 1914 Christmas Truce, and connects them to Isaiah’s vision of new life growing from what looked hopeless. As we look at the conflict in our own families, friendships, and everyday lives, we see a God who invites us into unity, endurance, and encouragement—forming us into a people who live with “one mind and one voice.” This Advent, we’re invited to rest assured in the love and hope of Jesus, the only peace strong enough to hold us and heal what feels divided.

Today we open our Christmas series by looking at HOPE—not wishful thinking, but the confident expectation that God keeps His promises. Through the stories of Mary and Joseph, we see that true hope comes from God and grows as we trust and obey His Word. Their surrender and obedience point us beyond themselves to Jesus, the fulfillment of every promise and the true hope of the world. As we begin Advent together, we’re invited to receive the hope God gives and walk in it daily.

In this message, Mark wraps up our journey through Romans 8 by reminding us that in Christ, we are already living in the victory. Like holding all the wild cards at the end of a game of Uno, we see how the gospel answers three huge questions we wrestle with: Who can be against us? Who can condemn us? Who can separate us from God’s love? As we walk through Romans 8:31–39, we remember that God is for us, Christ has taken our condemnation, and nothing in all creation can separate us from His love. Because of Jesus, we don’t just scrape by—we live as “more than conquerors” in every circumstance we face.

In Romans 8:28–30, we see a truth we cling to when life doesn’t make sense: God is at work in all things for our good. But today, Ross helps us see that this “good” is far deeper than comfort or ease—it’s the good of being shaped into the image of Christ. As we walk through suffering, weakness, waiting, and unanswered prayers, God is not distant. He is working in every detail, forming us, holding us, and carrying His purposes forward. We discover God’s unstoppable grace, His unbreakable plan, and the assurance that what He starts in us, He always finishes. We live in the victory because our story follows Jesus—through suffering to glory.