Hope: An Advent Journey

by Olu Brown

This year’s Advent season will be like none before. As the year began, there were high hopes of 2020 being a year when visions and plans would be fulfilled, but as the year progressed many of these hopes were dashed as so many found themselves simply trying to survive each day. Perhaps, the most disappointing part of 2020 was watching as people began losing hope and turning to despair as they came to grips with the fact that, as humans, we can’t control or manage everything in life. It would be easy to put Advent on the back burner, forgetting that it is a time when we rejoice and give God praise for the fulfillment of scripture. In the new work, An Advent Journey, author Olu Brown encourages readers to reclaim Advent as something already here, not a season waiting to arrive. Matthew’s gospel speaks of Jesus as Emmanuel, which means “God with us.” This name does not speak of the future, but of the present. In spite of our present difficulties, we have Emmanuel. Our hope is not based on external situations, but eternal promises. This Advent season can be the best ever if you dare to embrace the hope of Jesus right now, knowing that God’s grace and love are present to carry you through the most challenging times in your life. About the At age 17, while giving the eulogy at his grandfather’s funeral, Rev. Olu Brown heard what he later realized was an audible call to “I want to tell young people how to get to heaven.” The way he would articulate that call changed over time, but it served as a pivotal moment for him and ultimately set him on a path to become a pastor. “It was a heart-strangely-warmed moment for me,” he said. “I feel deeply committed and called to shepherding people along a path that helps them to discover their own faith.” Several decades later, Brown is living out that call and bearing fruit. He started Impact Church in 2007, and by 2016, the Atlanta-area congregation worshiped more than 2,000 each week and had become the 56th-fastest growing church in America. Previous Books by Olu Leadership Directions From Moses (Abingdon)4D Impact (Abingdon)

Kindle Edition

Published September 15, 2020

Reviews

[Kathy Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book for a particular community and for a particular time. Written in response to the 2020 Xmas season and still reeling from it in 2021, this book seeks to offer and open pathways for hope in the midst of the pandemic.

This book is for people who may have never heard of Advent before or need a refresher on how Olu’s church community celebrates it.

I read this as part of a group study, and we leaned into the themes of each week in our discussion.

Occasionally the book states particular practice as universal fact, which I had a difficult time with, and I’d be hesitant to share it with a group for that reason.

But it reads as a conversation, as a pastor wanting to point to specific ways we can live into the hope of Jesus’s birth now.

And for that, it’s valuable.

The 7 chapters are brief, and come with discussion questions for response. It can carry you from 4 Sundays before Xmas through the new year.

[Shawn Dortch · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the past 4 weeks I had the opportunity to participate in what we call a "small group" @Impact Church. We discussed the purpose and meaning of each candle that is lit every Sunday in the month of December in celebration of Advent. It was amazing to learn from women in my church that I didn't know and gain a better understanding why Jesus' birth is of the upmost significance.

This was not just a book to read during the Advent season, it is needed as a daily reminder of why Jesus is real. This book has 7 chapters and after each chapter you have questions....moments of reflection. Hope is needed and Grace is what we all desire from God. 2020 has definitely been a year of uncertainty but we should know that with God all things are possible.

Quote: Don't Worry, Don't Fear, Stay Positive and Stay Curious.

[Graemme Boone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative and inspiring. A reminder to Christians to be disciples even in present times.