Advent Letter 2023

A letter of hope from Bishop Dan for this Advent season.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

As we have entered a new church year, I pray you are having a blessed Advent. It is a wonderful season because it orients our lives around the Lordship of Jesus and the certain hope that comes through His rule in our lives. This is not only a blessing for us, but it is also deeply relevant to our world that is experiencing widespread hopelessness because of many upheavals such as: terrible violence in Ukraine, Israel, and Gaza; the high costs of living and home prices; an uncertain economic future; and deep social and political divisions.

Embracing the Hope

How in the midst of this world does the one, true and certain hope come into our lives? Romans 15:4 teaches us that it is by the careful reading of God’s word: 

“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.” 

This verse tells us that the Bible is God’s word written to instruct us about the glorious hope of Jesus, and to deeply encourage us in that hope. As we read scripture, we know the despair of the world to be within the context of the much greater certain hope of the rule of Jesus over all things, and His glory.

Sharing the Hope

A central focus in our recent synod was on talking about the Gospel with those who don’t know Jesus. At synod Richard Borgonon shared a great tool to do this in The Word One To One, which you can find more about here. This tool is about simply meeting with someone and reading together small sections of the Gospel of John formatted with some very basic questions that draw out the meaning of the text. You then ask two questions of the person you are meeting with: “What did you think of what we read?” and “Would you like to meet again?” It is a fruitful way to bring the Gospel of Hope to people you know, because it does not depend upon how good we are at convincing a person about Jesus. Instead it relies on God’s living word working in their heart and mind.

Holding Fast to the Hope

More than ever each of us and the whole world needs to hold fast to the blessed hope of everlasting life in Jesus. Thomas Cranmer’s wonderful collect from the 2nd Sunday in Advent, which is based on Romans 15:4, teaches us that is by God’s word that we can do this amid the darkness of the world, and it leads us to rely upon God’s grace as we do so:

Blessed Lord, who caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and the comfort of your holy Word we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

May God grant us grace to read His word this Advent humbly, carefully, prayerfully, and obediently so that the blessed hope of everlasting life in Jesus may shape us. The Advent season is also a great opportunity to pray for a person in your life who you could invite to read the Word One To One with, that you might bring to them this profound hope found in the Holy Scriptures. As we engage actively with God’s word day by day this Advent, “may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:13).

Yours in the joy and peace of Jesus,

The Right Reverend Dan Gifford
Diocesan Bishop of the Anglican Network in Canada