Scripture Readings:"Mark 1:1-4, Isaiah 9:6-7" HOPE and Wait,  WAIT and Hope The first Advent reading each year is usually about hope. Have you ever stopped to think about HOPE, what it means, what is required?  Hebrews 6:19 calls hope an anchor saying “ We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” Hope is an anchor for our soul. Hope is what keeps us going when things are tough. Hope is the engine that makes us want to persevere. But hope requires waiting.   Hope is the anticipation of a future something. Without waiting there is no hope. We wait for visits from family or friends.   We wait for test results from the doctor. we wait for the birth of a new grandchild.   And we hope. For fun times, good outcomes, a beautiful baby. We have hope in our waiting. But waiting is required . Wait a minute. Wait a month. Or even years or lifetimes. We don’t like to wait, whether it’s in traffic or the waiting room, or in line at the store.  We don’t lik