Exile to Emmanuel Part 1: “Hope in Exile” - Jeremiah 19v1-14// November 30th, 2025
Teaching overview
Riley Taylor taught that Advent is a season of hope—an invitation to remember the longing for Jesus’ first coming and to renew our hope in His promised return. Using Jeremiah 29, he showed that true hope doesn’t escape reality but engages faithfully in it, facing hardship with trust in God’s promises. Riley reminded the church that hope is ultimately a gift of God’s grace that shapes how we live, serve, and wait today.
Our prayer for your Community
Lord, help us face our real circumstances with honest hearts, trusting that Your promises are steady and true. Teach us to receive Your hope as a gift of grace and to live with faithfulness in the places You’ve planted us this week.
Group questions and further meditations:
Hope as Engagement, Not Escape
Meditation: God calls us to engage meaningfully in the places that feel like “exile,” trusting that He is present and working even when life is not what we expected.
Application: Where in your life do you feel the tension of wanting to escape rather than engage, and what would it look like this week to seek the “peace of the city” in that place?
2. Hope that faces reality.
Meditation: Real hope doesn’t deny difficulty—it looks at the truth with open eyes and still believes God is faithful.
Application: What part of your current situation is hard to face honestly, and how might acknowledging it deepen your dependence on God rather than diminish your hope?
3. Hope as a gift of grace.
Meditation: Hope is not something we earn; it flows from God’s gracious heart toward us, inviting us to rest and trust.
Application: Where are you tempted to “earn” God’s favor or hope, and how can you practice receiving His grace freely this week?
