With First of Advent on Sunday the new church year begins. The four Advent Sundays are traditionally connected to a theme each:

• Hope: the first week focuses on the hope found in the coming of Jesus and God's promises.

• Peace: the second week is dedicated to the peace Christ brings to our hearts and the world.

• Joy: the third week emphasises the joyful anticipation of Christmas, often highlighted by the lighting of a pink or rose-coloured candle.

• Love: the fourth week focuses on God's love manifested in the Incarnation, and the call for believers to emulate that love which is and remains the most powerful force on Earth, it can change everything, because it changes our heart.

Hope is a great theme to me, and when I think of Christian hope it is much more than just a fervent wish that things will get better, it is a profound assurance rooted in our faith: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1; NRSV).

Especially in uncertain times like these, this kind of hope can be a game-changer. Hope can help us to get a new perspective on things, holding on to hope and continuing to do what we can do.

When I see young people having children, I see hope. Isn’t a little baby just a miracle? Not to mention all the joy it brings into this world.

When we have hope and do our best we can leave the rest to God. We know that God is in control in the end. He can change things for us for the better as Paul put it in Romans 8,28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (NIV)

As Christians we trust in God’s promises, and that God will hear our prayers, even if we have to be patient at times. The question “Why?” often is not answered so easily by us humans, especially when we see bad or evil things unfold. Isn’t God almighty and all-knowing and all-loving? Why does he allow evil people to commit their deeds?

In a way it is a conflict: on the one side, God respects our decisions, what we call free will. The Bible tries to explain it with a mythological story of a tree that enlightened Adam and Eve about good and evil.

He who knows about good and evil has choices. No longer are we just driven by instinct, but by decision, and often poor decisions. We can choose between options, and are not just marionettes with God pulling on the strings.

On the other hand, we believe God is in control of the big picture. The Bible begins with God giving order to the world: “In the beginning, when God created the universe, the Earth was formless and desolate. The raging ocean that covered everything was engulfed in total darkness, and the Spirit of God was moving over the water.” (Genesis 1:1-2; Good News Translation).

God set boundaries even to nature and gave it its laws, of which we understand and discover more and more. He can use the laws He put in place, like the laws of nature, to achieve his purpose, just as his laws for us, his commandments, set boundaries and give guidance.

It is because of these that we even understand that some behaviours and, deeds, and choices are not right, bad, or evil. We have a conscience because we have a basic understanding of right and wrong.

So, how can God still be in control if He allows us to make our own decisions and have free will, including the will do oppose God?

While God allows things, he also influences circumstances and other people. He even sent his only Son into the world to give us hope in a world full of poor decisions. Advent helps us to welcome God’s Son, Jesus Christ, and prepare for Him, by remembering His first appearance in Bethlehem, and also His second coming we hope for.

Until then, when Christ will establish his Kingdom once and for all God might use people like you and me and guide them through his Holy Spirit in their thoughts and works.

God can predict what will happen in this world, as everything in nature, even within our brain function, follows his laws, and God knows all the variables (think of AI that could in real time find and calculate all data of the whole universe including every swinging of every molecule).

So, God can counteract even our bad, or in some cases evil decisions to protect his people and preserve us for his kingdom.

Most people have experienced that even in dark times there is a little light that can help us to move on and do our best.

Advent candles are symbols for such light coming into the darkness of this world. They remind us of our Lord who said: “I am the Light of the World.” (John 8:12).

It only takes a little light to give hope and direction. Christ even passed this on by telling his followers in Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV): “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven.”

That is my hope and wish for you and for me on this Advent weekend, that we may become light for this world, kind of “influencers” for the world, by confessing our faith and talking about our hope.

• Karsten Decker was the pastor of Peace Lutheran Church in Bermuda from 2010 to 2017, and after returning from Germany is now the temporary pulpit supply at Centenary United Methodist Church in Smith’s