The Dawning of Hope offers daily reflections on Advent from Phil Jump, regional minister team leader of the North Western Baptist Association.
Week One looks at how our identity is shaped, week two the word of the prophets, week three is on John the Baptist with the final week focusing on Mary, the mother of Jesus.

In the introduction to the series, Mr Jump, a Liverpudlian, says that the release on 12 September of the enquiry report into the Hillsborough tragedy, in 

which 96 Liverpool fans were crushed at a FA Cup semi-final match in 1989, has had a deep impact on his approach to Advent this year.

'Advent is more than counting down the shopping days to Christmas.. it is marked by a spirit of expectation, of longing for deliverance from the evils of this world; its message is conveyed by the cry of those who know the tyranny of injustice, yet will not let go of their hope of deliverance.

'It is a time when Christians re-tell the salvation stories from their past, re-invigorating their belief in God’s final coming to bring eternal liberation to those who have called upon his Name.
 

'Woven into that message is faith in God’s judgement; exposing that which is wrong, and calling to account those who perpetrate injustice. These are also the hallmarks of that long fought campaign, so nobly and tenaciously spearheaded by the Hillsborough Families Support Group.

'I offer them (reflections) to any who are seeking to make sense of faith in the midst of our contemporary world, but particularly to those who have been affected in any way by what happened at Hillsborough.  My prayer is that people might find within them hope, encouragement and consolation, even in the face of such overwhelming tragedy and justice.'