This week marks the start of the Advent season. Advent means “to come.” It prepares us to celebrate the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The Advent season includes the four Sundays leading up to Christmas. It’s a season of devotion and remembrance of Christ coming in the flesh and moving into our neighborhood, so to speak, as well as anticipation of His Second coming. God demonstrated His love for us by sending the Savior. I believe remembering that first Christmas can make our current one a genuine Christmas to remember.
Advent is a journey of sorts. During this season, we explore the gifts of Christmas delivered by and through Christ: hope, love, joy, and peace. No matter where you find yourself today, this Advent journey is for you. We begin by looking at how we’re to embrace the hope offered to us in Christ.
Each and every one of us needs hope as we navigate the ups and downs of life, which exist on this side of paradise. Is your Christmas season already hectic, perhaps even filled with struggles such as financial stresses, relational issues, memories of loss, and/or commercialized expectations? If you find yourself there, let me encourage you, that’s exactly where hope shines the brightest.
We read in Isaiah 7:10–14, “Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz: ‘Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.’ But Ahaz said, ‘I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test.’ And he said, ‘Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.’” In context, our passage is tucked between verses where God gives Isaiah a message of judgment because of Israel’s sin and disregard for the Lord. However, we discover a reminder that in the darkest of times, the light of hope shines the brightest. I have found that far too many people seek solace this time of year by distracting themselves in ways that are not truly helpful to avoid acknowledging the darkness. The truth is that it’s when we face the darkness and call it what it is, then and only then can we begin to see the light of the hope offered by the Lord. In fact, to embrace the hope of Christ, we must first acknowledge the darkness.
As we take this Advent journey together this Christmas season, let’s be honest about the darkness we may find ourselves in or see in the world around us or perhaps even in our own hearts. We live in a world often characterized by darkness and fear, but it’s amid this darkness that the light of the hope we have in Christ appears brighter to light the way. Isaiah speaks of both the coming light and the present darkness. That darkness continued to grow through the centuries. Isaiah proclaims, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone” (Isaiah 9:2). The light would come, but the One hoped for did not arrive for generations.
Advent is a time of waiting. The waiting of Advent reminds us where we are to set our hope. To embrace the hope of Christ, we must embrace the wait. John writes of what the believer awaits, “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands” (Revelation 7:9). He further writes, “They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 7:16-17). In a genuine sense, it’s this hope that fuels our faith.
Waiting is often seen as something passive, but waiting is actually quite active. Waiting is being present in the moment while anticipating what is to come. We don’t stop living. We journey on in life. This is not easy. Waiting while living on journey takes strength and courage. We can take encouragement from this psalm, “Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord” (Psalm 31:4)! Such strength and courage come from the Lord as we trustingly wait on Him. The gospel truth is that if we are going to embrace the hope of Christ, we must commit to the journey.
Advent is about a hope to remember. First, we must acknowledge the darkness. We do live in a fallen world. This is not a perfect world. We’re not in paradise. We must be honest about what we are going through with ourselves and God. Then, we need to embrace the wait. We are currently living in the here and now, waiting for the promises of God to be fulfilled. We’re awaiting our Lord’s return, His completed work in our life, and paradise. Lastly, we need to commit to the journey. This life isn’t always easy, but we don’t have to make it harder than it needs to be. All God asks of us is to stick with Him, walking in faith, led by His Spirit.
When we boil life all down, we are called to know God and make Him known. God desires to fill our hearts with hope for the ultimate healing and eternal life with His Son. This life begins when we receive Christ as Savior and Lord and extends into the unforeseen future. This is a hope to remember that fuels our journey through Advent and beyond. Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)!