In The Narthex

Advent begins today, as Christians around the world prepare their hearts for Christmas, for the birth of Jesus. For some people, that will include lighting an advent wreath, perhaps in a sanctuary filled with evergreens and poinsettias or at home – on one’s own or among family and friends.

Many will not light the candles of the advent wreath, but will spend the next month enjoying the secular and sacred rituals of Christmas – Secret Santa gifts and familiar carols, decorated homes and lively parties, festive sweaters and favorite foods.

Yet for far too many, the holiday will barely be a blip on their radar, overshadowed by financial concerns, unemployment, worries about artificial intelligence and what it may portend for our world, health care concerns and costs, conflicts in our country and around the world, violence on our streets, hardened hearts, coarsening discourse, and a growing sense of despair and worry on nearly every issue we face.

Perhaps it is a balm that the first candle of the advent wreath is a purple candle representing the hope of Jesus. Hope is a good place for us to begin just about anything, and certainly it is a good place for us to prepare for the celebration of the birth of Christ, much as people did more than two thousand years ago.

As the Jewish people awaited their Messiah, they held onto the hope of the prophecies that had been made from the very beginning of time and throughout the centuries since. Perhaps they felt hope that their current predicament was not their final end – that there was still hope for them and their people. They had experienced exile, oppression, hardship, and loss. They lacked agency over their own lives and had been subjected to the whims of leaders with whom they did not agree on nearly anything, including their faith, beliefs, and values. And yet they continued to hope. Through the good, the bad, and the ugly, many clung to the words of the prophets that promised the hope of a Savior, a Messiah, a Redeemer.

hope.

It’s a small word that carries so much on its little shoulders. I picture hope in lower case, not all caps. In my experience, hope doesn’t scream, fuss or demand our attention. It simply whispers gently, walks alongside and reminds us we’re going to make it, that we will get through this.  Hope carries us through dark nights and lonely days, through dangerous valleys and endless stretches of the same landscape as we wander through deserts and wonder if we’ll ever get to the other side of the trial and whatever it may bring.

A lot of us are running on the fumes of hope right now, worrying about how we’re going to get through this – whatever this may be to each of us. For some of us, it’s health, for others it’s financial, it may be work, relationships, or the never-ending chaos of this world. Chances are that we’re all burdened by something this advent season.

If you’re there – and many of us are – I pray you may find hope in the promises of God and that He will help you to hold on and persevere through whatever you may be facing today. There is always hope, even in the deepest pain and the greatest loss. Hope for a new day, a fresh start, a begin again. It is so easy to lose hope, especially in the cacophony that can overwhelm hope’s whispers with noise, chaos, and distraction.

Consider the words of the prophet Malachi as the Jewish people faced a time of waiting, wondering, and yes, of hoping.

“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.“

Malachi 3:1-4

While the people of ancient Israel were waiting for this much talked about Messiah, we have already received the hope of Jesus through His life, death, and resurrection. And yet we also wait – for things to get better in the here and now as well as for His return and for the promise of eternity in a world without hatred, suffering, hunger, or pain.

While the Jewish people waited through hundreds of years of silence, we already know of the baby in the manger whose cries pierced the skies of Bethlehem declaring Emmanuel – God with us – and the same Savior some thirty three years hence whose hands were pierced by nails driven into a cross to offer us the greatest gift of all time – the forgiveness of our sins and eternity with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Yet even knowing all that, it can still be so easy to lose sight of hope and it can be encouraging to remind ourselves that while there is a lot that feels out of control, God is in control and we can trust Him through these difficult times.

I am trying to prepare my heart this advent season. It’s been a long year and a lot of long years, and I am hoping to focus on God’s promises and gifts and to be present in His presence, seeking, finding, and following Him. If you’d like to join me on this advent journey, I’m planning to post a lengthier devotional at the start of each week for the corresponding candle and then shorter devotionals, Scripture and songs throughout the week.

May you be blessed this Advent and Christmas season and may you be reminded of God’s great love for you and the enduring hope we have in Him. And if you are walking through a difficult time, please reach out to family, friends, community resources, a place of worship or a healthcare professional to help you navigate these difficult circumstances. It can be hard to see that there is light even in the darkness, but it is there and there is goodness in this world, ready to be the light to you, to be the hands, feet and hope of Jesus.

“Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”