Words of Hope: An Advent Devotional

For those of us who live in the northern hemisphere, we are creeping towards the darkest day of the year. (You lucky southerners are heading to your longest!) For me, I see this as incredibly emblematic, to consider this darkness as the time when we celebrate Jesus’ entry into the world. In this immense darkness, we long for light.

I look to Isaiah 9:2 as I think of this, 'The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.'

The world that Jesus was born into was also yearning, longing for light. You see, the Roman Empire ruled over much of the known world, including Israel. Roman soldiers enforced order with harsh methods, and Jewish people, in particular, felt the weight of oppression under Roman authority. The Israelites were aching for the promised Messiah who would bring deliverance. Life was uncertain, and hope was scarce. Does this sound familiar?

Maybe you’re in a place, a position, a relationship, or a community where life feels uncertain, and hope feels scarce. Let’s be real, we live in a world that often feels heavy with darkness and uncertainty. And yet... we have a hope. We have the ultimate hope—a hope that’s not just for 'someday,' but for right here and now.

When Jesus entered the world, He came as the light to those who needed it most, the fulfillment of all of God’s promises wrapped up in human form. His presence was a sign that God sees us, that He knows our struggles, and that He’s all in on bringing us peace and purpose. Jesus is God’s personal invitation to experience a hope that’s alive and active today, no matter what we’re facing.

And what makes this hope different? Jesus isn’t offering us a temporary escape or a 'maybe' kind of hope. This is real hope—solid and certain—anchored in who Jesus is and the truth of His love. He meets us right where we are, even in the messiest moments, and offers Himself as the answer to our needs. Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus shows us that there is a new, joy-filled future waiting on the other side of our hardest days.

We have the very beautiful, very messy, very wonderful job of sharing this hope with kids and youth. What a gift! As we trust in Jesus, we can lean into this hope each day, finding peace and purpose no matter our circumstances. This season, let’s embrace Jesus as our gift of hope and remember that He’s always right here with us, guiding and loving us every step of the way.

Pray with me:

Thank you, God, for the hope made flesh in Jesus—the true hope of the world. He’s the one we hang all our hope on, our source of light in this world and in the one to come. Thank you for giving us Jesus. Thank you for giving us this hope that doesn’t fade.

Holy God, in everything we do, in every word we speak, and with every breath we take, help us to point others to Jesus, the Hope of the world. We pray this in Jesus’ name.

Amen