“I am a voice from the barren wilderness, shouting as Isaiah prophesied, ‘Get ready for the coming of the Lord!’” John 1:23

Advent signifies the period of anticipation for the arrival of Christ, both in his birth and second coming. Perhaps you’ve wondered at the timing of how the season of Advent falls in our calendar because although we celebrate the birth of our Savior in December, historically, it has been taught that He made his advent upon our world in a different season. Regardless of the date on the calendar, His arrival was timely.

Around this time of year, many of us do an inventory of our year. Between the election cycle, calamitous weather, raging fires, sticker shock for necessities, and so much more, life most likely felt overwhelming at times. The season of Advent beckons us to slow down and have hope that in spite of the year’s events, our hearts will find their way back to the manger and the cross.

But what exactly is hope? Peppered throughout our daily conversations we say things like “I hope you have a fun trip.” or “We hope our team wins.” We often put our hope in things, in people, and in events. With so many ways that hope shows up in our thoughts and words, it can be challenging to know what it really is. In our culture, hope can be described as wishful thinking or being optimistic. While not wrong, our cultural definitions aren’t the way hope is used in Scripture.

For those of us who embrace the traditions of Advent, we understand the origin’s implication of the deeper meaning of anticipatory hope. Messianic prophecies foretold the coming of hope in a person of humble beginnings, born to an unwed virgin. The people of Israel waited in hope for the arrival of the Messiah to rescue them and bring about a just and peaceful kingdom. Israel’s hope settled on the promise of redemption in the person of the Messiah yet to come. We wait in hope for His Second Coming and the Kingdom of Heaven in the future. And still, each year, many of us enter the holiday season with the hope and intention of remaining present for each special moment.

What if, during this season of Advent, we could fully and completely pin our hope for change on His humble birth? What if our hope wasn’t wishful thinking for life to be different but was pure knowledge knowing it will be different based on Scripture?

Advent hope invites us to embrace the knowledge that Jesus has been with us from the very beginning of creation. Jesus, the Messiah of the Jews and the Gentiles, came. He walked on earth. He healed people, performed miracles, and told people how they could be a part of his kingdom. And then, He took on all the sins of the world, conquered death, and rose again. Before He left the earth to return to the Father in heaven, He told us that He would be back. He also told us that He would never leave us or forsake us. This is what we hope for; this is what we believe.

In the beginning and through the fulfillment of Jesus’ birth, and everything that has come after, the themes of hope and expectation are deeply embedded within the Advent season. We can make a conscious choice to set aside the world for 4 weeks to wait and prepare because the tradition of building hope changes us. It feeds our souls and enriches our days. This season, may our weary world embrace the thrill of hope, “for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.” Get ready.