Advent

The Advent season reminds us of the coming of a brilliant light that meets us in our darkness. This source of hope, Jesus, offers us presence and wisdom in a way that brings powerful healing and restoration.

Each Advent we remind ourselves that the powers of darkness are no match for the providential plans of God and the saving work of his Son, the light of the world.

It may come as a surprise that the first page of the New Testament–the way Christianity introduces itself to the world–is through a genealogy. But this family tree is anything but boring. Bursting with significance, suspense, even scandal, it sets the stage for the kind of Messiah Jesus would be.

Our lives are lived in between the two advents of Christ–his coming in humility in a manger and his future coming in great glory. What difference can this make in our lives? How might it help us face suffering, find purpose, and experience freedom regardless of our circumstances?

Advent cannot be understand; it can only be experienced. Like flipping on a light in a pitch-dark room, Christian hope is an awakening to the life that can be found only in Jesus Christ.

While we may tend to think of Advent as beginning in a manger in Bethlehem, the Apostle John reveals that it began much earlier–in the mystery of cosmic origins.