Advent Devotion
Hold On to Hope
Scripture: Jeremiah 33:14–16
Advent comes from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming,” “arrival,” or “appearing.” It is the beginning of the Christian year, a sacred season when the Church pauses to remember that God has entered our world before, God enters our world now, and God will come again.
Advent teaches us how to wait. Not the passive waiting of boredom, but the expectant waiting of faith, the kind of waiting where our eyes search the horizon for signs of God’s movement.
Advent begins in the dark. It does not start with angels, shepherds, or a manger. It begins with longing, lament, and honest hope. Before “Joy to the World” comes the prayer “How long, O Lord”
This is why Advent begins with Jeremiah.
He preached during one of Judah’s bleakest moments. Leaders were corrupt, the economy was collapsing, injustice was spreading, and the people were losing heart. Into this darkness, God spoke a surprising promise:
“The days are coming when I will fulfill the good promise.”
God promises a new kind of leader, a righteous Branch who will bring justice, righteousness, and healing. This was not a call to escape reality or wait passively for heaven. It was a hope for this world, this community, and this moment in history.
Advent reminds us that God has not abandoned the world we are standing in. God still enters broken spaces. God still speaks into despair. God still builds something new where things seem beyond repair.
But hope must be tended. Our ancestors preserved fruit for winter by canning peaches, pickling okra, and storing tomatoes. They prepared for the season ahead. In the same way, we must preserve the promises of God in our hearts. Winter moments come spiritually, emotionally, financially, and relationally. In those times, we live not on what we feel but on what we remember.
When hope feels thin, we return to what God has already said. God’s promises sustain us. God’s faithfulness carries us. Even in the dark, we look for the dawn.
This is the heart of Advent. We long honestly and we trust that God is on the way.
Discussion Questions
What part of your life feels like an Advent season, a place where you are waiting or hoping for God to move?
Jeremiah preached in a world filled with despair. Where do you see similar struggles today, and how might God’s promise speak to those places?
Advent is about God coming near. How have you recently experienced the presence of God in ordinary or unexpected ways?
What promise of God do you need to preserve and hold onto during this season, and how can you keep it close this week?
