✨ Advent: A Season of Waiting, Wonder, and Why It Still Matters

Every December, candles are lit, calendars are opened, and a quiet theme rises above the noise: Advent.
Even if you’ve seen the word without knowing the story behind it, Advent has a rich history that stretches back 1500 years . . . and a meaning that’s surprisingly grounding in a busy season.

Where Advent Began

Advent comes from the Latin adventus, meaning arrival.
Early Christians used it to look back at Jesus’ birth and look forward to His promised return.

By the late 400s, churches began setting aside a season of preparation before Christmas — not a countdown, but a time to slow down, pray, and refocus. Over time, Advent formed into the four-Sunday rhythm we know today, each week centered on a core promise: Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.

Why Advent Exists

Advent exists for one powerful reason:  Christians don’t just celebrate an event, we celebrate a Savior who came, and a Savior who is coming again.

It’s both memory and anticipation.

• We look back to a manger in Bethlehem, where Hope arrived in the most unexpected way.

• We look forward to the promise Jesus made that He will come again and make all things new.

Advent helps us hold these two truths at the same time.

It’s the season where Christians make space to remember the world waiting for a Messiah, and acknowledge that we, too, are waiting for God to move in our own lives today.

The Four Themes of Advent (and Why They Still Matter)

Each Sunday of Advent has its own theme, each tied to a candle on the Advent wreath. Even if you don’t light candles, these four words tell the whole story:

1. Hope

Because God keeps His promises. The story of Advent begins in the dark — Israel waiting for a Messiah. Hope isn’t naïve optimism; it’s confidence in God’s character even when the world feels uncertain.

2. Peace

Because Jesus stepped into a world full of chaos and brought calm that no circumstance can take away. This is the peace that “surpasses understanding.”

3. Joy

The angel’s message to the shepherds said it best: “Good news of great joy.” Joy isn’t the absence of trouble — it’s the presence of Jesus.

4. Love

Advent ends with the theme that fuels them all. God didn’t stay distant. Love came near, wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.

These four themes are the heartbeat of the entire Christmas story — and honestly, they’re the themes our world is starving for.

Advent is a Quiet Reset

If Christmas feels rushed, noisy, or overwhelming, Advent is the antidote. It invites Christians to slow down, breathe, ground themselves in Scripture, and pay attention.
To shift our focus from the noise to the story behind it all.

Advent calls us to notice the light breaking into the dark. We're choosing to pause and pay attention to the presence of God in our everyday lives. Advent turns waiting into worship — and that’s why Christians still practice it today.

What Advent Means for Us Today

At its core, Advent is an invitation to to slow down long enough to notice that God is present, and always keeps His word. Light candles, read scripture, or simply take a moment each week to reflect and remember that God stepped into our world once — and He still steps into our lives now.

The world waited for the Messiah once.
We wait now — not with anxiety, but with expectation.

And that’s the beauty of Advent:
It turns waiting into worship.

See the Be Still. collection here.