Hope is Born: An Advent Journal for Waiting & Working

In the last days of November, as fall gives way to winter, many people in the West radically orient their lives around Christmas. As Christians, we make an honest effort to keep Christ central in all of it. Yet, oftentimes the peace of the Christ child seems unattainable because we enter into the season weary, restless, or perhaps even in pain. Our traditions and celebrations can lift our spirits. But what we truly need is something altogether different. What we need is hope.

This Advent, we want to attend to the promise that God has for us in our work. Together, we will turn to passages of Scripture that echo our groans and remind us of our hope. Through an adaptation of the ancient practice of Lectio Divina, we will read or listen to passages of Scripture, reflect on them, ask God for wisdom and understanding, and respond to God’s invitation to us.

We’ve developed this journal to help us engage in this practice each day. For the next four weeks, let’s lean into the Word of God, listen for the gentle voice of God’s Spirit, and pay attention to how God can meet us in the midst of our tiredness, uncertainty, hurt, and longing. And let’s see how hope is born in our hearts.