The First Week of Advent: Embracing Hope as We Prepare for Christ’s Coming

The First Week of Advent: Waiting with Hope

Advent always begins quietly.

No fireworks. No sudden fanfare. Just a gentle shift—an invitation to breathe, to pause, and to remember that God often comes to us in whispers before He arrives in glory. The First Week of Advent anchors us in hope, the steady light that leads us toward the manger.

As the candles on our Advent wreaths remain mostly untouched and the world rushes toward Christmas, the first purple candle—the “Prophet’s Candle”—is lit. Its flame flickers with promise. It represents the long-awaited hope of the Messiah, the hope spoken by Isaiah, Jeremiah, and generations who wondered if God still saw them.

And it reminds us that we, too, are people who wait.

Hope in the Waiting

Scripture repeatedly teaches that hope isn’t wishful thinking—it’s active trust. It’s believing God is at work even when we cannot see Him moving. The prophet Isaiah captured this beautifully:

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.”
—Isaiah 9:2

Advent invites us to step into that promise. To steady our hearts. To rest in the truth that God keeps every word He speaks.

Maybe you are entering this Advent season with unanswered prayers on your heart. A loved one who is struggling. A dream that feels far off. A season of grief or uncertainty that makes waiting feel heavy. Advent doesn’t ask you to pretend these things aren’t real. Instead, it asks you to bring them to the only One who can redeem them.

Hope is not the denial of reality—it is the conviction that God is crafting a far greater one.

Preparing Him Room

The First Week of Advent is a call to begin preparing our hearts the way we prepare our homes—clearing away clutter, making space, paying attention. Sometimes this looks like prayer in the early morning quiet. Sometimes it’s choosing peace over urgency. Sometimes it’s simply whispering, “Come, Lord Jesus,” into the smallness of an ordinary day.

As we wait, God shapes us. Hope stretches us. It softens us. It turns our eyes toward Bethlehem—and toward the places in our own lives where Christ is longing to be born anew.

A Prayer for the First Week of Advent

Lord, as we enter this sacred season of waiting, kindle within us a hope that endures. Help us to trust in Your promises, to look toward Your coming with expectation, and to prepare our hearts to receive You. Let this first candle remind us that Your light still breaks into our darkness. Amen.