Press Through to Hope

We have just stepped into the season of Advent, a time when the church slows its breathing and leans toward the promise of Christ. Advent is the doorway to a new year in the life of faith. It invites us to wait with intention, to watch for light in places that feel dim, and to trust that God is already moving toward us with hope, peace, joy, and love. This season reminds us that even when the world feels unsettled, God is bringing something new to birth. Advent teaches us to stay expectant. It calls us to keep our hearts tuned to the One who comes to heal, restore, and guide us into a future filled with possibility.

As we enter this sacred stretch of waiting, our hearts turn first toward Hope. Hope is the spark that rises before anything else. Hope steadies us when the world feels uncertain and reminds us that God is still moving. And as Hope rises in us, something else begins to settle. Peace. Not as an afterthought, but as the quiet strength that grows when trust takes root. Hope opens the door. Peace walks us through it.

Hope does not arrive dressed in glitter. It often comes to us in the middle of the mess, when the night feels too long and our strength feels thin. Hope shows up anyway. It leans in close and whispers, Keep going.

Many of us are pressing through something right now. Grief that will not settle. News that refuses to make sense. Trouble that stays louder than prayer. And on top of that, this season has its own weight. The holiday slump creeps in. The Christmas blues circle around. For some, the memories of what used to be sit heavier than the celebration in front of them. Advent meets us in that honest place where joy feels distant and it is hard to see beyond hope. Even then, hope does not let go.

Advent does not pretend away any of this. Instead, Advent names it and says, Even here, God draws near.

So, press through the difficulties you face at this time. Things are not always what they look like in the moment. Do not lose heart. Do not sink into the heaviness that tries to drag you down. Lift your chin a little. Draw one more breath. Tell your own soul, Hope is not canceled. God has a way of turning what feels like an ending into a doorway. Keep an open mind. Keep an open heart. The Spirit is steady beside you, showing you the way of progression, even when you feel stuck.

Isaiah gives us a picture to hold. “Open the gates, that the righteous nation which keeps the truth may enter in. You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” Isaiah 26:2-3

When your mind stays on God, peace rises in you like a shield. Not thin peace. Not polite peace. Perfect peace. Peace that guards your thoughts when your thoughts start to spiral. Peace that steadies your pulse when everything around you shifts. Peace that reminds you that trusting God still works.

And before we close, hear this. Hope is not asking you to pretend you are fine. Hope is asking you to believe that God is not finished. Hope is the courage to take the next small step. Hope is the strength to trust that what you see now is not all there will be. Advent Hope is the promise that God is still writing your story, and the next chapter holds more light than the last one.

Advent Hope calls you to imagine the gates opening right in front of you. Not because everything is easy, but because God is faithful. Walk through those gates with trust. Walk through with expectation. Walk through with the quiet confidence that you will not be abandoned in this season or any season to come.

May hope hold you upright.
May peace settle upon you.
May you feel God’s hand guiding you forward. Amen.

Written by Rev. Kay Dubuisson