Week 1: Hope (2025)

Christ the Cornerstone of Hope

Advent is a season of waiting where we are invited to step into a story that has been unfolding for centuries. It is the story of people who walked through darkness with a promise in their hearts. The psalmist cries out, “Why are you downcast. Put your hope in God.” He repeats these words as though he is reminding his own soul of a truth that feels distant. We understand this tension. As the days grow shorter and the sun slips away earlier, our longing for light grows stronger. Hope rises in the waiting.

For generations, God’s people lived with a sense of pilgrimage. They looked ahead to the day when God would act in a new and remarkable way. Advent helps us enter that same journey. We are invited to wait with expectation, to remember what God has done, and to trust that He is still moving even when we cannot see the full picture. This hope is not wishful thinking. It is the steady confidence that God keeps His promises and that His light is stronger than any darkness.

We begin this season with hope, because Advent leads us toward the birth of a Savior. We look forward with anticipation, knowing that God is preparing to meet His people in a way that will change the world. Christ is our Cornerstone of Hope, the One who anchors us as we wait for the light that is coming. May our hearts stay awake to His promise and filled with the quiet joy that comes from knowing God is near.

Written in Collaboration
Clint Denson & Betsy Lee Nix