Daily Advent Devotional

God’s Shalom: Here & NowIsaiah 61:1-11For decades, the exiles in Babylon had dreamed about finally being allowed to return home to Jerusalem. Prophetic voices had promised them a glorious return, painting pictures of dry bones coming to life and a great highway leading them home. But when Cyrus of Persia issued the edict that freed them from exile, what they found in the city was anything but glorious. They had no land and their jobs were gone. Worst of all, their place of worship, the beloved Temple, lay in ruins. Instead of a wonderful homecoming celebration, they were faced with desolation. With the remains of the once great city of Jerusalem at their feet, all they could think about was the work that needed to be done. They had to rebuild the Temple and the city walls. Not only was their city in shambles but so was the community. There were divisions among them, arguments about how to start and who would be in charge. It seemed utterly hopeless.Out of the laments of mourning and despair, a voice declared: “The spirit of the LORD God is upon me!” A prophet stepped out from among the people and proclaimed words of encouragement. Without denying their pain and disillusionment, this messenger of God was called to preach release, freedom, healing, and hope. These promises of God, spoken by the prophet, were indeed good news. But the prophet not only proclaimed restoration of property but also restoration of responsibility. Like strong trees, this new community would stand as a testament to the God whom they worshiped and served, so that one day, in the near future, all other nations would look to them and to their future generations and recognize that they were a people blessed by God, that through them others would be blessed. This was just the motivation the people needed to begin the process of rebuilding their city and their lives. But the impact of these words would not end there. For this mission was not for the prophet alone. The spirit of God also had anointed the whole community to fulfill this call to make the messages of release, healing, freedom, and hope a reality.The words of Isa. 61 call us to action and faith. The prophet’s message was not a call to grasp at security or to embrace complacency. These were words of challenge, risk, and service. During this time of Advent, when we wait to see how Immanuel (“God with us”) will be made manifest this year, the challenge of Isa 61 reminds us that we are called to do more than just wait. It is our task to make Immanuel obvious in the lives of those who need God the most. We are the messengers called by God to proclaim the Divine Favor and work for God’s shalom to be experienced by all here and now.

Hope and ResistanceDaniel 6:6-27 (Revisited) Coming back to the story of Daniel, we see an image of resistance grounded in hope. Thrown into the lions’ den for his refusal to worship the king, Daniel embodies a trust in the Divine that transcends fear. His hope is an opposition to unjust power. He resists the demands of empire, trusting that God’s justice will be sustaining. The Star Trek fan may recall, “Resistance is futile.” Yet actively challenging systems of oppression, especially when the hope for change seems slim, is an Advent way of renewing our communities. This is not only an expectation for a better future, but it is the energy that propels us to act now because it comes from knowing that God keeps God’s promises. We know our calling is to increase human flourishing and dignity. Daniel’s story encourages us to see our Advent hope as a form of resistance—insisting that God’s vision for love and peace is worth living for. We can learn to embody this kind of hope, one that refuses to give in to despair, even when surrounded by “lions.” Like Daniel, we resist not because we will get what we want in the short term but because we believe that Divine justice is inevitable. Hope, in this way, is our courage to act, trusting that God is with us in every liberative cause.

Hope in TearsLuke 19:41-42As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, "If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. (Lk. 19:41-42 NRSV)Jesus weeps over Jerusalem, lamenting that the city has failed to recognize “the things that make for peace.” His tears reveal both grief and hope—grief for what could have been and hope for what still might be. Jesus’ lamentation reminds us that true hope does not ignore the pain of the world. Instead, it acknowledges the hurt and seeks transformation.The Divine invites us to sit with both sorrow and hope. As we examine the injustice, division, and suffering around us, it is easy to become discouraged. Yet, the tears of Jesus are an invitation to embrace the world as it is, not as a way of giving up on it, but as a renewal of our commitment to the bringing of healing to wholeness.Hope calls us to believe that transformation is possible, even through our tears. Jesus’ lament is not the end of the story—it is a doorway into deeper action. These sacred tears invite us to reimagine a hopeful future of inclusive love and a peace beyond understanding.

Hope in a Peace-full FutureMicah 4:3-4  He shall judge between many peoples, and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore (“…but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees, and no one shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken.” Mic. 4:3-4 NRSV).Here we catch a glimpse of God’s vision for the world—swords turned into plowshares and nations no longer preparing for war. This image of peace, which goes farther than a lack of conflict, is not a distant ideal but a tangible reality that we are called to live toward. The promise of peace in this passage is grounded in justice, where people can live without fear, under their own vines and fig trees.During Advent, we are invited to participate in making this peace a reality. Hope, in this context, is not just an expectation that peace will come, but it is also the motivation that drives us to create communities of God’s all-encompassing peace in the here and now. Micah’s prophecy encourages us to actively reshape our world, challenging that which thrives on killing hope.The Micah text demands us to imagine and build a future where peace is not simply the absence of war but the flourishing of life for all. Advent reminds us that living in a way that transforms swords into plowshares begins with us—with how we live, love, and act in the world. Hope becomes the force that compels us to live out this vision, trusting that peace is possible through our shared efforts and God’s guiding promises to be with us.

Hope in Things UnseenHebrews 11:1-3 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible. (Heb. 11:1-3 NRSV)This is a powerful reflection on faith, “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” This passage reminds us that hope is not confined to what is immediately visible or achievable. Instead, it invites us into a deeper trust—believing for justice, peace, and love, even when those things seem far away.Advent is a season that invites us to live into this unseen hope in a time when much feels broken. In the constant awareness of injustice and suffering, we are reminded that the work of the Divine continues beyond our perception. Hope can become a lens through which we see the world not just as it is but as it could be.This trust in God’s unseen work challenges us to move forward, especially when the path is unclear. We don’t have to wait passively for change. We can act as though the future we hope for is already unfolding, waiting for a helpful tug. Advent invites us to trust in the fabric of justice woven by many, knowing the beauty of the design is far greater than one of us can imagine. Our role is to be weavers of that unseen hope, making space for God’s promises to flourish in our lives and in the world around us.

Hope in Divine ActionIsaiah 64:1–2“O that you would tear open the heavens and come down.” This is a plea for Divine intervention in a world where suffering abounds. It’s an expression of yearning, an insistence that God’s presence is needed to disrupt injustice and transform the world. Isaiah’s hope is a cry for powerful action, but it also reminds us this response is not distant or abstract.Reflecting on this text during Advent, we remember that God’s transformative power is not only a future promise but also a present reality. We are called to be the incarnation of that transformation. We are inspired to challenge systems designed out of privilege to help restore a just world. Hope is not simply waiting for Divine action. It is stepping into the work of justice ourselves, knowing that God moves within us.May this prayer in Isaiah inspire us to act. We may not see torn-open heavens literally, but through acts of love, solidarity, and justice, we will participate in God’s ongoing work of transformation. Hope is the force that moves us to bridge the gap between our longing for justice and our active participation in making it a reality.