Isaiah 9:2
Advent is not the same season as Christmas. There, I said it! I know we want to celebrate Christmas; who wouldn’t? Christmas is built around lights and joy. It’s the time when we celebrate the coming of our Messiah. However, before the church celebrates Christmas, we celebrate Advent. Advent is a season of waiting—a time of longing for light in darkness. Flemming Rutledge captures this truth with the words, “Advent begins in the dark.” These five words remind us that Advent isn’t about rushing to the brightness of Christmas morning. It’s about sitting in the shadows, recognizing the brokenness of our world and our need for a Savior.
The prophet Isaiah captured the heartbeat of our collective longing when he wrote,
“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” (Isaiah 9:2)
The people were walking in darkness, living under oppression, fear, and hopelessness. Their story is our story. Maybe you feel it in the ache of unmet dreams, the sting of loss, or the weight of injustice in our world. Darkness isn’t just a metaphor; it’s a reality that touches every human soul. That is the storyline of Advent, and it’s one we cannot fast forward through if we want to experience the joy of Christmas fully. Hope fulfilled is only joy-filled if we first enter the darkness.
We will get to Christmas, I promise. But, let’s first remember why we need Christmas; that is to say, why we need a Savior. The beauty of Advent is that it invites us to be honest about the darkness in our world and the darkness in our hearts. It doesn’t ask us to pretend or rush. It permits us to grieve, to hope, to cry out. The world isn’t as it should be, but God is not distant. In Jesus, the light shines, and the darkness cannot overcome it (John 1:5).
Just as Isaiah declared good news, the promise of Advent is that light comes to us. We don’t climb out of the darkness by sheer effort or positivity. Light breaks in—unexpected and unearned. This is the gospel of Advent: while we sit in the dark, the light of Christ comes near. As you enter this Advent season, pause in the dark. Reflect on where you’ve experienced loss or disillusionment. Bring those places before God. And then, with eyes of faith, look for the light. It may not always appear as expected, but it will come because God is faithful to His promises. Jesus, the light of the world, has come. He steps into our darkness to bring us hope, peace, and redemption. And one day, He will return to banish darkness forever. Until then, remember Advent begins in the dark.
Pastor Ryan Paulson