Advent is a season of anticipation that has been celebrated by the church for hundreds of years. Advent means “arrival” and it is a time of waiting for Jesus to come in physical form. During the first advent, the people of Israel were waiting for the Messiah who had been promised by the prophets. From the time of Isaiah’s prophecy in Isaiah 7:14 to the birth of Jesus, 700 years passed. 700 years of longing for salvation is a hope rooted in far more than wishful thinking. It is a hope rooted in a God who keeps His promises—a faithful God who never changes and never lies. It is not a passive hope, but a hope that reorients our whole lives around the One who made the promise.

Simeon displays this hope for us in Luke 2:25-26. His hope in God’s promise was so strong that when he finally held Jesus in his arms, he rejoiced that he could now die in peace for God had fulfilled His promise to allow him to see the Messiah. We can have that same kind of joy when Jesus is the centerpiece of our hope.

Advent looks back at the birth of Jesus, but it also looks forward to His second coming. The return of Jesus will be very different from His arrival as a baby in a manger. When He returns, He will come to finish what He started. He will split the sky and ride into this broken world and make everything new. We are no longer waiting for baby Jesus, but for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who will rule and reign forever.

When we place our no-matter-what-hope on Jesus, we can live with confidence knowing that not even death can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:35-39). We can trust our unknown future to our known God and encourage one another as we wait for His return.