Advent is here!
Blessed is the one who believes what God has said is true.
Today is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent, the beginning of the church calendar, is a season meant for waiting–waiting for the advent, the “coming,” of the long-expected Savior.
Advent is a season that is meant to help us keep watch for light in the darkness. A time to cling to hope and truth when we might be tempted toward despair. Concentrated days to anticipate that the things promised by God will one day be fulfilled, most importantly that Christ has come and that he will come again.
It’s a season that is meant to turn our eyes to God and increase our hope in Him.
This Advent, after a recent retreat and meaningful encounter with the Lord, I’m eager to consider and believe more deeply that what God has said is true. I plan to spend the 25 days of Advent pondering promises made, promises kept, and promises that will be fulfilled by Christ, so that our belief in those promises may increase and shape the way we show up in the world.
My hope is that we too might experience, as Elizabeth says to Mary in Luke 1, “blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill what he has spoken to her.”
Put more simply, blessed is the one who believes what God has said is true.
As we spend the days leading up to Christmas remembering the wait for Christ’s first coming and anticipating his second, I plan to share a daily short Scripture, reflection, and question to help us consider how we might live if we believe what God has said is true.
While the promises of God far outnumber the days of Advent, each week of Advent will focus on a different theme of promises he has made in his Word.
Week 1 - Promises for the People of God
Week 2 - Promises for Navigating the Weary World
Week 3 - Promises for the Already, Not Yet Kingdom
Week 4 - The Promised Son, Savior, and King
How to Follow Along
As a subscriber to The Bop, you will receive an email each Sunday during Advent that will introduce each new theme and include links to the previous week’s reflections.
If you’d like to receive each daily reflection by email, here’s how to turn on notifications for the Advent section:
Go to substack.com/settings
Click on this publication under Subscriptions.
Slide the toggle next to Advent 2025 so you don’t miss a day.
Follow those steps and the daily reflections will start showing up in your inbox.
You can read today’s reflection here.
Happy first day of Advent, friends. May our belief increase as we wait and watch for the coming King.