May the anticipation and coming of Jesus remind you that He has chosen you and brought you out of darkness. May you rest in the deep and unending love of God, who has sought you out and made you His own.

I don’t know about you, but I am definitely a summer person. I love the warm days (yes, even the hot days), the ability to enjoy being outdoors in short sleeves, and the dramatic thunderstorms of the summer months. Most of all, I love that the sun stays bright for so much of the day before allowing the night to take over.

One of my fondest memories is from a few summers ago when I was visiting loved ones in Finland. It was July, and as I stood outside the house and looked at my watch, I saw that it was three minutes before midnight. I then looked up and marveled at the sky above, still dusk, with only just a few stars peeking through, anticipating the daylight that would soon brighten again. That twilight sky, with plenty of ambient light still lingering, was as dark as it was going to get.

Of course, we know that when the time is right, summer gives way to autumn. The leaves turn vibrant and fiery colors, and the weather turns cool and breezy. Don’t get me wrong, I love the beauty of God’s creation in the fall, too. But I’m always a little bit sad to see the days getting chillier and the sun setting earlier and earlier.

The Light Shines in the Darkness

Then, in the darkest and (sometimes) coldest part of the year, we get to celebrate Christmas. We get to remember that Jesus is the light who shines in the darkness, and the darkness will not overcome it (see John 1:4-9).

Sometimes the world can seem like a very dark place. As believers in Christ, we understand that sin is a primary cause of all the hurt, sickness, conflict, and hardship that plague us in this life. But we can also remember just how much God loves us in the midst of all the suffering we see and experience, and how He reaches into that darkness to draw us close to Him.

That is at the very heart of what we celebrate at Christmas.

Advent: A Season of Waiting

Throughout the season of Advent, we are waiting. Christmas has not yet arrived, and yet we can feel that it’s close. Like other seasons of year, we know its time is coming. But no matter what we do or how excited we may become, we cannot make it come faster (much to the disappointment of many of the kids we serve).

As the people of Israel waited for the Messiah, they knew about God’s promise that He would come. The books of the Old Testament are filled with hundreds of years’ worth of Israel’s waiting for God’s promise of a Savior to be fulfilled. Sometimes they waited faithfully, and sometimes they didn’t.

But God’s promise, and His love for His people, still stood regardless.

In the midst of this long time of waiting, prophets were called by God to be a living illustration of God’s love relationship with His chosen people. The prophet Hosea lived at a time when the people were continually turning away from God.

Yet God was continually reaching out for them, calling for them to return to Him. Time and time again, Israel ran away from the God who loved them, until their destructive choices and ways of life earned them the status of “Not My people” (Hosea 1:8).

Remember that we are the chosen, loved, rescued people of God.

Love Has Come

But as we teach our kids week in and week out, God couldn’t leave it there! God has not given up, He has not left His people in darkness, and His love has not gone away. He loves us so much that He sent His Son Jesus to rescue and restore us. As Romans 5:8 reminds us, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (NIV).

Even in our stubbornness, God’s love has continued to reach for us. After history’s many long years of waiting, God has kept His promise, making the way for us to be near to Him. In Jesus, we have been saved and formed into a people of God who walk in His love.

As Peter assured the believers of his day, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter 2:9-10).

Sometimes in the season of Advent, we find it difficult to pause and remember that we are the chosen, loved, rescued people of God.

Maybe the darkness just feels too dark. Maybe it’s the pressure to perform the best nativity event or be the best leader for our kids’ ministry. Or maybe it’s simply the chaos of the season that threatens to swallow us and drown out the gentle reminders of our God who loves us and walks with us every day.

Even If, Even When

But even in the dark, and even in the busy-ness, God’s love continues to find us. God still shines His light into our lives through the saving love of Jesus. He is the Word Who became flesh, the light that the darkness cannot overcome.

As Christmas comes even closer, are there particular areas of your life that seem darker and in need of Christ’s light shining through? Are there specific activities or traditions that can help point you to His love?

May the anticipation and coming of Jesus remind you that He has chosen you and brought you out of darkness. May you rest in the deep and unending love of God, who has sought you out and made you His own.

Experience the Wonder of Advent

Download the Family Advent Reading Plan

Advent is a season of waiting for Jesus and preparing our hearts for Him. We don’t have to literally wait on Jesus—He is alive, and we can talk to Him anytime. But as we look forward to the thrill of Christmas, we want to get ready.

This guide will help the families in your ministry to take time and consider what it means that Jesus came to earth as Immanuel, God with us. 

Grab this reading plan for the families at your church and share encouragement this Christmas season.

Helpful Advent Articles

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Wonder Ink’s 3-year, 52-week children’s ministry curriculum offers kids space to fully find their place in God’s Big Story. Children discover they are Known by God, Loved by Jesus, and Led by the Holy Spirit.