Hope for a Hard Time of Year.

How Jesus' advent offers us hope during the complexity of the holiday season.

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I. The Most Wonderful Difficult Time of Year.

The Christmas season is officially upon us. Thanksgiving has come and gone. This means it’s now acceptable to put up your tree, decorate your home, turn on the Christmas lights, and start the endless stream of tired Christmas songs we insist on consuming this time of year.

Now, before you get too defensive, please know I understand what a Scrooge I sound like. You’ve probably had your tree up for a month and have had Michael Bublé’s Christmas album on repeat since August. And contrary to what it sounds like, I actually love Christmas. I just like to celebrate one holiday at a time. So when all the stores start pushing Christmas in October, it unnerves me. And while I do like Bublé’s Christmas album, I find most Christmas music to be mediocre at best. Heresy, I know.

Well, now that I’ve surely offended your Christmas sensibilities, let’s move on to something slightly less controversial: the holidays are a hard time of year for many of us.

• 38% of people report that the holidays increase their stress levels.

• 64% of people with a mental illness report their conditions worsening this time of year.

• 68% of people report the holidays making them feel financially strained.

• 66% of people report the holidays making them feel lonely.

• 63% of people report the holidays making them feel pressured to meet unrealistic expectations.

• 43% of people report the holidays make them feel conflicting positive and negative emotions.

My point is, the holidays are a hard time of year for many of us. And this is one reason I think it’s so critical that we reorient our hearts and minds to the foundational themes of Advent. Advent is meant to be a season of anticipation and preparation for Christmas, marking the arrival of Jesus. The word “Advent” comes from the Latin adventus, meaning “coming” or “arrival.” It’s a time to reflect on Christ’s first coming in Bethlehem and look forward to His return, celebrated with hope, peace, joy, and love.

But apart from intentionally sitting with all Advent represents, this season will be one of stress, disappointment, and overwhelm. So let’s gently resist all Christmas has become and instead, receive all Advent invites. And let’s start with hope.

II. Hope - The Heart of Advent.

Hope is the heart of Advent. It’s the belief that no matter how dark or difficult life may feel, God is not finished, and His promises hold true.

Often, we think of hope only in terms of eternity—that someday, Jesus will make all things new. And while that is a beautiful and important hope, the good news of Advent is that Jesus’ first coming brings hope for today too. His understanding comforts us, His presence secures us, His strength sustains us, and His love anchors us.

Advent reminds us that Jesus meets us in the here and now, offering hope that is as real as our struggles. Let’s look at each of these in turn.

III. Hope for Today: Four Aspects of Jesus’ Advent

1. The Comfort of Jesus’ Understanding

I want you to pause for a moment and consider what you’re feeling in this season in general and this moment in particular. Again, it might be joy, excitement, and anticipation. But even if that’s the case, there is probably at least some measure of sadness, stress, and anxiety mixed in as well. Regardless of what you’re currently carrying, here’s what I want you to know: Jesus understands - He sees and knows what you’re feeling and why.

Psalm 139:1 says, “LORD, you have searched me and known me.” There is nothing you experience Jesus doesn’t intimately know, including your struggles. In Hebrews 4:15 we’re told that Jesus was tempted in every way we are and as a result he can “sympathize with our weaknesses…” Jesus understands our struggles because He lived as we do. He knows what it’s like to feel pain, grief, and exhaustion.

The hope that Jesus understands us invites us to bring every burden to Him, knowing we’ll be met with His compassion. So, if you find yourself struggling with a heavy heart or a sleepless night, remember that Jesus has been there—and He’s with you now.

2. The Security of Jesus’ Presence

If you’re among the 66% of people who experience heightened feelings of loneliness during this time of year, be encouraged: You are not alone. After recounting 28 captivating chapters filled with incredible stories and profound words from Jesus, Matthew concludes his Gospel by recording what may be Jesus’ most comforting words: “Remember, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)

Jesus’ first advent reminds us that God came near, and through the Holy Spirit, His presence is still with us today. Try to just take this in for a second: God is where you are. Wherever you’re reading this, whatever time of day it is, however you’re feeling and in whatever you’re facing, God is with you right now.

So take a moment right now, close your eyes if you can, and take a couple of deep breaths. As you inhale, pray, “Holy Spirit.” As you exhale, pray, “You are with me.” Let this simple breath prayer anchor you in the security of Jesus’ presence.

3. The Help of Jesus’ Strength

On the one hand, knowing that Jesus understands you and is with you is comforting. But it would also be understandable to wonder, “But will He actually help me?” The Scriptures answer with an emphatic YES! The gift of His strength is one of many ways we are promised Jesus’ help.

Isaiah 40 acknowledges the normality of our fatigue. You and I feel weary right now because humans are designed to grow weary. Unlike God, our strength isn’t unlimited. But from His infinite strength, God promises to renew ours. Verse 29 says, “[God] gives strength to the faint and strengthens the powerless.” Jesus not only understands our weakness but offers His strength to sustain us when we’re at the end of our own.

But this promise is conditional. Those who “trust in the LORD will renew their strength.” Other translations describe this “trust” as “waiting for” the LORD. We can’t expect God to sprinkle strength on us as we run an unsustainable pace. We have to slow down and lean into Him. So when you feel like you have nothing left to give, let Jesus carry what you can’t. His strength is enough.

4. The Promise of Jesus’ Love

Advent screams of Jesus’ love. He stepped into human history driven by His deep love for you. But if you’re anything like me, you’re probably prone to feel like Jesus loves you when you’re faithful, but he’s frustrated with you when you’re not. If you feel any of that, let Romans 8:38-39 gently strip this thinking away:

“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Jesus’ advent is the ultimate demonstration of God’s love, a love that is unchanging and unconditional. A love that is not based on your performance, informed by your faithfulness, or driven by your desirableness. Jesus has fixed His love upon you. The question is, will you learn to receive and rest in that love?

IV. Living with Hope Today

Advent provides us more than hope for eternity. Jesus’ first advent provides comfort, security, strength, and love—hope that is tangible and present in our daily lives. Yes, life is hard, especially right now. And hope is not just wishful thinking; it’s rooted in the reality of Jesus’ very real presence and promises. So this Advent season, ask yourself: Where do I need Jesus to bring me hope today?  Where do I need His comfort, security, strength, and love? And then, invite Him to meet you in that place.

V. Conclusion: A Prayer for Hope

The holidays are a mixed bag for me. There are traditions I love. But they’re also a time of disappointment and sadness. I’m reminded of so many things in my life that are not what I wish they were. But personally, I’m clinging to hope on two fronts: First, I hold the hope that Jesus sees, understands, and longs to comfort me in the midst of this. Second, I hold to the hope that one day, as stated by the wise Sam Gamgee, everything sad will become untrue.

So let me pray that Jesus would be your hope too, especially during this hard time of year:

“Jesus, thank You for coming to bring hope, not just for eternity, but for today. Help us to see Your comfort, security, strength, and love in our lives. Teach us to trust You with all of our hopes, both big and small. Amen.”