Advent Hope: From Silence to a Manger

Devotional

Day 1: A humble shoot brings justice and shalom.

Isaiah’s small image of a shoot rising from a dead stump names the scandalous way God begins: what looks finished is the soil in which new life quietly takes root, and that unassuming branch will be full of the Spirit, wisdom, and a righteousness that judges for the poor and brings shalom to a world that desperately needs it. [35:00]

Isaiah 11:1-5 (ESV)
1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
2 And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

Reflection: Where in your life or community do you only see a stump or ashes right now — what one small, faithful action could you take this week to look for or nurture the tiny shoot God may be growing there?

Day 2: God delivers the needy and establishes justice.

The psalmist’s prayer for the king pictures God’s reign as one that defends the poor, rescues the oppressed, and honors the weak; worship includes lamenting what is broken, confessing complicity, and trusting that the promised rescuer will act for equity and life. [15:01]

Psalm 72 (ESV)
1 Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the royal son!
2 May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice!
3 Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness!
4 May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor!
5 May they fear you while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations!
6 May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth!
7 In his days may the righteous flourish, and abundance of peace till the moon be no more!
8 May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth!
9 May desert tribes bow down before him, and his enemies lick the dust!
10 May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts!
11 May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him!
12 For he delivers the needy when he calls, the poor and him who has no helper.
13 He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy.
14 From oppression and violence he redeems their life, and precious is their blood in his sight.
15 Long may he live; may gold from Sheba be given to him!
May prayer be made for him continually, and blessings invoked for him all the day!
16 May there be abundance of grain in the earth; on the tops of the mountains may it wave;
may its fruit be like Lebanon; and may people blossom in the cities like the grass of the field;
17 May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun!
May people be blessed in him; all nations shall call him blessed!
18 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things!
19 Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory!
Amen and Amen.

Reflection: Identify one concrete way you can defend or serve a neighbor who is vulnerable this week (a person, a ministry, an advocacy step) and commit to taking that one step before Sunday.

Day 3: Mary's obedient "Here am I" embodies Advent faith.

When Gabriel breaks the long silence and speaks the impossible, Mary responds without bargaining or guarantee — she signs up for God’s story with a simple, trusting surrender that says, “Here am I; let it be with me according to your word,” and that posture of availability is the practice Advent invites. [37:07]

Luke 1:26-38 (ESV)
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,
27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary.
28 And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!"
29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.
30 And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,
33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."
34 And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?"
35 And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you;
therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.
36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.
37 For nothing will be impossible with God."
38 And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

Reflection: What would saying a simple "Here am I" to God look like for you today — name one specific commitment (time, conversation, service, or prayer) you will offer to God in the coming week?

Day 4: God works in silence to prepare hope.

What feels like abandonment — the stretch of waiting, the silence between Malachi and Mary — is often God’s preparatory soil; Advent begins in darkness and quiet because God plants seeds there, shaping what looks dead into the place from which life will unexpectedly erupt. [36:21]

Isaiah 40:31 (ESV)
but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Reflection: Where have you assumed God is absent because of silence? Spend ten minutes today asking God to show you one small way he might be preparing work in that place, and write down the first impression you receive.

Day 5: God's kingdom builds on self-giving love.

The world’s promised rescuer is often strength and control, but the Christ who came in a manger and who reigns in resurrection embodies a different promise: victory through humility, service, and costly love — a kingdom whose power is revealed in self-giving rather than domination. [39:10]

Philippians 2:5-11 (ESV)
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but made himself nothing, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
And being found in human form,
8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Reflection: Choose one relationship, decision, or public posture where you are tempted to seek control; what is one concrete practice this week (a conversation, an act of service, a prayerful refusal) that would imitate Christ’s self-giving way instead?

Sermon Summary

Advent begins in the dark. We started by naming the silence that so many of us feel—the questions that rise when prayers seem to land against a wall, when the world’s pain won’t relent, and when God feels quiet. Scripture reminds us that Israel knew this ache: four centuries of prophetic silence stretched between Malachi and Gabriel. Yet the silence was never abandonment; it was preparation. In places that looked like a stump, God was planting a seed. Isaiah dared to say it: a shoot will come from the stump of Jesse. Hope doesn’t arrive with spectacle; it appears as a small green shoot—easy to miss, but alive with promise.

That is how God moves. The Messiah doesn’t enter with armies or campaigns, but as a child to an unwed girl in a backwater town. This is not weakness; this is the strength of self-giving love. He comes full of the Spirit, with wisdom for our confusion, justice for the poor, and shalom so deep that nothing is broken, nothing missing, no one excluded. He is gentle, but unshakable. And where his kingdom breaks in, the world begins to mend.

Mary shows us how to live in this story. She doesn’t ask for guarantees or timelines. She answers with trust: Here I am, the servant of the Lord. Let it be with me according to your word. That is Advent faith—saying yes to God's story even when the path is not fully lit, allowing our lives to become soil where God plants his next act of mercy.

This isn’t naïve optimism. The first coming guarantees the second. If he came once through a virgin’s womb, he will come again through the clouds. If he began to set things right, he will finish the work. So we refuse to pretend the world is fine; instead, we grieve honestly and hope stubbornly. In the waiting, God is shaping us for his kingdom. In the silence, he’s preparing resurrection life. Today, let’s answer with Mary’s courage: Here I am. Fold my ordinary into your redemption. Plant your future in my now.

Key Takeaways

1. Hope begins in holy silence Silence is not divine neglect; it’s often God’s workshop. Israel’s 400 quiet years were not empty—they were soil for incarnation. When we feel abandoned, Scripture invites us to look for the seed already buried, waiting to break the surface. [29:56]
2. God plants life in dead places Isaiah’s image is intentionally small: a shoot from a stump, almost invisible, yet unstoppable. God delights to start where endings feel final, so we won’t mistake power for love or spectacle for salvation. Pay attention to the “small greens” in your life; that’s often where Christ is already at work. [32:03]
3. Mary’s yes is Advent faith Mary’s response is surrender without conditions—no demands for details, control, or guarantees. Saying “Here I am” lets God compost our fears into faith and our plans into participation. Advent invites us to trade certainty for intimacy with the One who holds the future. [37:34]
4. Choose the kingdom you’ll trust The world offers control—force, charisma, leverage. Jesus offers self-giving love—a King who kneels, a Crown of thorns before glory. Our hopes become what we trust; choose the kingdom that heals rather than dominates, that resurrects rather than coerces. [39:39]
5. The first Advent guarantees the second Christ’s arrival in Bethlehem is the down payment on a renewed creation. Because he came, died, and rose, we expect justice, equity, and shalom to be the final word. Hope is not a mood; it’s allegiance to the risen One who will finish what he started. [41:23]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[03:56] - Advent begins: preparing our hearts
[15:01] - Call to confession and lament
[16:37] - Prayer of lament and confession
[18:40] - Assurance: promise of righteous justice
[27:49] - Prayer for the Word
[28:17] - When the music went silent
[29:56] - 400 years of divine silence
[33:41] - A shoot from the stump
[36:21] - The silence was preparation
[37:34] - Mary’s courageous yes
[38:26] - Two kingdoms, two kinds of power
[41:23] - First Advent guarantees the Second
[42:17] - Advent’s invitation: Here I am
[54:07] - Sending: Go filled with hope

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Isaiah 11:1-5 — 1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. 2 And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. 3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, nor decide disputes by what his ears hear, 4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. 5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins. Luke 1:26-38 26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Observation Questions

What concrete signs of the shoot from Jesse appear in Isaiah 11:1-5 (words, attributes, actions)? How does the preacher emphasize the smallness of that shoot as hopeful rather than weak? [33:41]
In Luke 1:34-38 what words does Mary use to accept God’s work? Which phrases in her response show trust without demands for guarantees? [37:34]
The sermon names a 400-year silence between prophets and Gabriel. What facts about that silence were highlighted (political context, people’s questions, emotional tone)? How does that description affect how you read Isaiah’s promise? [29:56]
Isaiah promises judgment “with righteousness” and a ruler full of the Spirit. What specific concerns for justice and shalom are named in the sermon as part of this promise? [19:33]

Interpretation Questions

How does the preacher interpret the 400 years of apparent divine silence—as abandonment or as preparation—and what biblical evidence supports that reading? [29:56]
In what ways does the preacher argue that the Messiah’s coming “small” (a child, a manger) redefines power and victory compared with worldly expectations? [39:39]
How does the preacher connect Isaiah’s description of the Spirit (wisdom, justice, shalom) to the practical mission of the church in the present world? [35:00]
The sermon contrasts two kingdoms: one of control and the other of self-giving love. How does the preacher say this contrast should shape the believer’s hopes and choices now? [38:26]

Application Questions

Where in your life do you feel a “400-year silence” right now—an unanswered prayer, a stalled relationship, or a ministry that seems dead? Name one concrete step you will take this week to look for the “small green shoot” God might be planting there. [29:56]
Identify one “small green” (a fragile hope, a hurting person, a low-profile ministry) in your daily life that you have tended to overlook. What practical next step will you take in the next seven days to “water” it (call, visit, pray, give time or money)? [33:41]
Mary said, “Here I am… let it be to me according to your word.” Where are you asking for guarantees right now (finances, relationships, career, health)? Choose one area and write one sentence you can pray this week: “Here I am. Use me.” Then share it with a teammate or accountability partner. [37:34]
The sermon invites trusting a kingdom built on self-giving love rather than control. What authority, habit, or resource do you most depend on for security (status, money, influence, competence)? Name one practical way you will begin to loosen that reliance this month. [39:39]
Isaiah promises justice and shalom for the poor and oppressed. What is one local or global injustice you have seen recently that moves you? List one concrete action you can take in the next 30 days (volunteer, give, advocate, write an elected official) to participate in God’s coming justice. [41:23]
The sermon says Advent is also an invitation to “fold my ordinary into your redemption.” What ordinary part of your routine (work, family role, commute, social media) will you intentionally offer to God this week as soil for his work? Describe one small change you will make. [42:17]
Who is one person in your life who needs to hear the hope that “life arises from death” (a grieving friend, someone doubting faith, someone overwhelmed)? What will you say or do this week to bring them that hope (call, share a meal, pray with them)? [36:21]

Sermon Clips

``But if your heart is aching in the silence, Advent is for you. Because Advent begins in the dark. Advent begins in the silence. That's where real hope, that's where God's hope is always born. In fact, Isaiah is using an image that is so small and so insignificant and so unassuming. We walk past it a hundred times a day. A tiny little shoot. A little burst of green. Coming up out of a dead stump. You walk past it. It's unnoticeable. It's unnoticeable. It's small. It's unpromising. [00:33:22] (46 seconds) #HopeBeginsSmall

Because he knows that God always loves to begin where we think the story is ending. God always begins his best work just when we think there is no hope of any more to come. Isaiah 11 and Psalm 72 describe this promised one. They say this Messiah, who begins so small and so insignificantly and seemingly unnoticed, will be full of the Spirit of God. And so wherever this Messiah walks, it will be as if the presence of God is broken into that place. He said that this person, this promised Messiah, will be overflowing with wisdom and understanding. [00:34:19] (42 seconds) #GodStartsWhereWeEnd

He says he will bring justice for the poor. Those who are trampled under the machinery of the powerful confront oppression. He will establish true peace. And in the biblical language, when the Messiah is coming, the language there is peace. And it's shalom. And shalom is not just a sense that there's nobody fighting right now. But shalom is this presence where everything is whole. That nothing is broken and nothing is missing. And no one is excluded. That's shalom. This is the promise. It's a huge promise. It's a cosmic promise. [00:35:05] (39 seconds) #KingWhoKneels

Notice how the Messiah comes. Not in overwhelming force. Not with armies. Not with political campaigns. He comes as a child. Comes to an unwed teenage girl in a backwater forgotten town in a sloppy manger. This is God saying to us this morning. The silence was not abandonment. It was never abandonment. It was preparation. The silence was preparation. In the soil where hope looked dead, God was planting seeds. God was planting seeds that would erupt with new life. With new possibilities and with new hope. [00:35:52] (47 seconds) #SilenceIsPreparation

Somebody who is strong. Somebody who is powerful. Somebody who is charismatic. Somebody who is influential. Somebody who has military might or political leverage. And the attitude is, I'm going to take charge and I'm going to fix everything now. And God's savior, God's rescuer, is gentle, but unshakable. A king who kneels to wash feet. A ruler whose crowns are first made of thorns before glory. A judge who suffers for the judge. A leader whose victory is resurrection and not domination. One kingdom, the kingdom that this world always puts forward, entices us to trust and to hope and to follow. [00:38:47] (51 seconds) #ChooseSelfGivingLove

And it's built on control. The kingdom that God invites us to trust and to hope in is built on self-giving love. And so Advent comes with the question, in whose power will you place your hope? Who will you trust? Rome offered security. The world had never seen an army like this. The religious elites offered certainty. They could tell you exactly what you had to do in order to be pleasing to God. But God offers a relationship that begins in a manger. A shoot that comes out of a stump. [00:39:39] (52 seconds) #BeTheLightInDarkness

So Isaiah's vision is not just a metaphor. Psalm 72 is not just wishful thinking. The Messiah will bring equity and justice and peace. That is what the purpose of God's kingdom is all about. The first advent, the coming of the Messiah is the guarantee of the second advent. If he came once through the virgin's womb, he will come again through the clouds. If he rose from the dead, he will raise the world with him. If he began the work of setting things right, he will finish it. [00:41:11] (39 seconds) #HopeIsAPerson

Our hope isn't naive optimism. Our hope is this person that we name Jesus. Our hope is a person. Advent teaches us that God is often most at work when he seems most absent. In the silence, God is preparing. In the waiting, he's planting. In the longing, he's shaping us for life with him in his coming kingdom. So the questions for us this morning, the questions that we have to answer this morning and every morning, in a world that is noisy, a world that is afraid of the silence and is given over to distraction, and yet a world that seems to be filled with unanswered prayers. [00:41:50] (56 seconds) #SayYesLikeMary

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