Advent: Joy That Waits With Courage

Devotional

Day 1: Waiting Like Farmers: Patience With Hands in the Soil

Advent invites a waiting that moves, like farmers who keep tools sharp while watching the sky. You can resist the urge to idle by tending the soil of prayer, repairing what’s broken, and showing up in small faithfulness. Waiting with God is not wasting; it is training your heart to trust the rain you cannot schedule. Choose one task that readies your life for grace, and do it with hope that the Master is near [42:51].

James 5:7–8 — Dear friends, wait with steady hearts for the Lord’s arrival. Farmers wait for their valuable crop, letting the early and late rains do their slow work. Stay firm like that; anchor your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is close.

Reflection: What is one “field” in your life you can quietly prepare this week—something you can repair, clean, or organize—so that when God’s rain comes you’re ready?

Day 2: Joy That Sings in the Dark

Joy in this season is not a mood that appears after everything is perfect; it is a holy refusal to surrender to despair. When the decorations feel heavy and the to-do list long, let your soul sing anyway, like a candle humming against the night. Joy does not deny pain or loss; it bears witness that light still shines. Offer a simple song, a whispered prayer, or a shared meal as your act of resistance, and let joy find you with empty hands [55:14].

John 1:5 — The light keeps shining into the darkness, and the darkness can’t smother it.

Reflection: Where do your hands feel empty right now, and what small act of praise (a song, a thank-you note, a candlelit prayer) could you offer there as a gentle protest against despair?

Day 3: Honest Doubt That Leads Us Back to Jesus

God welcomes honest questions. John, who once pointed to Jesus with bold certainty, sat in a cell and asked, Are you the One? Jesus did not scold; he pointed to lives being restored and good news reaching the poor. Bring your doubts into the light, and watch for the quiet evidence of the Kingdom that answers more deeply than easy words [51:45].

Matthew 11:2–6 — From prison John sent word asking if Jesus was the One to come. Jesus replied: Tell John what you’re seeing—the blind are seeing, the lame are walking, those cast out are restored, the deaf are hearing, the dead are raised, and the poor are hearing good news. Blessed are those who don’t trip over me.

Reflection: What honest question have you been carrying, and who could help you look for the signs of God’s healing work around you as you bring that question to Jesus this week?

Day 4: Prophetic Waiting: Volcanic Courage for Justice and Peace

Waiting in Advent is prophetic, not passive. It rolls up its sleeves to mend fractures, to forgive, to advocate, to feed, to show up where hurt lingers. This is volcanic courage—the kind that changes the landscape, not with noise, but with steady heat. Choose to participate in God’s river of justice today, letting mercy and truth flow through your words and your feet [28:29].

Amos 5:24 — Let justice surge like a river in flood, and let righteousness run on like a stream that never dries up.

Reflection: In light of the needs and violence we lament, what is one specific, non-dramatic step you can take this week to make peace or pursue justice in your neighborhood?

Day 5: Prepare the Way: Be Ready for the Next

Preparation is love in motion. Like the farmer in winter and the forerunner in the wilderness, you ready the path—organize, pray, practice generosity, and keep watch. The Kingdom is already here and not yet complete, so keep your heart soft and your yes available. Set your life to be interruptible by grace, and be ready to step forward when the next faithful invitation arrives [39:46].

Luke 3:4–6 — A voice calls out in the wilderness: Clear a straight road for the Lord. Lift what is low, level what is rough, remove the obstacles, and all people will see God’s saving work.

Reflection: What practical preparation would help you say a ready yes—setting aside ten minutes for prayer, joining the devotional group, or stocking the pantry—so you can step into the “next” when it arrives?

Sermon Summary

We gathered as a family—messy, live, and honest—to name joys and burdens in this season that is supposed to be about joy but often isn’t simple. We blessed Hanukkah at sundown, celebrated graduations and good work recognized, prayed for healing and safe travel, and lamented violence near and far. We gave thanks for food arriving “just when,” and asked God to hold those who are grieving and those who are in the next uncertain thing. Then we turned to the strange grace of Advent: a season of waiting for the One who is already here.

I shared a confession: I’m great at study for work, lousy at devotional time for the soul. So I’m asking for accountability. We’re picking up a gentle, doable daily devotional—“God’s Message for Each Day” from The Message, and we’ll walk it together in the app. If you want in but a book isn’t in the budget, we’ll put one in your hands.

In Scripture, James calls us to patience like farmers—active, expectant, preparing the soil while the sky is still clear. That’s the shape of Advent. I learned it in the garden as a kid, and again in ministry: my job is to be ready for the next step before I see it. That’s how our food pantry grew—our limits said “no,” but God trained our mouths to say “yes” and then supplied what “yes” required. Advent is that posture.

John the Baptist sent a question from prison: “Are you the one?” Jesus didn’t shame him—He pointed to the evidence: sight restored, bodies healed, the poor receiving good news. The kingdom has begun. It’s not complete. So waiting isn’t passive—it’s prophetic. Thomas Kelly said the prophets carried a “volcanic” power; Advent is that kind of waiting: disruptive hope, sleeves-rolled-up peace, love that won’t sit quietly.

And joy? Joy isn’t a mood that arrives when conditions improve. Joy is resistance. The Grinch learned it when the Whos sang with empty hands; their joy did not depend on stuff. Ours doesn’t either. Advent teaches us to strengthen our hearts, to choose joy that sings in the dark, to keep preparing for rain when the sky is clear, and to trust that God is still breaking in. We came to the Table with that trust—one bread, one cup, one body—ready to wait with courage and work with hope.

Key Takeaways

1. Advent is active, prophetic waiting This isn’t quiet compliance but courageous preparation. We prepare the soil of our lives before the clouds gather—repenting, repairing, and readying our yes. Advent refuses to confuse patience with passivity; it keeps moving toward the kingdom’s contours. We wait like prophets and farmers at the same time. [55:14]
2. Joy is resistance, not a mood Joy is not the prize after pain; it’s the protest within it. It sings with empty hands, and it keeps a candle lit when the night looms. Joy anchors us in reality deeper than circumstance, declaring that light has the last word. It is a chosen defiance of despair. [55:52]
3. Prepare before you see the next step Faithful waiting means getting ready in the unseen—sharpening tools, tending relationships, learning the practices that future obedience will require. When God reveals the next step, the prepared heart moves without scrambling. Readiness makes room for courage. [47:09]
4. Saying yes makes space for God’s supply The pantry grew not because resources were obvious, but because obedience opened a path for provision. Our limits are loud; God’s faithfulness is louder when we risk. The miracle often arrives on the other side of a trembling “yes.” [49:57]
5. Doubt belongs; bring it to Jesus John the Baptist asked the hard question from prison, and Jesus answered with evidence of the kingdom breaking in. Honest questions can coexist with faith; they are part of faithful waiting. Bring doubt to the One who heals, raises, and preaches good news to the poor. [51:45]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[19:40] - Joys, concerns, and Hanukkah
[25:18] - Pastoral prayer: joy amid sorrow
[30:22] - Offering and invitation to partner
[37:03] - Owning my devotion gap
[38:42] - Churchwide daily devotional invite
[40:44] - Advent’s tension: already and not yet
[42:51] - Be patient like farmers
[47:09] - Preparing to take the next step
[49:57] - Saying yes to serve our neighbors
[51:45] - John’s doubt and Jesus’ answer
[55:14] - Volcanic Advent and courageous joy
[59:34] - Joy that sings in the dark
[60:45] - Strengthen your hearts; choose joy
[64:28] - Come to the Table

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
- James 5:7–8

Observation questions

James compares waiting to a farmer tending crops. What specific actions does the farmer take while “waiting” (not just sitting), and why are those actions important? [42:51]
Jesus points John to healings and good news as evidence the kingdom has begun. Which of those signs (blind receiving sight, lame walking, poor hearing good news, etc.) feels most surprising or most needed today? Why? [51:45]
The sermon gave the food pantry story as an example of saying “yes” before seeing provision. What steps were taken before provision showed up, and which step stands out to you as most counter-cultural or risky? [49:57]
The speaker said waiting can strengthen the heart. When James tells believers to “be patient,” what emotional or spiritual attitudes are named or implied in that call (e.g., steadiness, expectation, courage)? [45:36]

Interpretation questions

If waiting like a farmer means preparing the soil before the rain, what does that imply about the balance between human responsibility and trust in God’s timing? How should that shape daily choices? [47:09]
If prophetic waiting is “volcanic” rather than polite, what kinds of behaviors would qualify as prophetic action in the community (for peace, justice, mercy) and which might be mistaken for mere unrest? [55:14]
Jesus answered John with evidence rather than rebuke. How does that pattern (pointing to God’s activity instead of shaming doubt) inform the way the community should respond to people who bring honest questions or fear? [51:45]
The sermon framed joy as a form of resistance. In what way can calling joy “prophetic” change the church’s priorities and practices during hard seasons? [55:14]

Application questions

Advent asks people to prepare now for a next step they don’t yet see. What one concrete thing will you do this week to prepare (repair a relationship, learn a skill, organize resources) so you can move quickly when the next step appears? [47:09]
Identify a small “yes” you have hesitated to speak because you don’t see the resources. What is one tiny, concrete yes you can offer this week that risks obedience and might open room for God’s supply? (No need to promise a miracle — just a faithful, practical step.) [49:57]
Think of a painful situation in your life where you feel something like John’s doubt. List one or two real signs of God’s kingdom you can point to in that situation (healing, changed relationships, acts of mercy). How does naming those signs change your waiting? [51:04]
Joy as resistance means practicing joy before circumstances change. What daily, simple habit will you choose for the next 7 days to cultivate joy (a short gratitude note, a song, a walk, an offered kindness)? How will you remind yourself to do it? [55:52]
Where is the “soil” in your life that needs tending (family, work, spiritual discipline, body)? Pick one concrete task you will do this week to prepare that soil and say when you will do it. [46:38]
Personal devotions were named as a place many struggle. Who could you invite to be an accountability partner for a short daily devotional (the suggested 365-day book or an app group)? What step will you take this week to start that shared practice? [39:22]

Sermon Clips

James tells us to be like the farmer waiting for the crop, trusting that the rain will come even when the sky is clear and the soil is dry, trusting. And I think here James isn't saying just sit down quietly and don't complain. Just sit down and don't do anything. He's saying wait with expectation. Wait with active hope. Wait like the farmer who was still tilling the land, planting the seeds, removing the weeds and preparing for the rain even when there isn't a cloud in sight. [00:45:22] (40 seconds) #WaitLikeAFarmer

But I trusted that God was going to see me through this journey and I felt that it was my job to be ready, to do all that I needed to do to be ready to step into whatever it was God called me to in that moment when God showed me that next step, I needed to be ready to take it. And I think that is what Advent is about. Advent is about us being ready to take the next step when God shows us what that next step is. [00:47:28] (29 seconds) #ReadyWhenCalled

In other words, yes, yes, the kingdom has already begun, but it's not yet complete. And that's what I think that Advent is like. It's why our little baby Jesus is right here. Because the kingdom has already begun. And yet, it's not complete. God isn't finished. The word isn't finished. The world isn't finished. And neither is God. God continues. God continues to show up in the world. God continues to be here among us. God with us continues to be here, right here, in this place, right this minute. [00:52:04] (56 seconds) #AlreadyNotYet

``Advent is a prophetic waiting. Advent is where joy gets its courage, where hope rolls up its sleeves, where peace puts its boots on, where love refuses to sit quietly and wait its turn. Prophetic waiting says we wait for peace by making peace. We wait for justice by pursuing justice. We wait for reconciliation by doing the hard work of forgiveness. We wait for joy by choosing joy, choosing joy over and over again, especially when it makes absolutely no sense. [00:55:14] (37 seconds) #PropheticWaiting

Prophetic waiting says we wait for peace by making peace. We wait for justice by pursuing justice. We wait for reconciliation by doing the hard work of forgiveness. We wait for joy by choosing joy, choosing joy over and over again, especially when it makes absolutely no sense. And I submit to you that joy is not an emotion. It's not the feeling that we get once everything is fine. [00:55:30] (29 seconds) #JoyIsChoice

You see, the Grinch was waiting too, but not waiting with courage. The Grinch was waiting with resentment. The Grinch was waiting with bitterness. He let bitterness grow like weeds in his heart. And what was it that changed? What was it that changed the Grinch's mind? It was the sound of joy sung in the dark, even when all the stuff was gone. The Who's who dared to sing joy with empty hands. Joy that wasn't dependent on conditions. Joy that wasn't waiting for circumstances to improve. [00:59:00] (43 seconds) #JoyOverBitterness

Joy waits with courage. James says, strengthen your heart. Strengthen your heart. Y'all, that's Advent language right there. Strengthen your hearts. While you're waiting for healing, strengthen your hearts while you're waiting, while you're advocating for justice. Strengthen your hearts when the answers are slow, when the news is heavy, when the systems seem unmovable, when prayers seem unanswered. Unanswered, strengthen your heart. [01:00:55] (34 seconds) #StrengthenYourHeart

Joy that protests against despair. Joy that sings in the dark. Joy that believes God is still sending light into the world. Joy that waits with courage and works with hope. Maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more that way. And maybe, just maybe, we are meant to be the ones who show the world what more looks like. [01:03:04] (33 seconds) #JoyInDarkness

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Advent: Joy That Waits With Courage

Devotional

Day 1: Waiting Like Farmers: Patience With Hands in the Soil

Day 2: Joy That Sings in the Dark

Day 3: Honest Doubt That Leads Us Back to Jesus

Day 4: Prophetic Waiting: Volcanic Courage for Justice and Peace

Day 5: Prepare the Way: Be Ready for the Next

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Advent: Joy That Waits With Courage

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