Advent is the season of surprise. It’s the season when old prophecies resurface with new meaning. When an unwed teenager becomes the bearer of divine life. When shepherds, the least likely witnesses imaginable, are the first to receive heaven’s birth announcement. When the Savior of the world shows up not in a palace, but in a barn.
It’s the story of God choosing to do a new thing—and doing it in the most unexpected way imaginable.
Each week of this series will help us peel back the familiar layers of the nativity story and listen again for the voices, places, and promises that made the first Advent so radical.
In Week One, we’ll explore the ancient prophecies that prepared the way—words from Isaiah and Micah that spoke hope to people living in fear and uncertainty. We’ll look at what those promises meant in their original context and what they might still mean for us today in a world that feels just as fractured and anxious. Advent hope, it turns out, isn’t wishful thinking. It’s the stubborn belief that God is still at work in the dark.
In Week Two, we’ll turn to the overlooked characters in the story: people like Simeon and Anna, Elizabeth, and Joseph. Each of them played a crucial role in preparing the way for Jesus, yet we rarely talk about them. Their faithfulness reminds us that God often works through those who quietly persist, wait, and trust. These stories challenge us to look for the divine not in power or perfection, but in the simple, steadfast faith of ordinary people.
And in Week Three, we’ll end with what the incarnation means for us today. The birth of Jesus isn’t just an event in history—it’s an ongoing invitation to see God at work in every corner of our lives. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, which means that no place, no person, no situation is beyond the reach of grace.
