Ask almost anyone, anywhere, and they’ll tell you that 2025 has been a rough year. We have witnessed global wars, school shootings and an alarming increase in political violence. We’ve endured a cost-of-living crisis, the longest government shutdown in US history, natural disasters that have affected millions of people, and much, much more.
For many of us, this year has felt like one setback after another. In the midst of this reality, it is easy to focus on the evil in this world and lose hope.
Hope is such a simple word, but it has so much meaning, especially today, the First Sunday of Advent. Although the first candle in the Advent wreath is often called the “hope candle,” it also has another name that adds depth and richness. It is also called the prophet’s candle.
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Named after the Old Testament prophets who faithfully waited for the Messiah, their stories add context to the kind of hope this candle represents. It is a patient hope – a hope that endures despite suffering. Above all, it is a hope that will become reality. That is what we commemorate this Sunday and that is why we light the wreath every year. It’s not just a tradition. It is a reminder that light will overcome darkness.
The first candle in the Advent wreath is often called the ‘hope candle’. It also has another name that adds depth and richness. It is also called the prophet’s candle. (iStock)
In a study published in MIT Technology Review, researchers found that the human eye can see a single candle flame from just over 1.7 miles away. Even a small, lonely candle can withstand incredible darkness. In fact, it is the presence of darkness that makes the glow of the candle shine all the brighter.
The same goes for hope in this world. Hope, like light, is more powerful than the darkness of evil. That is why the apostle John uses the images of light and darkness in the opening verses of his Gospel, saying, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
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I will be the last to minimize the hardships of this year. However, I want to be the first to remind everyone that God has shown up in beautiful, powerful ways. Each time God’s hand is at work reminds us that our hope is certain and that He will eventually make all things right.
But we are not supposed to wait, simply expect God to act. Instead, He invites us to participate, to help bring His kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. He expects each of us to represent a tangible hope by loving our neighbors, feeding the hungry, and caring for the sick.
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In October, 22 people graduated from the CityServe Educational Collaborative, a program in Kern County, California, where CityServe is headquartered, that provides life coaching and job skills training to people experiencing obstacles or a painful past. During the ceremony, a graduate read a poem reflecting on the power and impact of the program. One rule especially applies today:
“You are vessels of hope.”
Hope, like light, is more powerful than the darkness of evil. (iStock)
These words remind us that hope is not just an idea. It is tangible and embodied in action. It meets people wherever they are on their journey.
That’s what’s happening at the Elevate Apartments in Bakersfield, California. In these apartments, people without stable housing are offered an affordable, safe home, with a high chance of success in every aspect of their lives – personal, professional and spiritual.
Each time God’s hand is at work reminds us that our hope is certain and that He will eventually make all things right. (iStock)
It is also why thousands of individuals, organizations and churches around the world worked together to build the Ein Habesor Sports Complex in Israel, a resource that provides a safe space for recreation and rejuvenation to the people of Ein Habesor who were brutally attacked on the night of October 7.
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These are just two examples of the transformation God can bring about as His people fulfill their responsibility to be vessels of hope. The hope of a Messiah to come and save his people in an imperfect world is not just something we read about every Christmas season. It can be a daily reality, proven time and time again around the world if we find a way to help fix what is broken.
A Palestinian Christian woman prays in a candlelit corner of St. Catherine’s Roman Catholic Church, adjacent to the Church of the Nativity, during Sunday services in Bethlehem on December 22, 2002. (Getty)
We do this not in our own strength, but as people who reflect the light of the greatest hope for all humanity: Jesus Christ. Thanks to Him, our hope made flesh, we can be light in the darkness and persevere in the face of evil for the good of our neighbor. It is to that most holy work that we are invited, not only during this season of Advent, but every day of our lives.
