Advent: The Light That Rises in the DarknessNäide

The Lord is Coming!

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband." Revelation 21:1-2 (NLT)

Advent ends not with Bethlehem, but with New Jerusalem. For Christmas is only the beginning of a story that ends not with a manger but with a throne. Christ came to stay. And one day He will come back – not in the silence of the night, but in glory that will fill the entire creation.

This promise is the core of our hope. In the world that is falling apart, we’re holding onto the truth: history moves not towards chaos, but towards restoration. All that has been broken by sin will be healed. All that is lost will be found. God will not simply take away our pain, but He will transform it into glory.

However, this hope is not only about the future. Today, it gives us strength to love, to forgive, to serve, and to build, for we know how it all will end. Not only are we waiting for the Kingdom, but we already live with its foretaste. Therefore, Advent is an invitation to look forward with our heads held high. For the Lord is coming, and all things will become brand new.

Ask yourself:

• How can I live today in anticipation of His return?
• Do others see in my life the hope for the future that God is getting ready for me?

Prayer:

God, thank You that You came once and will come again. Help me to live with my eyes open and my heart burning. Strengthen my hope, so that I may be Your witness in a world that is still waiting to be restored. Come, oh Lord Jesus. Amen.

We have passed seven days of Advent – a time that begins with darkness but ends with light. We have seen that God comes into reality and not into festive decorations, into pain and not into glitter. And that Christmas is not a memory of the past but a hope that rises in our present.

Christ has come, and therefore, we have sense.

Christ is in our midst and, therefore, we have strength.

Christ is coming and, therefore, we have hope.

The Light that once shone in Bethlehem is still shining over our world. It cannot be stopped either by the darkness of the war or by fear or loss. This Light reminds us that God is with us. He acts even when we do not feel Him. He builds up even when everything seems destroyed.

So, let’s go forward, carrying this light into our city, our families, our work, and our conversations. May every day of our lives be the foretaste of the upcoming Kingdom. For the world needs people with unfading hope living in their hearts.

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it." John 1:5 (NLT)

Let’s celebrate His coming and live in the light that rises!

Thank you for taking this plan together with us! We hope these days of prayer helped you to get closer to God, hear His voice, and live with new clarity, power, and hope.

This plan was created by the “Vidnova” church – the congregation that strives to live out the Gospel every day, bringing hope to this broken world and forming hearts filled with God’s Kingdom.

Author: Oleksandr Oryshchyn – pastor of “Vidnova” church, director of the Institute of Leadership, Management and Coaching.

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