An Audacious Advent: ReImagining the Heart of AdventSample

Many years ago, just one week before Advent began, love saved my life.

The reason I’m even here today, doing the work of God, is because someone audaciously chose to leave the comfort of their church walls and consistently reflect the love of Christ to those on the streets. Their love was welcoming, accepting, and free of judgment. It looked like relationship building—more listening than talking. Less preaching and more presence. Sometimes it looked like hot chocolate and a donut.

This reimagined, out-of-the-box display of God’s love changed my life forever.

Fast forward to today, I often wonder—what path would my life have taken if that person hadn’t said yes? How many others are out there right now, just waiting to be seen, welcomed, and radically loved?

Advent invites us into that same kind of love. The kind that doesn’t stay comfortable or safe but moves toward others with open hands and open hearts. The kind that builds bridges instead of barriers. The kind that, as Jesus said in John 13:34-35, reveals to the world that we belong to Him.

The Apostle Paul describes love as patient, kind, humble, and enduring (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, NIV). But these aren’t just traits to admire—they’re actions to embody. Love waits with compassion for others to catch up. It refuses arrogance. It celebrates difference instead of fearing it. It endures even when rejected. And when love is lived out this way, it becomes justice in motion—love that restores dignity and brings light into dark spaces.

As Advent unfolds, we’re reminded that God didn’t love from afar. He came near—into the noise, mess, and ache of humanity. “He has shown you what is good,” Micah wrote, “to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8, NIV). This is the heart of Advent love—an embodied, justice-infused, incarnational love that reaches the margins and invites others in.

Advent Invitation:
During this Advent season, ask God to show you one tangible way to move from the sidelines to the streets—to love someone outside your usual circles. Maybe it’s sitting with someone who feels unseen, volunteering with a local outreach, or simply extending compassion to a neighbor you’ve overlooked.

Let love move you beyond comprehension into mobilization—where your actions reflect the radical, justice-filled love that entered the world through Jesus.

Written by: Cheryl Nembhard

Thank you for joining us for An Audacious Advent: Reimagining the Heart of Advent. We hope these five days have invited you to rediscover the true heart of this sacred season—one filled with hope that anchors us, peace that steadies us, joy that renews us, and love that transforms us. As you carry these truths into your daily life, may you continue to reflect the heart of Jesus—the One who came near, bringing light into darkness and inviting all to come and belong.

If this journey has inspired you, we invite you to continue with our sister plan, An Audacious Advent: Setting the Table, available now in the Women Speakers Collective plan library. Together, let’s keep exploring what it means to live with bold faith, radical love, and an inclusive heart this Christmas season and beyond.