Advent: The Light That Rises in the DarknessSample

Life in Between “Already” and “Not Yet”

“We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it.)" Romans 8:24 (NLT)

Advent teaches us to live in tension. Christ has already come – the salvation is complete, light has shone, sin has been defeated. But at the same time, we see that evil is at work, wars go on, hearts ache, and tears have not dried. We live in between “already” and “not yet” – between Bethlehem and New Jerusalem.

This interspace is a space of faith. It’s here that we learn to wait, trust, and act. Advent calls us not to passive anticipation but to active expectation – such hope that embodies the Kingdom to come here and now.

When supporting those who have lost strength, we show love that overcomes death.

When healing wounds, we bring closer the day when God will “wipe away every tear.”

When doing justice, we remind ourselves that the King is coming, the One Who will judge righteously.

When building bridges instead of walls, we demonstrate that there are no strangers in God’s Kingdom.

When feeding the hungry and comforting the lonely, we embody God’s care here and now.

When thanking instead of complaining, we proclaim that hope is more powerful than any circumstances.

Life in between “already” and “not yet” is a call to be a “foretaste” of the Kingdom to come. We’re witnesses to a dawn that is only starting its rise.

Ask yourself:

• How can I today be for others a “foretaste” of God’s Kingdom?
• In what way can I not just simply wait, but act with a hope to bring healing to this broken world?

Prayer:

Lord, I thank You for entrusting me to be Your Kingdom’s hub in this world that is still waiting to be restored. Please, teach me to love, serve, and bring healing as You do. May all my deeds demonstrate to people Your Light that is already rising. Amen.