From the introduction of Unhappy Holidays: Blessings for a Blue Christmas (Herald Press, 2025).
In an Advent sermon on hope, the preacher began with examples of things we wait for: a baby to be born, test results, voting outcomes, the storm to pass. I leaned forward in the pew, reaching for my bag. In the bottom, I found a crumpled receipt and uncapped pen. Using the back of the hymnal as a makeshift lap desk, I scratched out my grumble of a response.
What about the things we wait for with no guaranteed resolution, change, or outcome? Not everything we wait for comes to be. How do we wait for the unknown?
The experiences and questions that bring people before God are less often those of hope and joy and more often because of loss and desperation. The gap between what we profess and preach and what we need spiritually is often wide. As a result, the holiday season can be a particularly tender time when our experience is out of sync with the good tidings and great joy of the Christmas message.
While Advent is for all of us, it is particularly for those who have questions, for those with need, and for those sitting in darkness. Advent is a time when we offer our experiences before God. We remember and celebrate God’s faithful action in the past as we await the arrival of the light and anticipate transformation in our own situations and circumstances.
Whether you are grieving or waiting for something with little hope of resolution, no guarantee of healing, or assurance of what is to come, Advent is the season for you. For out of chaos God creates, and into darkness the light shines. It is in the silence that the Word arrives, and out of death that resurrection comes. Thanks be to God.
We hope this brings you some comfort and joy! You can spread the joy by liking, commenting and sharing this post with others.
Some Comfort and Joy was developed as a devotional resource that follows the rhythms and seasons of the liturgical year from an Anabaptist-Mennonite perspective.
some comfort and joy 