Dear reader,

Last month, we tried something new on our Good Faith podcast: a four-part series focused on the season of Advent. While this was a first for Good Faith, the celebration of Advent itself is a centuries-old Christian tradition. So, we wanted to ensure that our Advent series would contribute fresh insights into this ancient tradition.

Across four conversations with our friends, we challenged some common assumptions about Advent and, in the end, came away with a stronger sense of the sacred beauty of this season. Among the many surprising insights we discussed, I’d like to share my top five with you here: 

1. Hope is more substantive than a feeling. Our cultural concept of “hope” can be presented as a sentiment that is floating in the air, unanchored in any substantive future outcome. It’s as if we’re supposed to feel hopeful because well, it’s good to be hopeful. Perhaps even more misleading, when our culture’s “hope” does point to some concrete scenario, it promises us that we will avoid bad scenarios that we fear. Neither cultural vision satisfies ultimately. Hope as sheer sentiment that is detached from a future scenario lacks substance to sustain us in the face of actual suffering. Hope as certainty that we will avoid bad outcomes collapses in the face of lived reality. 

The Advent Hope is something else entirely. Advent Hope is anchored on the substantive promise of Jesus’ return, but that path goes through suffering, not with a false expectation that we will avoid bad outcomes. Guest Sara Billups said it well: “Hope is not certainty. Hope is not ease. Hope is not necessarily comfort, but it’s the promise that in the end, all things will be made well, and we can trust that our hope can be unshaken in Christ.” Listen in: Choosing Hope When It Feels Out of Reach

2. Silent Night wasn’t so silent after all. Contrary to what Spotify was streaming on repeat around my house last month, the first Advent wasn’t quiet or serene. Mary gave birth in a chaotic and terrifying world, where nothing about the circumstances seemed ideal or holy. And yet – and yet – the moment was beautiful, not in spite of that chaos but because of it. The beauty of that moment lies in how God chose to enter into humanity – and in his very choosing to do so. The carol “Silent Night” might feel misleading if we imagine peace as stillness or tidiness or the perfectly optimized life – but the song can instead remind us that God’s presence brings deep peace in the midst of our disorder. Advent invites us to see holiness not in the absence of disruption but precisely in the middle of it​. As guest Andy Crouch said, “The cross shows us that peace is not the absence of conflict but the willingness to bear the full weight of it, to embrace the suffering required to reconcile and restore.”  Listen in: Rethinking Heavenly Peace

3. Situational and relational joy aren’t the same. There’s a distinction between joy rooted in circumstances and the deeper joy Advent offers. Situational happiness comes and goes—it’s tied to what happens around us. But relational joy, grounded in God’s love, remains steady even through the setbacks and disappointments that can make everyday life achingly difficult. Advent invites us to hold onto this enduring form of true joy, especially in the tension of living between Jesus’ first coming and his promised return. This joy does not deny or minimize the brokenness of our lives while also remaining anchored in God’s redemptive work​​. As guest Chuck Mingo reminded us, “Joy has to be deeply rooted in the truth of who God is and what God is doing, not just what’s happening around us.” Listen in: Joy Is More Than A Feeling

4. Art at its best is a way of loving well. Creative art can take many forms – music and poetry, yes, but also cooking, parenting and even creating better spreadsheets. All of these creative acts reflect God as Creator, and in turn, invite us to experience a beauty that points us towards something far beyond ourselves. At its best, art can be a vehicle for loving others, as we create (and share) tangible reflections of God’s redemptive work in the world​​. Singer-songwriter and author Andrew Peterson captures this idea beautifully: “Art at its best is a way of loving. It’s not just about self-expression; it’s about thinking of the person on the other side of your work.” Listen in: The Way Of Love

5. Joy is consummated when it is shared. Joy finds its deepest fulfillment when shared with others. The particular joy of Advent – centered on Jesus’ coming as it is – is meant to spill over into our relationships, everyday actions, and acts of service. Of particular note: individual joy is not the same as collective joy and, when members of the Body of Christ gather for shared meals, times of worship, or to serve others, these moments then become a foretaste of what awaits us in the kingdom of God. In Advent, we’re reminded that joy doesn’t grow in isolation but rather flourishes when we experience it together​​. Chuck Mingo put it best: “Relational joy says, ‘I’m glad to be in this with you,’ even when situational joy is not accessible.” Listen in: Joy Is More Than A Feeling

If you listened – or listen! – and came away with something surprising, I’d love to hear about it via reply email.

Finally, a note about what’s next for the Good Faith podcast: The Advent series and our January series on Hitting Reset represented a string of episodes where we didn’t directly address our political moment. We made that move intentionally. In a time where the inauguration of a deeply troubling political ruler garners the headline, Advent reminds us that our true Ruler has already inaugurated the true Kingdom. And when the news can make many of us fearful about all the ways that national governmental policies are being reset, we need to be reminded that we retain agency to reset our own lives in healthy directions.

However, we also recognize that our role is to also help followers of Jesus make sense of this disorienting political moment. Stay tuned for two particular episodes coming soon. One is with former Congressman Adam Kinzinger — who has been lauded as the “Last Republican” for how he’s responding to the threat to democracy — and what the rest of us might consider from his model. Another is with our “founding friend” David French who will join us to discuss the most meaningful executive actions already taken by Trump.

We’re looking forward to the conversations to come and are grateful you’ll be a part of them.

Curtis Chang

Executive Director