Advent Journey

Week 1: Hope in the God Who Keeps His Promises

“You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.” – (Luke 1:31)

There is a holiness in waiting; a sacred ache that stretches our hearts between what is and what will be. When my mother’s health began to falter, the waiting room of faith grew still and heavy. The air itself felt weighted with prayers unanswered, with questions I couldn’t shape into words. How long, Lord? Will you come through this time? And yet, even there, God’s whisper came steady: “For nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37).

Mary knew that kind of waiting. The angel’s words must have flooded her with wonder, and fear. God had promised something extraordinary, but she still had to carry that promise in the slow, ordinary unfolding of time. There were no shortcuts from annunciation to birth, no certainty about how others would understand her story. Still, she said “yes.” Hope took root in her womb and in her waiting.

Mary’s story reminds us that hope isn’t naïve or effortless. It grows in the tension between promise and fulfillment. Her waiting was not empty — it was expectant, trusting, brave. And so is ours.

As I sat beside my mother’s hospital bed, not knowing what tomorrow would bring, I sensed that same quiet presence Mary knew — Emmanuel, the God who sees, hears, knows, comes down, and acts. His promises do not fade with time; they deepen through it. Advent reminds us that even in the waiting, God is already at work, unseen, but faithful still.

Rev. Sabrina Jordan-D’Rozario
Lead Pastor
Wesley Chapel Free Methodist Church | Toronto, ON

Prayer:

Faithful God, when I cannot see the way forward, steady my heart in Your promises. Teach me to wait like Mary — with open hands, quiet courage, and a hope that leans into Your Word.

Reflection:

In moments of waiting, read Luke 1:26-38. Reflect on how Mary’s “yes” invites you to trust God’s timing — even when the promise is still taking shape.