Advent 2025 - Week 1: Preparing with Hope

 Sunday, November 30 - Simeon’s Waiting

Scripture: Luke 2:25–32
Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”


Reflection: Advent is a season of waiting. Simeon — “righteous and devout” — modeled waiting not as passive resignation but as active, Spirit-attentive hope. Waiting exposed his dependence: he wasn’t in control, but he was deeply attentive to God. Notice how waiting pries away the illusion that you run everything.

Questions: 

  • Where are you in an in-between place right now?

  • What does naming it aloud do for you?


Practice: Spend 5–10 minutes in silence. Breathe slowly. Ask the Spirit to show you one small thing you can entrust to God this week. Close with: “Sovereign Lord, help me wait with hope.”

Monday, December 1 - Waiting as Formation

Scripture: Romans 8:25

But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.


Reflection: Waiting forms us. The question isn’t only “What am I waiting for?” but “Who will I become while I wait?” Simeon’s waiting had shaped his character: righteous with others, close to God, sensitive to the Spirit. Waiting can be a training ground for patience, humility, and compassion.

Question: 

  • How might this waiting be shaping your character—your kindness, your patience, your honesty?

Practice: Journaling (10 minutes). Write: “Because I’m waiting, I am becoming…” and list 3 ways you hope God is forming you.

Tuesday, December 2 - Attunement to the Spirit

Scripture: Luke 2:26

It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.

Reflection: Simeon was attuned to the Spirit — not by frantic searching, but by steady relationship. Waiting hardens into something life-giving when the Spirit asks the right questions: Who are you becoming? Who are you for? Let the Spirit reframe your impatience into expectancy.

Question: 

  • When was the last time you sensed the Spirit’s voice in a small, ordinary moment?

Practice: Watchfulness exercise. For the next hour, notice each time a thought or impulse arises; silently ask, “Is this fear or hope?” Let the Spirit guide one response.

Wednesday, December 3 - Hope Held, Hope Shared

Scripture: Luke 2:30–31 

For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations


Reflection: Simeon’s hope wasn’t private; it opened into praise and proclamation. Hope is meant to be held — cradled — and then offered. Your waiting is not only for your comfort but for the sake of others: the consolation you receive is meant to become a light for someone else.

Question: 

  • Who around you needs consolation or a small sign of hope this week?

Practice: Send one encouraging message or do one small act of kindness today — a literal offering of the hope you’re receiving.

Thursday, December 4 - Waiting with Right Relationships

Scripture: Luke 2:25

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 


Reflection: The text’s “righteous and devout” points to how waiting and relationship go together. Being faithful in relationship—repairing where needed, loving where called—prepares you to receive the King. Waiting that neglects relationships risks becoming self-centered.

Question: 

  • Is there a strained relationship that your waiting is calling you to steward or repair?

Practice: Take one small relational step (a call, a note, an apology, or a moment of presence) that reflects right relationship.

Friday, December 5 - Redemptive Waiting

Scripture: Psalm 130

Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord ; Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. If you, Lord , kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you. I wait for the Lord , my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. Israel, put your hope in the Lord , for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.


Reflection: Henri Nouwen describes “redemptive waiting” — living the situation to the full, trusting that the hidden will be revealed. Psalm 130 models lament that turns to hope; it teaches us to bring the rawness of our waiting to God. Waiting is not denial; it’s honest hope.

Question: 

  • What honest lament do you need to bring before God?

Practice: Take 20 minutes (or as you can) to pray through Psalm 130. Read it slowly, notice a line that catches you, and make that line your one-sentence prayer.

Saturday, December 6 - Settled, Tenacious Trust

Scripture: Romans 8:25 and Luke 2:29

But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace.


Reflection: Simeon’s final posture was settled trust: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace.” Advent invites the same: a tenacious, settled trust that doesn’t ignore pain but rests in God’s faithfulness. Hope is not naive; it is anchored.

Questions: 

  • What would a “settled” trust feel like for you today? 

  • What small practices help anchor you?

Practice: Closing prayer: write a one-sentence confession or surrender (for example, “Lord, I surrender my worry about _______ to you”) and tuck it somewhere you’ll see this week (phone note, journal, mirror).



Bonus Resources:

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