Welcome to Advent

When the world feels dark, we start with one candle.

Fra Angelico, The Annunciation, ca. 1438–1450. Fresco, Museo di San Marco, Florence. Public domain.

Well, here we are again, standing at the edge of Christmas. Advent, which starts Sunday, November 30 this year, is the season the Church calls the beginning of the year (which feels unfair, since most of us are still trying to survive the holidays). It’s not about “new year, new me,” but about waiting—tired, hopeful, skeptical waiting—for a Savior who shows up as… a baby. Probably not the action hero we ordered.

Advent runs about four weeks, ending on Christmas Eve, and it has its own flavor. While Christmas is all joy-fulfilled and “fa-la-la,” Advent is more like: we’re in the dark, holding a candle, and really hoping the light shows up soon.

The tradition of lighting an Advent wreath actually started in a 19th-century German orphanage called “Rauhes Haus.” To help the children count down the days to Christmas and manage their excitement, he constructed the first Advent wreath from a large cartwheel, placing 24 candles on it: four large white candles for Sundays and 19 small red candles for the weekdays of Advent. Each day, a new candle was lit, teaching the children both patience and the significance of Advent. The tradition continues, inviting us all to push back the darkness one light at a time.

Here’s what to expect

Each day, starting Sunday, November 30 this year, we’ll share a short scripture, a reflection, and a blessing. Think 20 minutes tops—unless life is especially lifey, in which case you can skim, skip, or simply breathe. Sundays will have something for practicing Advent together (with family, friends, neighbors, or whoever is around).

How to follow along

Because you’re already subscribed, you’ll receive our Sunday Advent roundups right here in your inbox—with links to the week’s upcoming reflections (they’ll go live early each morning!).

But if you’d like to receive each daily reflection by email (you asked, we heard you!), you can turn on notifications for the Advent section:

1. Go to substack.com/settings

2. Click on this publication under Subscriptions.

3. Slide the toggle next to Advent so you don’t miss a day.

And that’s it—you’ll start receiving the daily reflections as soon as Advent begins on Sunday, November 30.

So welcome to Advent. Not the one we imagine in glossy magazines or perfect Instagram reels, but the Advent we actually have: equal parts weary, holy, and stubbornly hopeful.