Advent is a season of waiting, watching, and wonder. Not like waiting in line, but rather like waiting for a concert to begin, a love letter to arrive, or the stars to come out on a cold, clear night. It is a time of anticipation, expectation, and excitement. A time of renewing our hope, peace, joy, and love, and getting ready for the marvel on the way.

The word itself is from the Latin adventus meaning ‘arrival.’ Of course, the wondrous One who is arriving is Jesus Christ, the Light of the World. Over the next four weeks, we’ll read scripture, pray, and sing to remind us of the growing light of God’s presence, even and especially in the shadows of despair, conflict, sorrow, and hate.

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Indeed, Advent arrives as the nights grow long and deep and dark in the Northern Hemisphere. Around December 21st, the winter solstice marks the longest night of the year.

We sometimes think of “night” as a metaphor for difficulty, but this year let’s lean into a different kind of image: the poetry of the stars.

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Dark skies are perfect for stargazing, for seeking out the Light of the World among the deep indigos, bottomless blues, and inky blacks of God’s night sky. Just as the shepherds and Magi looked up to the heavens and faithfully followed the stars, we’ll spend the next four weeks training our eyes to wait, and to watch, and to wonder at all God has done—and will do—for the love of this broken, beautiful world.