WEEK ONE (2025 Advent): Christmas—Our Promise
Theme: Hope — Christ Our Promise
Refresher: What Advent Means
Advent comes from the Latin adventus, meaning “arrival” or “coming.”
It is a season of expectation, preparation, and remembrance as believers reflect on the first coming of Jesus Christ — and ready their hearts for His promised return.
Each Sunday of Advent carries a specific theme that reveals a different facet of Christ’s identity and mission.
Today we begin with Hope—the anchor of every believer and the promise God fulfilled in the birth of Jesus Christ.
The Heart of Week One: Christmas — Our Promise
Advent Week One opens the season with a stunning truth:
Christmas is the story of God keeping His Word.
Hope is not a feeling.
Hope is not optimism.
Hope is not “trying to believe.”
Hope is a Person — Jesus Christ, the Promise of the Father.
Long before a manger was filled with glory, God spoke a promise:
The First Gospel
“And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.”
— Genesis 3:15 (NKJV)
This is the first announcement of redemption — the prophecy that a Savior would come, crush the serpent, and restore humanity to God.
Thousands of years passed. Kingdoms rose and fell. Prophets spoke. Israel waited.
Heaven never forgot.
The Promise Kept
“For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given…”
— Isaiah 9:6 (NKJV)
And in the fullness of time:
“Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God…
and you shall call His name JESUS.”
— Luke 1:30–31 (NKJV)
The Promised Messiah stepped into time, born of a virgin, wrapped in the humility of a manger, and heralded by angels.
This is hope fulfilled.
This is prophecy realized.
This is the faithfulness of God revealed in flesh.
The manger was not the beginning — it was the manifestation of an eternal promise.
Why Week One Matters
Because Christmas is not sentiment.
It is not tradition.
It is not nostalgia.
Christmas is covenant.
Christmas is prophecy.
Christmas is the visible proof that God does not break His promises.
Every card in your Advent Christmas Edition echoes this truth:
From prophecy…
To the manger…
To the cross…
To resurrection…
To Christ’s return…
Every step confirms: God’s Word cannot fail.
Your hope is not in a season — it is in the Savior.
A Promise That Carries You Into 2025
As we enter Advent 2025, take time to reflect:
Where do you need God to keep a promise?
Where do you need hope to rise again?
Where have you forgotten that God’s timing is perfect?
Hope is not passive.
Hope waits in faith.
Hope watches for God’s movement.
Hope stands confident because Heaven has already spoken.
And Christmas declares:
The Promise has come — and every other promise will follow.
Advent Meditation for Week One
Take a quiet moment before the Lord.
Light your first Advent candle and declare:
Christ, You are my Promise.
You are the fulfillment of every word God has spoken.
You are my Hope.
You are my Confidence.
You are my King.
Let this be the foundation of your Advent journey.
Prayer
Father, thank You for sending Jesus — the Promise fulfilled and the Hope of every heart.
Awaken in me a deeper confidence in Your Word.
Let every place of longing be overshadowed by Your faithfulness.
Help me remember that You do not forget what You have spoken.
I choose hope today because Christ has come, and Christ will come again.
Father, be glorified in my life and in all the earth.
For all the promises of God in Christ are Yes, and in Him Amen.
Yes and Amen.