How can we hold onto hope amidst darkness? When the angel appears to Joseph and tells him that the child Mary is carrying, who he is supposed to name Jesus, has been conceived by the Holy Spirit and will forgive people their sins, the world is already being turned upside down. The long-promised Messiah is coming for his people, and in his arrival all the prophetic visions of the Kingdom of God start coming into focus. For example, the prophet Isaiah sees a world where swords are beaten into plowshares and nations no longer train for war. It’s a vision so far beyond human reach that it can only be sustained by a divine hope. Whether we want it to or not, this is where Advent begins: an ache and a longing. We yearn for the world to be made new. Yet, even when things seem dark, God invites His people to live as if the dawn is already breaking in. And then, in Jesus, these prophetic visions of peace and justice become incarnate and dwell alongside us. How can we begin to reorder our lives toward the coming Kingdom and cultivate a courageous hope that shines in the darkness?