The Advent season is near! 

This Sunday, December 3, marks the beginning of Advent this year. 

Advent—from the Latin adventus, “arrival”—in the Christian Church calendar is the period of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas. It also marks a time of preparation for the second coming—from the Greek parousia, “appearance”—of Christ.

We begin this year’s Advent series with an invitation to focus on hope from Dr. Glenn Packiam (lead pastor of Rockharbor Church in Costa Mesa, California, author of The Resilient Pastor and speaker).

Packiam sets the stage by sharing this verse as a reminder of the hope we’ve been born into as Christians: