💫 Wrapped in Wonder: A Glimmer of Hope

Words & Prayers for Advent: Week 1

Today marks the first Sunday of Advent. As we journey together, I hope these weekly editions invite us to exhale as we find ourselves wrapped in a season that often leaves us holding our breath in exhaustion, blanketed with holiday expectations.

This time of year is sprinkled with a melancholic sort of nostalgia. As parents, our hearts are both light and heavy as we remember what was, trying our best to conjure some magical memories for our children as we somehow find ourselves in the impossible reality that we are the grownups now.

One of the sweeter sides of this seasonal remembering is reflecting on the traditions we grew up with. As my kids, my husband, and I listed the classic Christmas movies we wanted to watch this year (Muppets Christmas Carol, Home Alone, Elf), the conversation unlocked a memory of VHS tapes (with holiday specials recorded from TV) I used to watch as a young child. My viewing options were limited without all the streaming options, but no less magical. I don’t know what this says about me, but I even loved the special holiday commercials. In fact, I’ve now spent an inordinate amount of time searching for a cookie commercial from the ’80s or ’90s where the cookies came to life — I loved it even more than whatever show or movie was recorded. (If you recall this commercial, please let me know!)

During my little holiday commercial deep dive, I found hours and hours of nostalgiacore on Youtube — videos peddling everything from festive Kodak film to snowman-melting Campbell’s soup.

My kids don’t see a lot of commercials (intentionally on the part of my husband and me), but every once in a while, we’ll stream a family show with commercials. I’m certainly not advocating for the commercialization of Christmas or the monetization of the Advent season, but I admit — my husband and I were waxing poetic about the holly jolly advertising of yesteryear (like the millennials we are!).

While deep into reminiscing, my husband observed that kids these days only see advertising for two things: Insurance and pharmaceuticals.

As we hung garland and twinkle lights in every nook and cranny of our 115-year-old brick home (giving the McAllisters a run for their money!), I couldn't stop thinking about these two primary sets of commercials—safety nets and medicine. It struck me that these ads reflect a deep cultural longing for protection and healing—longings we often bring into Advent without realizing it.

We like simple things, categories and clear definitions. How easy it is for us to oversimplify this season of reflection and anticipation into a boring wait for Jesus to bring us insurance from hell and medicine for our sins. How easy it is for Christian culture to want to sell Jesus, to package up this mysterious, magical story in a tidy bow.

In the same way commercials promise quick fixes for our physical or financial worries, we can sometimes expect Advent to be a spiritual transaction rather than a sacred invitation into mystery of God’s presence. But the truth is that this cosmic coming of Christ is steeped in wonder. It can’t be captured in soundbites or sold on K-Mart layaway (I told you I’ve been watching old commercials!).

In our reminiscing, we’re reminded that God is present not only in the what was but also in the what will be, weaving wonder through what is.

Year after year, God’s people set aside the linear way we order time (chronos) for the swirling wait for wonder (kairos) because, without it, we are prone to get so wrapped up in tinsel and twinkle lights that we lose sight of the glittering star already in the sky.

Advent invites us to exhale—not just our exhaustion, but also our striving—and journey into the uncontainable mystery of God’s presence, where we catch a glimmer of hope that will shine in the shadows.

Indeed, it already does.

A Thrill of Hope

Advent is an invitation to reexamine how God has worked and will work in our lives as we wait for the light of Christ to illuminate every shadow. In the midst of a busy, often stressful holiday season, I’d like to point you to a free devotional reading plan I made for YouVersion.

May these short Advent reflections, questions, and prayers bring hope to parents like you and help you stay rooted in anticipation of Christ’s arrival.

December & Advent Reading Guide

This December, as we enter the season of Advent and Christmas, I know how easy it is to feel swept away by the busyness and expectations of it all. That’s why this reading guide is here—not to add more to your already full plate but to help you pause, breathe, and create small moments of connection.

This month’s guide weaves together readings from my books To Light Their Way and Every Season Sacred (both filled with prayers, reflections, and liturgies written with busy parents in mind).

Each week, you’ll find a blend of scripture, breath prayers, short family liturgies, and thoughtful questions to help you stay grounded in the hope and wonder of Christ’s coming—even when life feels anything but peaceful.

Reading Plan For December

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Keep the guide handy on your phone or tablet and pull it up whenever you have a quiet moment—over your morning coffee, at the dinner table, or during those few minutes of stillness after bedtime. Or print the guide and place it somewhere visible, like on the fridge or a family bulletin board, so it becomes part of your daily rhythms. You could also tuck it into your journal or planner as a personal prompt for prayer and reflection.

This guide is here to help you reclaim the beauty and mystery of Advent, one small, sacred moment at a time.

Whether you read it on your own or share it with your family, my hope is that it meets you where you are and invites you deeper into the story of Emmanuel—God with us.

Borrow this Prayer

This is an excerpt from “A Prayer for Advent” in my book To Light Their Way: A Collection of Prayers & Liturgies for Parents:

O come, Emmanuel.

We enter this time of Advent With holy anticipation.

We enter this sacred season

With bated breath.

O come, Emmanuel.

We're prone to get tangled

In sparkling lights and glittering tinsel,

Lost in to-do lists,

Swallowed in the seas

Of ribbons and restless hearts and weary souls.

O come, Emmanuel.

Our nights have not been silent,

Calm, or bright.

We have been up late

Squinting at the stars,

Trying to make sense

Of the hurting world our children will inherit,

And our weary hearts in it all.

O come, Emmanuel.

We see the wonder etched in our children's eyes,

And we ask for our grown-up anxieties

To be set free

As we await the day

To celebrate

The God who made a way.

Breathing through Advent

Advent invites us into wonder, but let’s be honest—observing it can feel like just one more thing to add to an already overwhelming season. Between holiday chaos, endless to-do lists, and the constant noise of national and global news, it’s hard to stay grounded, let alone find moments of hope and connection.

That’s why the Year of Breath Advent series is here—to meet you in the realness of this season. Every week, you’ll receive carefully curated tools to help you pause, reflect, and reconnect with what matters most.

Paid subscribers & supporters get these things every week:

• Themed Playlists – Songs to accompany your reflections and daily rhythms.

• Breath Prayers – Simple, grounding prayers you can carry in your heart throughout the week.

• Guided Reflection Prompts – Thoughtful, relatable prompts that invite you into a moment of contemplation while meeting you in your lived reality.

• Breath Prayer Wallpapers – A visual weekly reminder to breathe and stay connected to the One who gives each breath in the midst of your everyday life.

• Scripture Readings – A grounding anchor in the timeless words of hope and promise.

• Benedictions – A blessing to send you into your week with peace and grace.

Whether you subscribe for just this month or for the entire Year of Breath, these weekly guides will help you hold space for hope amidst the noise.

Let this Advent be the season where you exhale.

(Don’t forget: You can also give a thoughtful and kind subscription to a friend!)

Week 1 Advent Breath Prayers

Advent is a sacred invitation to pause, to breathe, and to remember that hope is not something we must conjure on our own. It is a gift woven into the waiting. As you reflect on the wonder of Christ’s coming this week, let these breath prayers guide you into the quiet, sacred moments where God’s presence meets you.

May they help you exhale the weight of holiday expectations and inhale the glimmering hope that already shines in the shadows.