Intro

Advent is a word that means “arrival” or “coming.” It’s the very first season of the Christian year, beginning four weeks before Christmas. While Advent looks back and celebrates when Jesus first came as a baby, it is also about looking forward - waiting and preparing for when He will come again as King. Think about it: when was the last time you stopped and really thought about Jesus’ return and its practical implications for life right now? Advent gives us space to do just that. It’s a season the Church has set aside to help us practice longing - longing for His return, His hope, His peace, His joy, and His love.

As we journey through these weeks together, our prayer is simple. We are asking God to grow in us hearts that long for Jesus; that as we remember His first coming and look ahead to His return, we’d be marked by His hope, peace, joy, and love. Each week we’ll focus on one of these themes. You’ll have daily reflections and practices that invite you to slow down, listen, and let God’s Word shape your heart this Advent season. Here’s the simple format you’ll follow:

Day 1 - Read the verse.
Day 2 - Write the verse.
Day 3 - Repeat the verse.
Day 4 - Pray the verse.

It’s common for us to move on from verses quickly, but we’re hoping that lingering on one passage for each theme of Advent will be a welcome opportunity to slow down with the Bible; to let it sink in; to allow it to settle deeper in our hearts. In addition to the particular discipline of the day, you’re invited to do a couple of other things:

1. Light the Advent candles. One tradition we love for the season of Advent is to light one candle per week of Advent, working your way up to four and then lighting a fifth Christ candle on Christmas Day. Because "love" is traditionally associated with the fourth week of Advent, you would light 4 candles this week. We remember that in our present darkness and waiting, Jesus is ultimately the light of the world!
2. Listen to and/or sing the Verses song. This will help you both memorize it and meditate on it! If you want a playlist with more songs on the Advent theme of the week, head to our app or to our Spotify playlist that has an assortment of more verses that focus on that theme.

Day 1: Read It

1 Corinthians 13:4–8
[4] Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant [5] or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; [6] it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. [7] Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. [8] Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.

In a love-obsessed world, there’s very little agreement on what love actually is. Hollywood has sold us a romantic version that comes and goes like the tide. Others would say it’s simply unwavering support of one another regardless of the choices being made. But how does God define it? Does the Bible have anything to say about what love looks like in action and not just theory? In possibly the most famous passage and description of love that’s read at weddings all across the world, the apostle Paul shares 15 practical things that love is and that love is not. Seven are stated in the positive and eight in the negative, but we’ll simply list them off in order with a short description below (each marked by a + or - based on if it’s stated in the positive or negative):

+ Love is patient - it’s long-suffering and “long-fused.”
+ Love is kind - it’s gracious even toward those who aren’t the easiest to show it to.
- Love does not envy - it’s not looking at the lives of others with jealousy.
- Love does not boast - it doesn’t brag about itself.
- Love is not arrogant - it’s not puffed up or full of oneself.
- Love is not rude - it doesn’t dishonor others or have poor manners, but is courteous.
- Love does not insist on its own way - it’s others-focused instead of self-focused.
- Love is not irritable - it is not easily angered or exasperated.
- Love is not resentful - it doesn’t walk around keeping a record of wrongs about someone.
- Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing - it doesn’t delight in evil.
+ Love rejoices with the truth - both in giving and receiving.
+ Love bears all things - it doesn’t tire of supporting and puts up with annoyances.
+ Love believes all things - it doesn’t lose faith but trusts instead.
+ Love hopes all things - its hope is never exhausted.
+ Love endures all things - it doesn’t give up.

What a magnificent and daunting list to describe love! Picture two people actually showing each other this kind of love. What might their interactions and conversations look and sound like? Their arguments? Broaden the picture a little more to where you spend your life and time. Perhaps your neighborhood, or your workplace. What might look different? Imagine those on the Internet and social media being governed by this kind of love… It almost seems too good to be true, does it not?

There’s bad news and good news. The bad news is we’re awful at showing this kind of love toward one another. The good news is that not only does Jesus embody this perfect love toward us, but He also grows us into being more loving people. Fueled and energized by His Spirit, as we abide in Him, we increasingly become like branches that naturally produce fruit of the Spirit that tastes like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and the list goes on (see Galatians 5:22). While the gifts of the Spirit are great and build up the body, love is essential in seeing these gifts practiced in healthy ways by the church and at the end of the day, love never ends. Let’s learn to receive this kind of love from God and in turn show it to all we encounter… Let’s start with those around us and who we’re in relationship with at church!

What does Advent have to do with 1 Corinthians 13? Well, we’re told that at the end of the day, the gifts of the Spirit will pass away but love never ends. It remains. We are to be a people of love now and when Christ returns! Why not ask our God of love to saturate our everyday actions and interactions with His divine love?

Today, your assignment around this passage is simple: Read it. If you’re able to read it out loud, by all means do! Don’t just read it once; try reading it a few times over. Notice the cadence and flow of the passage. Linger on words and phrases. Don’t forget there’s a simple power in you speaking the Bible out loud. As you do, note what’s standing out. Look for the “shimmering words.” What does God seem to be highlighting?

Remember to light those four Advent candles, reminding your heart that God is love! Sing the song associated with this week. Learn the melody of God’s Word and sing along. We've included an audio file and lyric video below to assist you in your endeavors.