Scripture Sunday: First Sunday of Advent: Waiting

Jeremiah 33:10-18
10 “This is what the Lord says: ‘You say about this place, “It is a desolate waste, without people or animals.” Yet in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are deserted, inhabited by neither people nor animals, there will be heard once more 11 the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord, saying,
“Give thanks to the Lord Almighty,
    for the Lord is good;
    his love endures forever.”
For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before,’ says the Lord.
12 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In this place, desolate and without people or animals—in all its towns there will again be pastures for shepherds to rest their flocks. 13 In the towns of the hill country, of the western foothills and of the Negev, in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem and in the towns of Judah, flocks will again pass under the hand of the one who counts them,’ says the Lord.
14 “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah.
15 “‘In those days and at that time
    I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line;
    he will do what is just and right in the land.
16 In those days Judah will be saved
    and Jerusalem will live in safety.
This is the name by which it will be called:
    The Lord Our Righteous Savior.’
17 For this is what the Lord says: ‘David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of Israel, 18 nor will the Levitical priests ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices.’”

Our Church’s New Year begins in darkness, not with fireworks, champagne, or a ball drop, but with waiting. The virgin is pregnant, and we await the birth of the child. A young woman who has found favor with God, who has faith in the impossible, waits alongside Joseph as the promise unfolds. Together, they await the fulfillment of God’s word.

​The prophet Jeremiah paints a vivid picture of desolation: a land unlivable, devoid of people and animals, unable to sustain life. Yet, in the midst of this darkness, he speaks of hope, a righteous branch, a sprout, that will rise to bring salvation not only to the people but also to the land itself. The connection between God, the people, and the land is impossible to overlook. As the Creator of the heavens and the earth, God’s restoration of all things is good news to both the land and the people. In this prophecy, the land and the branch are central figures, their existence intertwined. There is a direct correlation: when the branch comes, he will redeem the land.

Like the baby growing within Mary, this sprout in Jeremiah lies hidden, beneath the surface. From the outside, the land seems barren and forsaken, but it waits to burst forth with new life for the salvation of all. Similarly, from the outside, Mary seems to embody shame for her culture—a young woman, pregnant outside of wedlock, and not by her betrothed. Joseph, striving to honor her, prepares to dissolve their union quietly until an angel reveals to him that this child is from God. In faith, they wait in darkness, eager for what is to come.

Advent is often called the “little Lent,” a season of preparation and reflection. Yet in today’s culture, we are tempted to skip ahead to the joy of Christmas, bypassing the stillness and expectation that prepare us for its arrival. But Advent invites us to sit with Mary and Joseph, with the exiles, with those left in desolate lands, and the land itself. We are called to embrace the darkness and wait alongside them.

For some, this waiting feels familiar, we know the desolation of the land, the weight of shame, and the sting of humiliation. For others, Advent calls us to adopt the spirit of poverty that Jesus himself embraced, setting aside luxuries to identify with Christ and the world’s suffering.

When we leap too quickly to the joy of Christmas, we risk missing Jesus. He came as the hidden sprout: unseen, yet anticipated. Hope in his coming sustains us. We have seen a partial fulfillment in the words of the prophet Jeremiah in the birth of Jesus. It was Judean shepherds who were the first to witness the sprout of David, the eternal King. The land had healed after the exile, flocks were again passing through, and the sprout had arisen. 

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’” (Luke 2:8-12)

In this Advent season, may we resist the urge to skip the waiting. Instead, may we sit in the quiet, the darkness, and the expectation, trusting that the hidden sprout, the righteous branch, will bring forth life and joy in its time. Let us wait faithfully, as Mary, Joseph, Jeremiah, and the land did, for the promise to be fulfilled of a land that brings life to all. 


Caroline Hiler is a Seminary Intern at Creation Justice Ministries