Advent begins today. So also, today begins a new format of Faith Lens.

Don’t worry. Faith Lens will still bring current events into conversation with the rotation of Bible passages many congregations use on Sundays. If you’re curious about that set of readings, which is called the Revised Common Lectionary, you can find many helpful resources here.. You can also read more about the Revised Common Lectionary’s history.

Advent is a word that means “arrival,” “start,” or “approach.” The advent of something isn’t its completion, but it is the beginning of the thing. We’re beginning this era of Faith Lens with an invitation for you: we want to know what it is that keeps you coming back to the resource. Please help us to do so by taking this survey.

We have learned some things by paying attention to have Faith Lens is used. For instance, we’ve noticed that shorter devotions have more readers that stay longer with the material and return to it more frequently. In other words, it’s clear that you’re more likely to engage with shorter posts, so we’re prioritizing concise, compelling connections between Christ and our current events. Yet, that data only gives us small snapshots. Click here to share more of your feedback to shape the future of Faith Lens.

While we gather that data during the Advent season, you’ll still receive Faith Lens posts with links to news articles and Sunday’s scriptures. Yet, the format will intentionally shorter. We’ll also present more questions for consideration and thoughts to catalyze your own curiosity. It’s the advent of a new Faith Lens, but it’s just the beginning. It is becoming what we will make it together.

That’s also true of the recent renovations to Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral, which is nearly ready to reopen. More than five years ago, a fire devastated this historic landmark. This space, sacred to so many, was nearly wiped from the face of the Earth. After shared devotion brought it back from the brink, now is the threshold of a new ministry era.

On December 1st, the 1st Sunday of Advent, we read about a different kind of advent. Luke 21:25-36 foretells of coming natural disasters and global turmoil. Long before R.E.M. wrote the song, the Bible forecast the end of the world as we know it. Yet, that end is also a new beginning, because that end notes the nearness of God’s reign. The end of what is comfortable for us denotes the closeness of our redemption.

At least, that’s what we’re told in Advent readings. This closeness doesn’t necessarily feel good, despite it meaning God’s reign is close. Despite R.E.M.’s catchy lyrics, no one feels fine when the world falls apart around them.

Maybe, rather than the reopening of a cathedral, your Advent is more caught up in the continued death and destruction in Gaza. Or the trauma of Haitian children being displaced from their homes or recruited into militias. Or the connection between experiencing racism and mental illness among U.S. youth. Nothing about that feels fine. Nothing about that SHOULD feel fine.

And that’s the importance of Advent. Jesus doesn’t force these bad things to happen. Instead, Jesus shows up in the midst of the bad things of this world. Our God shows up where others never would and brings goodness amidst the despair. That’s the Advent story: in midst of an occupied territory, where an empire sought to suppress the poor and marginalize the minorities, God shows up. More than that, God shows us as a member of that marginalized community. By doing so, God reminds us all of that profound promise we need as the world around us seems to end.

The end of this world is the Advent of God’s reign. A reign of justice for all. A reign of peace for all. A reign of love for all. We don’t know what that all looks like quite yet, but that’s ok. This is only just the beginning of what is yet to come. And so we pray:

God, you are the one who was, and is, and is still on the way. Be with us in the midst of this and every single day. Amen.

(P.S. Don’t forget to take this survey so we can reshape Faith Lens for our future together!)