Advent with Friends: Choosing Hope When It Feels Out of Reach (with Sara Billups)

What is Advent hope, and how do we hold onto it when life feels overwhelming?

In this first episode of a four-part Good Faith Advent series, Curtis Chang and author Sara Billups explore what true hope looks like for 21st-century Christians navigating consumer culture, climate anxiety, and widespread disillusionment with the church. Drawing on her experiences as a caregiver for her aging parents and as a Gen Xer shaped by the fundamentalism of the 1970s and 80s, Sara reflects on the Gospel story of Simeon, whose patient hope in the long-awaited birth of Jesus offers a timeless example for mid-lifers, millennials, and anyone yearning for hope in troubled times. With practical tips for sharing Advent's meaning with children, this episode provides encouragement for the whole family.

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Referenced in This Episode:

• Kate Bowler Everything HAppens for A Reason and Other Lies

• Misgivings About Hal Lindsay's "Planet Earth" by John Piper

• Engage with the Daily Office

• Use the Pray As You Go application

• Read The Morning Offering prayer

• Teaching Children The Examen Prayer

• Order a copy of Every Moment Holy

• Read The Benedictine Rules of Fidelity and Stability (PDF)

More From Sara Billups:

• Check out Sara Billups' Bitter Scroll Substack

• Buy & read Orphaned Believers by Sara Billups

• Listen to the That's The Spirit podcast with Sara Billups and Morgan Page