Now we are in the Advent season!

The word, Advent, is based on two ancient Latin words: Ad meaning “to”, and vent meaning “come.” At Advent, we remember God coming to us in Jesus. We look back to Jesus’ first coming and forward to his second coming. 

And we get in touch with the felt experience of living in the in-between. 

Jesus is Immanuel—God is with us. Jesus came. And because he did, there is hope that sinners can be redeemed; that our broken relationships with God, self, others, and nature can be restored and the world renewed. 

The world in which we live is going through a terrible time. The circumstances of our lives, too, are changing daily. A global pandemic, recession, mass unemployment, political division, cultural upheaval, racial reckoning, record wildfires with fire tornados, earthquakes, extra powerful hurricanes, floods, and not to miss out, war! 

But in the midst of all of this chaos, God has given us hope to see and know that he is with us—Immanuel. 

Our suffering, our struggles are not in vain, and good will come to us in this life and the next. Jesus is God with us. He came to rescue and restore. He came to call, draw, and love those who without his grace would continue to live for themselves. It really is true—hope is a person, and his name is Jesus. 

As you journey through Advent, I pray you discover the hope, peace, joy, and love Jesus brings us as he “pitches his tent” in the midst of our complex and beautiful world.

Samaresh Nayak joined Food for the Hungry (FH) in 2018 as the Bangladesh Country Director. He has 10 years experience teaching development to postgraduate students and 21 years practicing community development in six countries with World Vision International. Samaresh holds Masters’ degrees in Social Work from Devi Ahaliya University (India) and Business Administration from Eastern University (USA). He is a committed Christian and devoted husband and father.