For God and Country: Rediscovering Hope in Christ This Advent Season | Reverend Joel Mooneyhan

In this week’s For God and Country Advent devotional, Jenny Beth Martin welcomes back Reverend Joel Mooneyhan for a deep dive into the first week of Advent: Hope. Together, they explore Luke 1 and the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, a couple who waited faithfully through 400 years of silence as Israel longed for God to speak again.

Joel unpacks why hope is always the first Advent candle—light breaking into darkness—and how Christians today can remain steadfast even when the world feels chaotic or discouraging. From Israel’s suffering under foreign empires to God choosing ordinary people to prepare the way for Christ, this episode offers a powerful reminder that our hope belongs in Christ alone, not in politics, success, or circumstances.

Highlights from the episode:

• What Advent means and why it begins with hope
• The biblical background of Zechariah and Elizabeth
• How God works through faithful people in seasons of waiting
• Why Christians must guard against placing their hope in transient things
• The humility of Christ entering the world as a child
• The symbolism of the Advent wreath and the first candle
• How believers today can bring Christ’s light into a dark world

Whether you’re following Advent for the first time or seeking a deeper reflection during this season, this conversation offers encouragement rooted in Scripture, tradition, and timeless Christian truth.

Watch or listen to every episode at JennyBethShow.com, and join us next week as we continue the Advent series with Peace.

Reverend Joel Mooneyhan | Instagram: @southernreverend
Jenny Beth Martin | Instagram: @jennybethm