The Candle in the Window
Meg found the candlestick on the first Sunday of Advent, in a box marked Nana — kitchen that had sat in the hall closet for two years.
She had only gone looking for the Christmas tablecloth. The afternoon was already fading, the way it does in late November, and the house was quiet. Her husband had driven to the hardware store. The second bedroom, painted a soft green three summers ago, was still empty except for a crib they had stopped talking about.
Three years. That was how long they had been waiting on the adoption. There had been a phone call in the spring that almost became something, then didn't. Since then, nothing. Meg had learned to keep her phone face down on the counter so she wouldn't watch it.
The candlestick was wrapped in newspaper at the bottom of the box. Worn brass, heavy for its size, with a wide dish at the base to catch the wax. She knew it at once.
Every December of her childhood, her grandmother had set that candlestick in the front window of the farmhouse and lit it at dusk. Meg had asked her once, at about seven years old, who it was for.
"For whoever is still on the road," Nana had said.
As a child, Meg had pictured travelers. Snowbound strangers. Her uncle driving home late from the city. Now, standing in the hallway with the brass cold in her hands, she understood that her grandmother had buried a husband and a son, and had prayed through more long nights than Meg would ever know about. The candle had never been only for travelers.
Meg carried it to the front window. The road outside was empty, the trees bare against a deep blue sky. She found a taper in the kitchen drawer, set it in the holder and struck a match.
She didn't pray anything elaborate. She just stood there and said it plainly. This is for the child who isn't home yet. And then, after a while, more quietly: And for me.
The flame was small. It didn't change anything about the empty room down the hall. But it was the first time in months she had let herself hope out loud.
The next morning she came downstairs early. The candle had burned low in the night. Frost had gathered at the edges of the glass, and the sun was coming up pale gold over the field. On the kitchen table she set out a simple Advent wreath, four ivory candles in fresh greenery, and opened her Bible beside her coffee.
She lit the first candle. The candle of hope.
She didn't know when the phone would ring. She knew who she was waiting with.
Micro-Reflection Thought
Advent doesn't ask you to pretend the waiting is over. It asks you to light one candle in the dark and wait with hope, because the One you are waiting for has already come once, and He keeps His word.
What Is Advent, and Why Do Christians Keep It?
Advent is the four weeks before Christmas. The word comes from the Latin adventus, which means "coming" or "arrival." For centuries, Christians have used these weeks to slow down and prepare their hearts, remembering how God's people waited for the Messiah and looking ahead to the day He will come again.
It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. Many families mark it with a wreath of four candles, lighting one more each Sunday until all four are burning. The candles are often named hope, peace, joy and love.
Advent is not a countdown to a party. It is a season for honest waiting. Paul describes the moment it all pointed to: "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son" (Galatians 4:4, ESV). God's timing looked slow to the people who lived through it. It was exactly on time.
Who Waited for Jesus in the Christmas Story?
The Christmas story is full of people who waited. Before any of them, a whole nation waited through centuries of silence, praying the words of Psalm 80: "Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved!" (Psalm 80:3, ESV).
Zechariah and Elizabeth had prayed for a child for years. Mary waited through months she could not have planned. Joseph waited in silence, trusting a dream. Shepherds were waiting out an ordinary night shift when the sky filled with light. And in the temple, two older saints, Simeon and Anna, had spent years watching for the promise to come true.
None of them knew the whole story while they were in it. Each of them saw God keep His word. Their waiting has room for yours.
How Do I Wait When God Feels Slow?
It is one thing to read that God is faithful. It is another to keep believing it in year three of a prayer.
Scripture doesn't pretend that waiting is easy. Through the prophet Habakkuk, God said: "If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay" (Habakkuk 2:3, ESV). Notice that God admits it may seem slow. He doesn't scold the one who is tired of waiting. He simply promises that the answer is real.
Peter, writing to believers who were tired of waiting for Christ's return, said it this way: "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness" (2 Peter 3:9, ESV). What looks like delay to us is never forgetfulness on His part.
Waiting well doesn't mean waiting silently. The psalmist kept watch with words: "I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope" (Psalm 130:5, ESV). Keep praying. Keep reading. Keep a candle burning, even a small one.
Is It All Right to Feel Sad During Advent?
Yes. December can be one of the hardest months of the year. The music is cheerful, the photos are bright, and you may be carrying an empty chair, a diagnosis, a quiet house or a prayer that still hasn't been answered.
Advent has always had room for that. It began as a season of longing, not celebration. Psalm 80, one of the oldest Advent readings, is a lament. Simeon and Anna had both known long years of waiting. The first Christmas came to a world that was hurting.
"The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18, ESV). You don't have to feel festive to keep Advent. You only have to wait with Him, honestly, as you are.
Why Light a Candle in Advent?
A candle is a small, quiet way to say what we believe. The darkness is real, and so is the light. John opens his Gospel with this: "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:5, ESV).
When you light a candle on an Advent evening, you aren't pretending the night is over. You are remembering that Jesus came into the dark, and that His light has not gone out. For many people, like Meg's grandmother, a candle in the window also becomes a prayer for someone else who is still on the road.
A Shared Moment: Dana's Desk Candle
Dana teaches third grade at a public school in a small town. Real flames aren't allowed in her classroom, so every Advent she brings a small battery candle and sets it on the corner of her desk.
She arrives early, before the buses. In the few minutes before the first children come through the door, she switches it on and sits quietly for a moment. Then she looks down her class list and prays for one child. Usually it's the one who seems to be waiting hardest. A boy whose dad has been deployed since summer. A girl who has moved schools twice this year. A child who comes in hungry on Mondays.
She never tells them. The candle just sits there, glowing softly, through spelling tests and lunch counts and indoor recess.
Last year, a quiet girl in the second row asked her why it was always on. Dana thought for a moment and said, "It reminds me that someone is keeping watch." The girl nodded as if that made perfect sense.
On the last day before Christmas break, Dana found a note on her desk in careful pencil. Thank you for the light.
Seven Advent Scripture Readings for a Waiting Heart
Read one each evening of a week in Advent, perhaps with a candle lit, or all seven on a quiet Sunday afternoon. Each one follows a day in our new journal, Those Who Waited.
1. Let Your Face Shine
Scripture Spotlight: "Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved!" — Psalm 80:3 (ESV)
Prompt: What am I waiting for this Advent, and can I name it honestly to God?
2. Your Prayer Has Been Heard
Scripture Spotlight: "But the angel said to him, 'Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.'" — Luke 1:13 (ESV)
Prompt: Which prayer have I stopped saying out loud?
3. Let It Be to Me
Scripture Spotlight: "And Mary said, 'Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.'" — Luke 1:38 (ESV)
Prompt: Where might God be asking for my yes before I see every detail?
4. God With Us
Scripture Spotlight: "'Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel' (which means, God with us)." — Matthew 1:23 (ESV)
Prompt: Where do I most need to remember that I am not waiting alone?
5. Good News in the Night Fields
Scripture Spotlight: "And the angel said to them, 'Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.'" — Luke 2:10–11 (ESV)
Prompt: Where might God meet me in the most ordinary part of my day?
6. My Eyes Have Seen
Scripture Spotlight: "Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation" — Luke 2:29–30 (ESV)
Prompt: Where can I look for Jesus now, before my waiting ends?
7. To All Who Were Waiting
Scripture Spotlight: "And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem." — Luke 2:38 (ESV)
Prompt: Who near me is waiting, and how could I encourage her this week?
Reflection Prompts
Use these questions as a gentle journaling bridge. Write honestly, without fixing or filtering.
- What have I been waiting for the longest, and what have I believed about God while I waited?
- Where have I folded a hope away so I wouldn't have to feel it?
- What would it look like to wait with hope this Advent, rather than just to wait?
- Who in my life is "still on the road," and how can I keep a light on for them?
- What has God already done that I can thank Him for while I wait for the rest?
Tools for the Journey
Simple, faith-anchoring practices for a season of waiting.
- A Window Candle: Light one candle at dusk on Advent evenings and pray for someone who is still waiting. A battery candle works just as well.
- The Four Sundays: Keep an Advent wreath on your table, or simply four candles in a row. Light one more each Sunday and read a short passage aloud.
- A Waiting List: Write down what you are waiting for on the first Sunday of Advent. Date it, and keep it in your Bible. Look at it again next Advent.
- One Reading a Day: Read a short passage each day of December, through Isaiah's promises and Luke's account of the first Christmas.
- A Word for Someone Waiting: Send one note or text this week to a friend in a long season, simply to say you are praying.
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, You came in the fullness of time, and You came for me. You see what I have been waiting for, and how long. Where I have folded my hopes away, give me courage to bring them to You again. Where the night feels long, let Your face shine on me. Keep me honest in my waiting and gentle with myself when hope runs thin. Help me notice the people around me who are still on the road, and give me a light to share with them. As Advent begins, teach me to wait the way Simeon and Anna did, watchful, prayerful and ready to give thanks. Amen.
Faith Insight Summary: Advent is waiting with hope. The God who kept His word in Bethlehem is keeping His word to you.
Continuing the Conversation
If this reflection spoke to you, our new Advent devotional journal Those Who Waited — 7 Daily Devotionals for Advent was written for these weeks of the year.
Across seven days, it walks with the people who waited for Jesus' first coming: a nation in a long night, Zechariah and Elizabeth, Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, Simeon and Anna. Each day brings daily reflections, prompts, affirmations and prayers, and room to write what you are waiting for.
You may also find encouragement in these companion journals:
While You Wait is for trusting God's timing in any long season.
The Waiting Heart is for finding peace when you don't know what comes next.
To carry Advent with you, our The Fulness of the Time tee has Galatians 4:4 in the King James Version, and Into the Way of Peace carries Luke 1:79 from Zechariah's song. You'll find the journals together in our Strength in Waiting & Uncertainty collection.
For another story about holding on through a long wait, read When the Clock Doesn't Tick.
Reader's Q&A Question Corner
Q. When does Advent begin? A. Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and runs until Christmas Eve. The date moves a little each year, between late November and early December.
Q. What do the four Advent candles mean? A. Traditions vary, but the four candles are often named hope, peace, joy and love. Some families add a fifth, white candle in the center for Christmas Day, for Christ Himself.
Q. Do I need an Advent wreath to keep Advent? A. No. A single candle, a short reading and a few quiet minutes are enough. Advent is about the posture of your heart, not the decorations.
Q. What does "the fulness of the time" mean? A. It's the King James wording of Galatians 4:4. It means the moment God had appointed. Jesus came not late or early, but at exactly the right time.
Q. What if this season is more than sad? A. If grief, loneliness or low mood feels too heavy to carry, please talk with a trusted friend, your pastor, a counselor or your doctor. Reaching out is a faithful step.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
