It happens earlier every year. Christmas decorations appear in stores before autumn has ended, flyers announcing holiday sales arrive in the mail, and even my phone declares, “Black Friday starts today!” Yet as I write this, my calendar insists we are still eight days away from the day after Thanksgiving—Black Friday as it once was. Evidently, we cannot wait to celebrate Christmas.

And now, as you read this, we are well into the Christmas season—a time when the Christian world remembers the First Advent. There is a passage we hear every year at this time, found in Luke 2:8–14:

“In the same region there were shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased.’”

Did you notice the word suddenly? The shepherds were living an ordinary night, and then—suddenly. Yet in truth, this moment was not so sudden.

• First, the promise of a Savior runs throughout Scripture: God’s word to Adam and Eve in Genesis, Isaiah’s prophecy of the child to be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, and Malachi’s assurance that “the Lord you are seeking will come.”

• Second, Ellen White in The Desire of Ages (p. 47) tells us that the shepherds were not caught unaware. They were watching and praying for the Promised One: “Through the silent hours they talked together of the promised Savior and prayed for the coming of the King to David’s throne.” Their hearts were waiting in anticipation. That is Advent—the First Advent. That is what we celebrate in this season.

Yet the First Advent does not stand alone. It points us toward a more glorious Advent yet to come. May we not forget this. May we carry within us the spirit of those shepherds—faithful to our calling yet looking forward in anticipation to our returning Savior. May we hear again the angelic chorus above Bethlehem’s fields: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests.”

Imagine if today we could hear that song of hope—the anthem that began long ago and still echoes across the centuries. The day is coming when the Light of Christ will break through the darkness, bringing healing, restoration, and peace.

So, as we celebrate the First Advent of our Lord and Savior, my prayer is this: that our lives resound with the hope of His soon-coming return.