Episode 303: Advent Unsentimentalized--Recovering Hope

It is terribly easy for the themes that recur in Advent--things like "hope," "peace," "joy," and "love"--to become empty slogans or buzzwords, or the vague wishes of a greeting card.  But there is rich and deep substance in the Christian practice of hope, and all the others, if we are willing to recover it.  This Advent, join pastors Erica, Sarah, and Steve as we explore more closely the themes often tied to the candles of the Advent wreath: where they come from, what they mean, and how we practice them in a world that is often more interested in being distracted with the sentimental.  In an episode that ranges from Star Wars spin-offs to Sam Cooke protest songs to nuances of Spanish verbs, this is a conversation to check out.