Advent is an audacious time for Christians, because it demands that we imagine a world unconstrained by our own hubris. We have the duty and privilege of dreaming with the prophets and one another of a world of justice, even in the absence of any rational basis for hope. No pressure, right?

I’ve certainly been on both sides of that coin—a person who encourages others to dig deep and find reasons to hang on. “Dare You To Move” by Switchfoot was a seminal anthem of the former sentiment in my middle school years. A Christian band that achieved mainstream appeal, Switchfoot offered a more complex vision of Christianity than I had been exposed to previously—not only was it OK for Middle School Dorie to admit to struggling, it was even Christian to do so, and Switchfoot offered words when my own failed: “Maybe redemption has stories to tell/ Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell/ Where can you run to escape from yourself?/ Where you gonna go?/ Where you gonna go?/ Salvation is here.”

Similarly, if “Dare You To Move” offers the sage words to soothe a scared, lonely soul, “The Oil Slick” by Frightened Rabbit gives voice to that lonely soul as they are in the moment. A troubled artist who never shied away from his struggles with depression and suicidal ideation until his death, Frightened Rabbit’s haunting lyrics are juxtaposed against a funky beat, describing the struggle of trying to find some ray of light in the darkness

Wherever you are in this Advent season—encourager or one who needs encouragement, struggler or one who helps to ease the struggle—may you be blessed and surprised by hope.