Siblings in Christ, today is the beginning of a new church year—the first Sunday of Advent. Our scriptures today, particularly Paul in Romans, shout at us: “You know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep.”
The Advent season is not about sleepy anticipation; it is about fierce watchfulness. It calls us to look at three things: the incredible dream God promises, the urgency of the alarm clock ringing now, and the practical way we must respond.
The Dream: A World Awake to Peace (Isaiah 2:1-5) Before we talk about waking up, we must understand why. Where are we headed? Isaiah gives us a magnificent vision of the world’s final, redeemed destiny. He describes a day when all nations—all people—will stream to the mountain of the Lord.
And what will they do there? They won’t fight. They won’t argue over resources. They will learn God’s ways, and they will transform the instruments of violence into the tools of production:
“They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.”
This is the ultimate dream of God—a vision of eternal, comprehensive peace, righteousness, and mutual learning. This is the Daylight we are waiting for. This vision gives our waiting purpose. We don’t just wait for the end; we prepare for the coming of a King whose rule will erase conflict. Our task is to live now as if that daylight has already begun to break.
The Alarm: Salvation is Near (Romans 13:11-14) But Isaiah’s promise is still far off, so Paul gives us the immediate, practical instruction: The time is short!
“…for salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed; the night is far gone, the day is near.”
Paul tells us that the night of our spiritual slumber is ending. We cannot afford to hit the snooze button. The alarm is ringing because salvation—the full, final realization of God’s rule—is closer than it has ever been.
So, Paul commands us to take action:
- “Let us then lay aside the works of darkness.” These are the things we do when we think the light won’t come: jealousy, strife, dissipation, and reveling. These are the clothes of the spiritual night. We must take them off.
- “Let us put on the armor of light.” We are called to dress for the Day! We put on Christ—His character, His clarity, His righteousness. This is active preparation. We awaken by choosing to live today in the morality and integrity that belongs to God’s Kingdom, not the fading darkness of this world.
The Watch: Readiness is a Lifestyle (Matthew 24:36-44) Paul gives us the urgency; Jesus in Matthew gives us the strategy for staying awake.
Jesus tells us plainly: “But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
Because the time is unknown, our preparation cannot be an occasional religious cram session. It must be a lifestyle of readiness. Jesus uses two powerful images:
- The Days of Noah: People were doing normal things—eating, drinking, marrying—but they were spiritually deaf and blind to the warning. When the flood came, they were swept away because they were unprepared.
- The Homeowner and the Thief: A homeowner who knows a thief is coming will stay awake and on guard. But since we don’t know the hour, we must be always ready.
Readiness isn’t panic; it’s peace. It means living every moment with a clear conscience, walking in the light, and practicing the peace of Isaiah right now. It means being found doing the Lord’s work—serving your neighbor, seeking justice, and holding fast to your faith—the moment He appears.
This Advent, let us hear the sense of urgency not as a threat, but as an invitation.
We are called to wake up to the hope of Isaiah—the promise of a world where war is forgotten.
We are called to shed the darkness of Romans—the habits that keep us spiritually asleep.
And we are called to stay awake, watchful, and prepared, knowing that the Lord is coming at an hour we do not expect.
Put on the armor of light. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us walk in the light and stay awake, until the full daylight of His Kingdom dawns.