Stay awake.
Stay awake to the hope that is offered to us
In the readings today.

But do you ever feel as if hope is stuck in the murk
Of all the problems that we face in our country today,
In the world, even within the Church?

This First Sunday of Advent reminds us
That we are back in this time
Of waiting, of watching, of hope.

But this is not the kind of waiting that we do in traffic
Or sitting at the doctor’s office.

Advent waiting is active waiting.
Active waiting.
It’s hopeful.

It’s the kind of waiting that looks toward
The future with trust—
Trust that God is at work even when it feels
Like we are living in uncertain times
And hope may feel uncertain.

And so we look at the First Reading today from Isaiah.
He gives us this stunning vision:

We hear, “They shall beat their swords into plowshares.
One nation shall not rise against another.”

This is a dream of peace,
Of people walking together in God’s light.

We need to recall that this reading from Isaiah,
When he spoke these words,
He was speaking to a world torn by fear and conflict,
Not so much different from our world today.

And yet he still dared to believe that God’s promise
Was stronger than the words of division.

And this is what Advent hope looks like:
Trusting that peace—peace in our day—is possible
Because God is faithful.

And then in the Gospel, Jesus clearly says:
“Stay awake, because you do not know
Which day the Lord will come.”

He isn’t saying this to make us feel fear—
He’s urging us to pay attention,
To notice now that God is already showing up
In that kind word, in forgiveness offered,
In the quiet strength someone shows
Trying to work toward peace, never giving up.

A favorite Saint of mine, Augustine, once said:
“Hope has two beautiful daughters, anger and courage.
Anger at the way things are,
And courage to see that they don’t remain that way.”

That is real Advent hope.
It’s not wishful thinking,
But courage that leads to action.

And so when we work for peace,
When we comfort the lonely,
When we keep ourselves believing
That love is stronger than hate,
We are living Advent hope.
We are living Advent hope.

So as we have lit the first candle today,
Let that small flame of faith wake us up—
Wake us up to what God is doing
And to what God is still wanting to do.

To have us walk in the light, to live with courage,
And to keep hope alive for ourselves,
For our world, for one another.

I invite us all to take a big, deep breath in

Giving thanks for life and for this day,
And then remembering that breath that God gives us.
Remember God’s promise of hope.
It is still alive in us.
In that breath that we take in,
Hope is alive in us.