First Sunday of Advent, Year A

Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep.
~Romans 13:11
 
“But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father… Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”
~Matthew 24:36, 44
 
What time is it anyway? And by what clock? What measure shall we use?
 
Here is one measure. Advent marks the beginning of a new church year and, with it, the hope for something new as any beginning invites. This season comes once a year, though. It comes every year. Why is it we always seem to be hoping for something new? Why is the present so unsettling?
 
It depends on where you sit, of course. If you are just concerned about yourself and you’re doing fine, that’s one thing. But once God expands our perspective, once God grows our loves outward, there is, of course, always more to hope for, long for, work for. There is always more to be done.
 
The wolf and the lamb haven’t settled in together yet, by any measure. Human tendencies will be what they are. Greed always seems to be in season in one form or another. Self-interest too.
 
But we can imagine. We can imagine something better. We can imagine the soldier coming home from war, and becoming the farmer, the protector of seedlings and all fragile life. And this is, at root, the hope of Advent. The refusal to settle with anything less than what can be. And the promise of this Gospel is that God has a hand in bringing it about. God is always bringing it. This is what God always does. This is the Advent of our God.
 
So we watch. We wait. We hope. We stay awake…keeping vigil with the creation that is always ready for something new, something longed for, something built into the very heart of what she is and who we are.
 
Enter into worship.
 
Readings: Isaiah 2:1-5 † Psalm 122 † Romans 13:11-14 † Matthew 24:36-44
 
About the Art, Michael Cook, Swords into Plowshares, Hallowed Art. Retrieved on November 18, 2025 from: https://www.hallowed-art.co.uk/product/swords-into-ploughshares/.
 
Artist Notes: The painting was commissioned by Melbourne Parish Council to commemorate the centenary of the Armistice.

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