God of peace and possibility, we turn to your Word to hear your will and your wisdom for our times. Open our hearts and minds by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit so that we might hear what you are saying to the church through Christ, our Prince of Peace. Amen
Gospel Reading: John 5:1–9
We often think of Advent as a season of waiting. And it is. But Advent is not about waiting in idleness—it is about waiting with readiness, waiting with hope, waiting in such a way that we are already on our feet, already awake, already rising to meet the Lord who is coming. This morning’s word to us is a single, urgent command: “Arise.”
Last Sunday, we reflected on what it means to be awake—awake to the presence of Christ, awake to his coming again, awake to the signs of God’s kingdom stirring in our midst. But being awake, as important as that is, is only the beginning.
Think about it: when you wake up in the morning, you don’t just lie there all day, eyes open but motionless. You get up. You rise. You move into the day that’s before you. In the same way, spiritually speaking, God’s call to us goes beyond awareness—it’s a call to action.
This is the heart of today’s Gospel story from John. Jesus meets a man who has been lying by the pool of Bethesda for thirty-eight years, stuck, waiting, hoping that somehow healing might come, if only he could reach the water in time. Jesus looks at him and asks a question that goes straight to the heart: “Do you want to be made well?” And when the man explains his helplessness, Jesus doesn’t debate, he doesn’t analyze—he simply says, “Stand up, take your mat, and walk.”
That’s the moment of grace and power. The man not only wakes up to the presence of Jesus, but he also arises. He moves. He acts in faith. And that’s what Jesus calls each of us to do. It’s not enough to be spiritually awake—to know that something is happening, that God is moving, that Christ will return. We’re called to rise up in faith and obedience right now, to take hold of the life God offers us today.
Advent reminds us that we live in the in-between time, between Christ’s first coming in Bethlehem and his second coming in glory. And the call is not to slumber through this season, but to rise and live as though the dawn has already broken.
So, as we continue through this Advent journey of awakening and expectation, the message becomes clear: don’t just wake up, get up. Don’t just look for what God might do someday, step into what he’s doing now. To “arise” means to shake off complacency, to move beyond indifference, and to live as those who are already being renewed by Christ’s power.
When Jesus told the man at Bethesda to rise, take up his mat, and walk, it wasn’t only a moment of personal healing, it was a sign of what Jesus came to do for all of us. He came to lift us up, to raise us from what holds us down, and to set us moving in a new direction.
But here’s the thing: Jesus didn’t just say, “Rise.” He said, “Take up your mat and walk.” In other words, don’t leave behind the reminder of where you’ve been — carry it as a testimony of what God has done. The man’s mat, once a symbol of helplessness, became a symbol of hope.
That’s a powerful image for the Church today. We, too, are called not just to lie near the pool of possibility, hoping for the water to stir, but to rise up and walk in the power of Christ. Too often, we can find ourselves waiting — waiting for the right moment, waiting for the right resources, waiting for someone else to move first. But the voice of Jesus still speaks: “Get up.”
To arise as the Church means to act on what we already know to be true — that Christ is alive, that the Spirit is at work, and that God’s kingdom is breaking in even now. It means stepping into ministry instead of merely talking about it. It means serving our neighbours instead of just praying for someone else to do it. It means being light-bearers in dark places, truth-speakers in confusing times, hope-bringers in a weary world.
We arise when we forgive where there has been hurt. We arise when we reach out to someone who feels forgotten. We arise when we choose compassion over comfort, faith over fear, action over apathy.
And perhaps, just like the man by the pool, we’ve been lying still for too long — spiritually, emotionally, even as a community of faith. Jesus comes to us again this morning, not with condemnation, but with invitation: “Rise, take up your mat, and walk.”
Because when the Church arises, the world begins to see signs of resurrection. When we rise up in love, mercy, and service, we become living witnesses that Christ is not only coming again — he is already here, working through his people.
So, as we continue our Advent journey, we need to remember that this season is about *preparation*, not just for Christmas, but for Christ himself. We are not simply waiting for a baby in a manger; we are preparing for a King who is coming again in glory.
But as we wait, we do not wait idly. Advent waiting is *active waiting*. It’s the kind of waiting that gets up, that moves, that serves. It’s the kind of faith that hears Jesus say, “Rise,” and actually stands up.
Maybe there’s an area of your life where you’ve been lying still, where disappointment or fear or weariness has kept you on the mat. Maybe your faith has grown comfortable, or your hope has grown dim. Hear again the voice of Jesus speaking to you: “Do you want to be made well? Rise, take up your mat, and walk.”
This is not a call to try harder, but to trust deeper, to trust that the same power that raised that man by the pool is the power that can raise you, lift you, renew you, and move you forward. And when we as individuals arise, the whole body of Christ rises with us. The Church becomes alive again, a people of movement, of mission, of mercy.
So, as we go from here, may we not only stay awake to the presence of Christ — may we arise in his strength. May we rise to love, to serve, to witness, and to live as those who have already been touched by resurrection power. For the One who said, “Rise, take up your mat, and walk,” is still speaking today, and he calls us to arise and follow him.
Let us Pray:
Heavenly Father, as we pass through the Advent, this time of waiting, let us remember that every time we hear his word, every time we gather in worship, every time we remember our baptism, it is Christ saying to us again: “Rise, and I will shine on you.” Amen.