God of hope and healing, 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, your Living Word. Amen
Gospel Reading: Matthew 24:36–44
As we gather on this first Sunday of Advent, some of you may be surprised, or even puzzled, that the Gospel reading does not begin with shepherds or angels or the manger scene that we love so well. Instead, we’re asked to start by looking ahead to Christ’s Second Coming.
At first, that can feel backwards. But there is wisdom here. Advent is not only a season of looking back to Bethlehem; it is also a season of looking forward in hope. The first coming of Jesus, in humility, as a child, was the beginning of God’s great work of redemption. But it was not the end. The risen Christ reminds us that his mission is still unfolding, and that we, his people, are called to continue the witness of his love until the day he returns in glory. Jesus told his disciples, “‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you’” (Matthew 28:19–20). That command still applies to us today.
And so, we begin Advent with this reminder: our waiting for the return of our Saviour is to be active. We live between the manger and his Second Coming, between the promises fulfilled and the promises yet to be. Advent invites us to wait with hope, but also to walk with faithfulness. To share Christ’s love in word and deed. To carry his light into a world that still longs for him.
Advent always begins with a promise. Not just a vague hope or a wishful thought, but a sure and certain promise from God. In today’s Gospel lesson, that promise is clear: our future—and indeed the future of the whole world—is secure in the hands of the Messiah, the Son of Man. Our passage began with these words which Jesus spoke to his disciples, “‘But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father’”
When Jesus speaks of “that day,” he is pointing us toward the assurance of his return, the day when he will gather his people together. Earlier, he had promised his followers, “‘And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.’” (Matt. 24:31). Far from being a threat, this is meant to be a word of hope. It tells us that history is not random, and our lives are not drifting. God is guiding all things toward the fulfillment of his good purpose in Christ.
And just in case we might miss it, Jesus repeats the promise, “The Son of Man is coming” three times in this passage, at the beginning, in the middle, and again at the end. Advent begins, not with a story about the manger, but with this call to lift our eyes to the horizon and remember: the Lord who once came in humility will come again in glory.
This is why the Christian church, in its wisdom, starts Advent here. Before we journey back to Bethlehem, we first look forward to the day of Christ’s return. Before we prepare for Christmas, we prepare our hearts for his coming kingdom. And in that promise, we find both comfort and challenge: comfort, because our future is safe in Christ; challenge, because we are called to live as people who are ready, watching, and faithful until he comes again.
After telling his disciples that no one knows the hour of his return, Jesus then says, “For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” At first, that can sound threatening, after all, the flood was an event of judgment. But notice what Jesus emphasizes here, he doesn’t describe great wickedness or violence. Instead, he points to ordinary life: “They were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark.”
In other words, people were caught up in the everyday routines of life. They weren’t awake to what God was doing. They were asleep, spiritually speaking. They lived as though the future belonged only to them and not to God. And when the flood came, it took them by surprise.
Jesus tells us this, not to frighten us, but to call us to attention. To be awake is to live with eyes open to God’s presence and God’s promise. It is to realize that life is not just about “eating and drinking” or even about good gifts like marriage and family, it is about being ready for the coming of the Son of Man.
That’s why this passage fits so well with the season of Advent and with the call to be awake. Advent is about more than preparing for Christmas; it is about staying alert to Christ’s presence now and his coming again. To be awake is to live each day with faith, with hope, and with love, not numbed by the routines of life or lulled into spiritual drowsiness.
So, when Jesus says, “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man,” he is reminding us that the real danger is not being ready. The danger is being so caught up in our own plans that we miss God’s greater plan. The call of the Gospel is clear: Stay awake. Be ready. Live as if Christ might return today, because one day, he will.
And when Jesus said, “They were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark.” He is reminding us that in Noah’s day, people carried on with life as usual—eating, drinking, marrying—blind to what was coming. For 120 years Noah warned them, even as the massive ark stood as a silent sermon. Yet they laughed it off, until the day Noah and his family went inside and God shut the door. For a week, nothing seemed different—the sun still shone, life still went on. But then the skies broke open, the waters rose, and judgment fell suddenly. The warning is clear: don’t be lulled by the ordinary, for God’s day will come when least expected.
Jesus then warns his disciples, saying “‘Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.’” Words that are startling in their simplicity: two working side by side—one taken, the other left. Life looks ordinary, but eternity breaks in. The point is not about predicting who goes where, but about the suddenness and finality of the moment. The difference is not in the work of their hands, but in the readiness of their hearts.
That’s why the command that follows: “‘Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.’” is important.To be awake, in Jesus’ sense, is not just to stay alert physically, but to live with spiritual attentiveness, to recognize that our days are not endless, that God’s kingdom is nearer than we think. The tragedy is not that people are busy in the fields or at the mill, that’s part of daily life, but that many live without awareness of God in the midst of it.
Jesus then gives the picture of the homeowner and the thief. He says, “‘But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. A thief never announces his arrival; he comes when least expected. If the owner had been awake, his home would not have been broken into. So too, the Son of Man comes at an “unexpected hour.”’” The lesson is clear: watchfulness is not optional; it is the mark of faith.
To be awake means living each day as though Christ could return at any moment—not in fear, but in faithfulness. Awake disciples are those who pray, who serve, who forgive, who love with urgency because time is short. Awake disciples don’t drift through life assuming tomorrow is guaranteed.
The call of Jesus is simple but searching; stay awake, be ready. Not suspicious, but prepared. Not fearful, but faithful. For when Christ comes, suddenly, unexpectedly, the difference between being awake or asleep will be the difference between life and loss.
So important is this warning to stay awake and be prepared for his return that it also appears in the Gospel of Luke, when Jesus tells his disciples, “‘But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.’” (Luke 12:39-40)
So, as we step into this Advent season, let us not only look back to Bethlehem, but also forward to the day when Christ will come again in glory. The message of Jesus is clear: Stay awake. Be ready. Not with fear, but with faith. Not with anxiety, but with hope. Not with inactivity, but with lives full of prayer, love, service, and forgiveness.
The world may go on as if nothing is coming—eating and drinking, working and playing, marrying and planning. But we know better. We know that history is not random, and our lives are not drifting. They are held in the hands of the One who promised, “The Son of Man is coming.”
Let us live as people awake to God’s presence, awake to his promises, awake to the hope that Christ will return. May we be ready when that day comes—whether it is today, tomorrow, or in a thousand tomorrows—living each day as though it could be the day when we see our Lord face to face.
Let’s remember, this Advent, the call of Jesus is ringing in our ears: “Keep awake.” May we answer that call with hearts that are watchful, faithful, and full of hope until he comes again.
Let us Pray:
Let us go now into the world awake to God’s presence, awake to his promises, awake to his coming again. Live in faith, walk in hope, and abound in love, so that when Christ returns, he may find you ready and rejoicing. And may the blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be with you and remain with you always. Amen