Wake Up and Watch: First Week of Advent Devotional

Scripture Readings: Isaiah 2:1-5, Psalm 122, Romans 13:8-14, Matthew 24:29-44  

The alarm clock pierces the darkness at 5:00 AM. Ugh! We fumble for the snooze button, desperate for just five more minutes of sleep. But morning has come, and a new day awaits whether we're ready or not. Or maybe the prospect of the new day seems no different from previous days to us. So why not just sleep. Does this sound familiar? It certainly does for me.  

Advent begins with this same urgent wake-up call. In Romans 13, Paul writes, "The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here." These aren't words whispered gently; they're shouted with urgency. Wake up! The time is now!  

But wake up to what, exactly? And why does it matter?  

Where We're Heading  

Isaiah paints a breathtaking picture of where God is leading us. He sees a future where "the mountain of the Lord's temple will be established as the highest of the mountains" and "all nations will stream to it." This isn't about geography, it's about priority. God's house, God's ways, God's peace will become what humanity longs for above all else. 

In this vision, nations that once forged weapons will "beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks." Instruments of death become tools for life. Resources devoted to destruction get redirected toward cultivation. War gives way to peace not through military dominance, but through nations walking together in God's light.  

This is where we're heading. This is the future breaking into our present. This is why we must wake up because while we sleep, we miss the dawn.  

Already But Not Yet  

Here's where Advent gets uncomfortable. We sing about peace on earth, but we watch the news and see war, corruption, injustice, and suffering. We light candles symbolizing hope, but we struggle with fear, depression, anxiety, and despair. We proclaim God's kingdom is coming, yet evil seems to reign.  

Jesus addresses this tension directly in Matthew 24. He describes cosmic upheaval with the sun darkened, moon failing, stars falling. He speaks of the Son of Man coming "on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." But then He tells a puzzling parable about Noah's flood, where people were "eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage" right up until disaster struck.  

What's Jesus saying? That life goes on. That normality can be dangerous. That the greatest threat isn't catastrophe we can see coming but it's complacency we don't recognize until it's too late.  

"Therefore, keep watch," Jesus warns, "because you do not know on what day your Lord will come." Like a homeowner who doesn't know when the thief will come, like servants who don't know when the master will return, we must stay alert.  

How We Wait  

So how do we wait well? How do we stay awake in a world that lulls us to sleep with endless distractions, numbing entertainment, and comfortable routines?  

Paul gives us practical guidance: "Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh." In other words, what we put on matters. What we wear shapes how we walk.  

Instead of darkness, we wear light. Instead of orgies and drunkenness, we embrace self-control. Instead of dissension and jealousy, we practice love. Paul summarizes it beautifully: "Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another."  

Love that is active, intentional, and sacrificial is how we stay awake. When we love our neighbor, we can't sleepwalk through life. Love requires attention, presence, and action. Love keeps us alert to needs around us. Love makes us watchful for opportunities to serve.  

The Psalmist captures this spirit when he writes, "I rejoiced with those who said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the Lord.'" There's joy in community, in gathering with others who are also watching and waiting. We don't stay awake alone. We keep each other alert. We remind one another of what we're watching for and why it matters. 

 "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem," the Psalm continues. "May those who love you be secure." Peace isn't passive wishful thinking, it's active, persistent prayer. It's joining God's work of transformation even before we see the full result.  

Walking in Light Today  

Isaiah ends his vision with a simple invitation: "Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord." Not someday. Not when everything is perfect. Not when we finally have our lives together. Now. Today. In the middle of our ordinary Monday mornings, difficult Wednesday afternoons, and hectic Fridays.  

What does this look like practically?  It means we choose kindness when irritation feels easier. It means we speak truth when silence feels safer. It means we give generously when hoarding feels more prudent. It means we forgive quickly when grudges feel more justified.  

It means we "beat our swords into plowshares" in small, daily ways by turning harsh words into gentle ones, transforming criticism into encouragement, converting judgment into grace. We become people who cultivate rather than destroy, who build up rather than tear down.  

It means we practice Sabbath in a culture of constant productivity. We resist the endless scroll of social media. We turn off the news sometimes. We sit in silence, remember, and know that God is still God, even when the world feels chaotic.  

It means we invest in what lasts such as relationships over resumes, character over credentials, faithfulness over fame. Because we know the true King is coming, and He values things differently than our world does.  

He Is Coming  

The hope of Advent isn't that we'll get better at waiting. It's that the One we're waiting for is faithful. Jesus came first as a baby in Bethlehem being vulnerable, humble, unexpected. He will come again "with power and great glory” victorious, majestic, and unmistakable.  

Between His first and second coming, we live as people of the light. We stay awake not through anxiety or frantic activity, but through love, hope, and joyful anticipation. We keep watch not because we're afraid of being caught unprepared, but because we're eager to welcome the One we love.  

So, this Advent, hear the wake-up call. Let us open our eyes to the light breaking through. Walk in God's ways today, knowing they lead to the future He's promised. Love our neighbor, pray for peace, and watch expectantly.  

The night is nearly over. The day is almost here.  

Come, Lord Jesus. We're awake. We're watching. We're ready.  Amen.