First Sunday of Advent November 30, 2025 - Cycle “A”

Just a word before we go…

What do you suppose is the difference between the two men in the field or between the two women grinding?  Why will one be taken and the other left behind? 

And how can we be constantly on guard against a thief, or any other threat to our possessions?  How can we be eternally vigilant without becoming a worry wart, suspicious of anyone and anything?

Today’s readings can be confusing, moving as we do from Isaiah’s vision of the peaceable kingdom, to the ominous words of Matthew’s Gospel.  Imagine for a moment that the words “we do not know the hour, so be prepared” are not so much a warning meant to frighten, but rather an invitation to live our lives with a different level of awareness.  We cannot perceive the Divine Clock counting down the time to the Second Coming, but we can find ways to be prepared for that day, without fear.

One suggestion might be that instead of measuring time by our iphones or watches, we might live each day in such a way that will be valuable when we look back at it.  Time is not meant to be counted as much as to be spent in some way that counts in God’s plan for the unfolding of the Kingdom.  Perhaps Jesus’ words are telling us not to get lost in the rush of the season, so as to replace the message of the season. Perhaps by looking for the deeper connections in our daily lives, by not neglecting our spirits, and by cultivating rituals that help us to stay focused on the deeper dimensions of life, we can ground ourselves in God’s creation and purpose.

The lighting of the Advent candle is one such ritual.  As the world grows darker earlier, as darkness surrounds us in many ways, lighting our candle can pierce that darkness and remind us of the ways in which we can cooperate with God’s plan by lighting the darkness in other’s lives, and in so doing, help move the world forward so that eventually, nations will be at peace, and the instruments of war will be transformed into tools for maintaining God’s creation.  In Isaiah’s words, “Let us walk in the light of the Lord.”

There is no reason to fear the coming of the Day of the Lord, if we live in the light of what we believe.