by Joseph Slife*
The Advent season (the weeks just before Christmas) is my favorite time of the year.
With every strain of “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” and “O Come, O Come Emanuel,” I’m reminded that God is working toward a good end, even amidst the world’s trouble and turmoil. When the time is right, the loving Father who sent Jesus as a babe in Bethlehem will send him again as conquering King.
The time will come when our days of longing will be over, and God will set everything right!
But there is another aspect to Advent. This season confronts us with a sober admonition and a challenge to be ready for his coming:
“You don’t know when the master of the household will return — in the evening, at midnight, before dawn, or at daybreak. Don’t let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning.
I say to you what I say to everyone: Watch for him!” (Jesus in Mark 13:35-37 NLT).
The English Standard Version renders that last phrase this way: “Stay awake!”
Faithful waiting
As I have gotten older, I’ve come to a greater understanding of Advent. It is as much a season of introspection as it is one of anticipation. As we await for Master’s return, we should examine ourselves, asking if we have become “drowsy” in our discipleship, including our stewardship responsibilities.
If so, we must heed the call to “stay awake!” As the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14–30) makes clear, the Master expects us to be actively faithful with what he has entrusted to us.
A prayer
Last week, a helpful prayer appeared in a feed on my PrayerMate app. The prayer is based on the Mark 13 passage quoted above:
O Lord our God,
make us watchful and keep us faithful
as we await the coming of your Son our Lord;
that, when he shall appear,
he may not find us sleeping in sin
but active in his service
and joyful in his praise;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
This Advent, as we look forward to the return of our Lord and King, may God make us “watchful” and “faithful” — always active in Christ’s service, and ever joyful in our praise of him.
*Joseph Slife has been a news writer for the Associated Press, a college instructor, and a radio host. He and his wife Joye have three grown sons.
*Originally posted on the weekly email from Sound Mind Investing, 12.18.2023.
Larry Buck's Blog: 