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STAY AWAKE (FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT)

SCRIPTURE READINGS

ISAIAH 63:16, 64:1-9
1 CORINTHIANS 1:3-9
MARK 13:33-37

REFLECTION

Advent comes from the Latin word, Adventus. It means arrival. The Advent Season commences on the First Sunday of Advent to December 24 (Christmas Eve). Advent season is a period set aside by Christians for two important reasons. First, it is to commemorate or acknowledge the first coming of Jesus Christ through His incarnation. Secondly, to acknowledge the fact that Jesus will return and to remind Christians to remain prepared for the second coming of our Lord Jesus. The Advent season precedes Christmas (the day for commemoration of the birthday of Jesus Christ). Advent is a season of hope, love, peace and joy. It is observed in the spirit of anticipation, prayer, Bible Study and fasting. It is for this reason that the theme for our first Sunday of Advent is “Stay Awake.” To “stay awake” means to be “alert, vigilant, watchful or to be on the guard, especially for in anticipation of an imminent event.  We shall reflect on the following points

1. To Stay awake means living a life that is pleasing to God
2. To Stay awake means being in a constant relationship with Christ
3. To Stay awake means serving the Lord until His second coming.

Firstly beloved in the Lord, to stay awake means living a life that pleases the Lord, Isaiah realised that the only way we can please God is to have nothing to do with sin and continuously call on God. Isaiah prayed on behalf of Israel,  “No one calls on your name or strives to lay hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us and have given us over to our sins. 8 Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. 9 Do not be angry beyond measure, LORD; do not remember our sins forever. Oh, look on us, we pray, for we are all your people.” (Isaiah 64:7-9) Similarly, we also need to stay awake by pleasing God with our lives. We must endeavour to separate ourselves from sin and please the Lord because we are mere clay in His hands. It is important to always remember that “…you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:22-23)

Secondly, it is impossible to stay awake without having a constant relationship with Jesus Christ. It is for this reason Paul assured the Corinthian Christians ” 8 He (Jesus) will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:-8-9) Beloved in the Lord, we are unable to keep awake without Jesus in our lives, He strengthens us through the power of the Holy Spirit and He is the Shepherd of our lives who guides us on the path to salvation. Maintaining a relationship with Christ daily renders us ready and awake for His second coming. To stay awake and be ready for His second coming, Jesus admonished us,“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” (John 15:4)

Thirdly, to stay awake means we must be found working or discharging our duties as stewards or servants when Jesus returns. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. 35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’” (Mark 13:33-37) We must follow Jesus’ examples of serving God through the spreading of the Gospel and loving everyone unconditionally to fulfil the will of God. We have all been given different assignments or duties in the house of God, in our families and the nation. Let us discharge our responsibilities faithfully, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5:10)

In summary, we have discovered that to stay awake means living a life that is pleasing to God, being in constant relationship with Christ, and last but not least, serving the Lord until His second coming. Let us stay awake daily even as we await the Second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.