Awake to the Promise: The Urgency of Peace
November 30, 2025
Opening Thought
Do you ever have trouble getting out of bed in the morning? I certainly do. There are days when I just lie there with my eyes wide open, thinking, "If I just get up and get going, all will be okay." Then, I roll over and sleep for another ten minutes. When we finally do wake up, how often do we just rush into the same old motions and routines, frantic to get out the door in the nick of time (or sometimes late!)? We're spilling coffee, skipping breakfast, leaving dishes in the sink—you get the idea. We are "awake," but we are operating on autopilot, sleepwalking through the mundane anxieties of the day.
What if we approached our spiritual lives with the same excitement we feel on Christmas morning—the awe, the wonder, the pure anticipation for what is to come?
This is how I think of Advent. It’s not just the start of a new liturgical year; it is a divine pause button. It’s a reset for our mundane, ordinary routines. The Church asks us to stop to think for just a moment about what is coming. It's not just the promise of a Savior, a Christ Child in a manger, but the promise of everlasting and eternal life in a kingdom of perfect peace. This reality can be our everyday focus, whether it's Advent or not. God is unchanged, always present, and available, even when we are asleep and not quite ready for the world.
But today, the liturgy says to everyone: Wake Up! It's time! Don't be late for this, because what is about to come is spectacular and completely out of this world. The question this Sunday isn't "Are you ready for Christmas?" The question is, "Are you awake to the reality of God's coming reign, and are you living in its light right now?"
Engaging the Word
Our readings today present a stark contrast between the drowsy status quo of the world and the urgent reality of God’s kingdom.
In Matthew’s Gospel (24:36-44), Jesus issues a stern warning about unpredictability. He compares the coming of the Son of Man to the days of Noah. People were eating, drinking, and marrying—just living normal lives—right up until the flood came and swept them away. They were oblivious. Jesus warns us not to make the same mistake. Because we do not know the day or hour, the only appropriate posture is active vigilance: "Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming."
Paul, in Romans (13:11-14), takes this warning and applies it to our moral lives. "You know what time it is," he insists. The night of sin and division is far gone; the "day" of God's reign is near. Therefore, it is time to wake from sleep. We must "lay aside the works of darkness"—reveling, quarreling, jealousy—and "put on the armor of light." We are called to live now as if the day has already dawned.
But why should we want this day to dawn? Isaiah (2:1-5) gives us the glorious reason. He paints a stunning picture of the future where God’s house is established on the highest mountain, drawing all nations to it. In this ultimate reign of peace, God will judge between the nations, and the result will be total disarmament: "they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks... neither shall they learn war any more." This is the vision that we are waking up to.
Finally, Psalm 122 grounds this cosmic vision in a concrete prayer. It is a song of pilgrimage to Jerusalem, the city that represents God's dwelling among us. We are commanded to "pray for the peace of Jerusalem," recognizing that our own well-being is tied to the peace of God's city.
A Journey in Song: Our Musical Guides
Our music today is a meticulously crafted alarm system for the soul, moving us from the initial wake-up call to a glorious vision of the returning King.
We begin with one of the most famous pieces of organ music ever written: Johann Sebastian Bach’s Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme ("Sleepers, awake!"). The stirring melody in the right hand acts like a watchman on the city tower, blowing a bright, insistent trumpet to signal the approach of the King. It is an undeniable musical call to attention, perfectly echoing Jesus's command in today's Gospel to "Keep awake" and Paul’s urgent plea in Romans that "it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep."The Entrance Hymn, "Rejoice! rejoice, believers" (#68), is our immediate response to Bach’s call. Having heard the warning, we sing about active preparation: "The Bridegroom is arising, and soon he will draw nigh." We are called to "let your lights appear," putting on that armor of light mentioned in Romans.
The Sequence Hymn, "Awake, my soul, stretch every nerve" (#546), internalizes the urgency. It uses athletic imagery to describe the spiritual life. We cannot sleepwalk across the finish line; we must wake up and "press with vigor on" to receive the "immortal crown."
The Anthem at the Offertory connects directly to the heart of our blog's theme: "O Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem" by Moonyeen Albrecht. This contemporary setting of Psalm 122 is a beautiful, urgent plea. In a world torn by war, this anthem reminds us that praying for and working toward peace is central to our preparation for the Prince of Peace.
At the presentation, we sing just the first verse of the quintessential Advent hymn, "O come, O come, Emmanuel" (#56). Its haunting minor mode reflects the "darkness" of the world we are currently in, capturing the deep, ancient longing of the human heart for God to come and "ransom captive Israel."
The Communion Hymn, "Thy kingdom come! on bended knee" (#615), shifts our posture from waiting to active prayer for the realization of Isaiah's vision. We pray for the day when "in thy Father's home / the saints shall never die."
The Post-Communion Hymn is the great eschatological climax of the service: "Lo! he comes, with clouds descending" (#57). This is the musical depiction of Matthew's Gospel. We sing of the moment the "day" arrives, seeing the Crucified One coming in glory to claim His own. It is a hymn of awesome majesty and ultimate hope.
The Closing Voluntary takes the glorious tune of that final hymn (Helmsley) and expands it into a Rhapsody by William Lloyd Webber. We are sent out into the world with the vision of the returning King ringing in our ears, a powerful reminder that the "day is near."
A Closing Note on Our Journey
Advent is a season of tension. We stand between two horizons: the reality of Christ's first coming and the hope of his coming again. It is uncomfortable to stay awake when the world encourages us to sleep in comfort.
Today’s liturgy challenges us to reject the works of darkness—the cynicism, the division, the apathy that are so easy to fall into. It calls us to live with our eyes open, scanning the horizon for God's justice, and actively participating in the peace of Jerusalem right here and now. We "beat swords into plowshares" every time we choose forgiveness over revenge, generosity over greed, and light over darkness. The King is coming. Let us not be found asleep when He arrives.
A Prayer for the Week Ahead
Let us pray for the Church and for the world, that we may be found watching and waiting.
For the grace to cast away the works of darkness and put on the armor of light, that we may live honorably as in the day,
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
For the nations of the world, that they may beat their swords into plowshares and learn war no more, embracing the peace that comes from God's high mountain,
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
For the peace of Jerusalem, and for peace in all the broken and divided places of our world and our own hearts,
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
That we may keep awake and be watchful, for we know neither the day nor the hour when the Son of Man shall come,
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment