Scripture Reading
Mark 13:35-37
"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. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!'"
Reflection
Advent is not a gentle countdown but an urgent watch. Jesus does not say the owner will certainly come at a convenient hour; he may come at midnight or at dawn. The command to watch is not about anxiety but about orientation — keeping the whole of one's life arranged around the expectation of his coming. To watch is to live as though the arrival of Christ is the most important thing that could happen, because it is.
Prayer for Today
God of power and mercy open our hearts in welcome. Remove the things that hinder us from receiving Christ with joy so that we may share his wisdom and become one with him when he comes in glory, for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
~AMEN.
~AMEN.
Amen.