A Sermon for the First Sunday in Advent -Mike Thompson
This morning we begin the season of Advent, a time when the church slows down so our hearts can wake up. Advent is about waiting, preparing, and noticing what God is doing long before we see it with our eyes.
We all know what it feels like to wait for something meaningful. Maybe it was a long-planned trip, the birth of a child, or family arriving for the holidays. There’s a unique energy to that kind of waiting. We clean the house, check the list, straighten things that no one else will notice. We prepare because we love what’s coming.
That is the spirit of Advent.
Isaiah 2:1-5 gives us a picture of the world we long for—a world where nations learn God’s ways and people choose peace over conflict. Isaiah invites us to lift our eyes from the noise around us and remember that God is guiding history toward redemption. Romans 13:11-14 reminds us that preparation is not passive. Paul urges us to wake up, to live with intention, and to let go of the habits that dim God’s light in us. Advent calls us to take an honest look at our lives and ask, “Where do I need renewal? What needs to change so I can walk in the light of Christ?” In Matthew 24:36-44, Jesus speaks of readiness. Not fear, not anxiety, but readiness—the steady daily choice to live as if God’s presence matters right now. And in Psalm 122, we hear the joy of worship: “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Advent isn’t only about longing. It is also about joyfully gathering, strengthening one another, and remembering that God meets us in community.
Some of my favorite memories are tied to anticipation—weddings, the arrival of my children, even Christmas mornings as a kid. The excitement wasn’t only about the event itself. It was about what the event meant and means. Advent invites us to rediscover that kind of excitement for the coming of Christ. Not a childlike rush for presents, but a mature hope that Christ is still transforming our world and our lives.
But preparation isn’t only global or theological. It’s deeply personal.
Where do you need God’s peace right now?
Is there someone you need to forgive?
A habit you need to release?
A relationship that needs healing?
A part of your faith that needs strengthening?
These are the quiet, faithful steps that turn Advent from a season on the calendar into a season of the heart.
This Advent, I encourage you to choose one simple practice of preparation. Maybe it’s a few minutes of prayer each morning. Maybe it’s reaching out to someone who needs encouragement.
Maybe it’s offering kindness where it costs you something. Or it costs you nothing. Whatever it is, let it draw you closer to the heart of God.
As we light the Advent candles in the coming weeks, may they remind us to stay awake, to stay hopeful, and to stay ready. And may we walk together as a community that eagerly anticipates the coming of our Lord. Let us pray for the strength to stay awake, the courage to walk in the light, and the grace to welcome Christ into our hearts anew.
Amen.