What does it feel like when someone isn't really listening - when they're looking over your shoulder for someone more interesting? Advent is the season that trains us to stop doing that: to God, to each other, and to the world.
In this sermon for the First Sunday of Advent, the Rev. Philip Cochrane explores the readings' call to wakefulness. Matthew warns against obliviousness, missing God's future because we're absorbed in routine. Romans names the time: the night is far gone, the day is near. And Isaiah offers the invitation that shapes our whole season: "Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord."
Advent trains us to live as dawn people - awake to God's arriving future, and already walking toward it together.
Readings: Isaiah 2:1–5 | Psalm 122 | Romans 13:11–14 | Matthew 24:36–44
This sermon is part of Walking in the Light, our three-season journey through Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany.