The first Sunday of Advent invites a shift in perspective: rather than treating this season as a scramble to “prepare” ourselves spiritually, we are encouraged to see Advent as a time of recalibration. Jesus’ teaching about the days of Noah reveals that the difference between readiness and un-readiness was not the possession of better tools, but the direction in which people used the time they already had.
Isaiah 2 offers a companion vision: a world shaped by God’s peace, where swords are repurposed into plowshares and fear gives way to hope. This is not a distant dream but a clear statement of God’s purpose for humanity. Advent, then, becomes a season of asking how the ordinary gifts, resources, routines, and capacities already present in our lives might be redirected toward that promised future. The Incarnation has already taken place, Christ is already among us, so the call of Advent is to align our lives with this reality and live as people drawn toward God’s unfolding kingdom.
From our households and habits to our time, spaces, and skills, Advent challenges us to imagine how what we already possess can be used in service of peace, reconciliation, and hope in the world God is making.
