Listen

“But nobody knows when that day or hour will come, not the angels in heaven and not the Son. Only the Father knows. Watch out! Stay alert! You don’t know when the time is coming. It is as if someone took a trip, left the household behind, and put the servants in charge, giving each one a job to do, and told the doorkeeper to stay alert. Therefore, stay alert! You don’t know when the head of the household will come, whether in the evening or at midnight, or when the rooster crows in the early morning or at daybreak. Don’t let him show up when you weren’t expecting and find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to all: Stay alert!”

Mark 13:32-37

Think

Stay alert! Easy enough. Americans are overcaffeinated, overstimulated, and overactive. We can’t help but be alert. Our phones ding every 30 seconds with messages and calendar reminders. Alert is our standard way of being in the world.

Is it possible that we have become so alert to everyone and everything around us that we are no longer aware of when Jesus is in our midst? After all, Jesus’ first arrival was in a manger. From the time of his birth he turned the expectations of a savior upside down. If Jesus still arrives in the ways we are least expecting, we must not only be alert, but aware of his presence.

The best way to be aware is to have moments of stillness in our day that help us slow down and notice the people and circumstances around us. Reflection is one of the best forms of learning. We wait in hopeful anticipation of Christ’s return, and we don’t know when that will be. Stay alert, but more importantly, stay aware.

Kelly Adams

Question to Ponder:

When was the last time you recognized that God was present to you in a person or a situation?

Pray

Dear God, keep me aware and attuned to how you are working in the world.

I pray that I don’t let the busy-ness of my day keep me from seeing you.

Thank you for continuing to reveal yourself to me.

Amen.

Go

Go now, confident that God is acting, full of hope for a world transformed by peace, love, and joy.

Share a smile, an encouraging word, or a gesture of kindness that shows your hope in action.