Clothe Yourself in Christ: Advent Call to Wakefulness

Devotional

Day 1: Keep awake — stay alert for Christ's coming.

Don't sleepwalk through life; Advent is a gentle shake saying, "Wake up," and y'all are invited to pay attention to where the light breaks in, to notice the small, ordinary ways God is showing up instead of numbing out to the news cycle and the hustle. [41:12]

Matthew 25:13 (ESV)
Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

Reflection: What habitual routine (checking news, scrolling, rushing) will you interrupt today to intentionally "watch" for where Christ is breaking in, and can you commit to three minutes during that routine to pray and notice what you see?

Day 2: Put on Christ; live clothed in mercy.

Peel off the old clothes of fear, ego, and self-protection and put on Christ's love, mercy, justice, and generosity so that your daily actions — not just ideas — show the world that hope has come; let baptismal language shape how you move through each day. [43:09]

Romans 13:11–14 (ESV)
Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed; 12 the night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Reflection: Name one "old way" (fear, self-preservation, busyness) you will peel off this week, and what specific, immediate action will you take the next time it surfaces (call someone, give time, speak kindly)?

Day 3: Advent announces the coming light — Son rises.

Advent is like the pale light before sunrise on the beach: you may not see the sun yet, but the world begins to change; keep your eyes open for the coming Son who brings light into darkness, and let that hopeful expectation shape how you move through weary days. [40:39]

Isaiah 9:2 (ESV)
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.

Reflection: Tomorrow morning, before you check your phone, step outside for two minutes and name three ways God is bringing light into your life; then send a single short message of encouragement to one person you think needs that light.

Day 4: Hope reaches the exhausted; Advent comforts the weary.

Hope is for the tired — Advent comes to those who can barely keep their eyes open; if you are soul-tired or news-cycle exhausted, hear the invitation to rest in Jesus' gentleness and accept the relief that is offered, not as weakness but as the doorway to renewed service. [48:35]

Matthew 11:28–30 (ESV)
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Reflection: What is one specific, scheduled rest practice you will do today (a 20-minute quiet time, a short nap, a tech-free hour) to accept Jesus' invitation, and who will you tell to hold you accountable to actually do it?

Day 5: Faith demands justice, mercy, generosity in action.

Christianity calls us out of selfishness into waking up to neighbors' needs; when the church chooses justice over comfort and mercy over cruelty, heaven becomes visible — so ask yourself what you're chasing and turn that energy into concrete acts of compassion. [47:47]

Micah 6:8 (ESV)
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Reflection: Identify one tangible need in your neighborhood or community this week and commit to one concrete act by Friday (buy groceries for a family, volunteer two hours, drive someone to an appointment); which specific act will you do and when will you do it?

Sermon Summary

I shared how much my soul is hungry for hope right now, and how Advent is God’s gentle hand on our shoulder saying, “Hey, wake up.” Not the kind of wakefulness that shames our exhaustion, but the kind that rescues us from spiritual sleepwalking. We’re all feeling the weight—news alerts that never quit, obligations that never end, and a world that can desensitize us to its own pain. Advent cuts through that fog like candlelight at dawn. It reminds us the Light comes before we see the sun itself; the earth brightens before the ball crests the horizon. That’s how grace works too—arriving in hints and glimmers long before the fullness breaks through.

I invited us to notice where God is already breaking in: in the small, stubborn choices of compassion over cruelty; in community rallying around the hurting; in the church choosing justice over comfort. That’s where heaven peeks through. Scripture calls this staying awake. Not anxious vigilance, but attentive love. Paul gives us the way: “Dress yourself in Christ.” That’s baptismal language. Take off fear, ego, and self-protection; put on mercy, justice, and courageous generosity. When we do, hope stops being an idea and starts acquiring fingerprints. Hope becomes flesh and blood—something we can actually hand to a neighbor.

Advent isn’t a threat countdown; it’s a commissioning. It calls us out of numbness into a holy wakefulness that asks, “How can I help?” It’s a call to be those people who embody hope when others can barely keep their eyes open. We prayed for our weary, grieving, and celebrating family; we made space at the table where everybody gets the same loaf; we welcomed new members into a community that promises to nurture and be nurtured. All of that is Advent-work: the dawn breaking, God stitching salvation into real lives.

So hear it as invitation: wake up, get dressed, and step into the day with Christ on your shoulders. The night is giving way. The Light is coming. Let’s live like it.

Key Takeaways

1. Stay awake to God’s breaking-in. Numbness is not neutrality; it’s a slow leak of attention. Advent trains our eyes to catch the light where it slips through the cracks—in mercy chosen, in communities that show up, in justice pursued. Wakefulness is a spiritual discipline of attentive love, not frantic activity. [42:38]
2. Put on Christ every day. “Dress yourself in Christ” is a daily practice, not a one-time vow. Like clothing shapes how we move through weather, Christ-shaped habits—mercy, patience, justice—shape how we move through a weary world. Before you enter the day, decide what you’re wearing. [43:45]
3. Hope is a practiced verb. Hope grows when we embody it: generosity in scarcity, courage in conflict, mercy where blame would be easy. These choices contradict cynicism and make God’s future tactile. Advent turns hope from candles on a wreath into bread in a neighbor’s hands. [47:17]
4. Anticipate light before the sunrise. Creation preaches: the world brightens before the sun appears. In the same way, grace starts glowing before the breakthrough. Advent invites patient attention—habits of prayer, service, and gratitude that tune our eyes to first light. [40:20]
5. Advent calls courageous, non-selfish activism. A world that rewards selfishness needs a people who ask, “How can I help?” Staying awake means noticing need and moving toward it, even when it costs comfort. That’s not loud religion; it’s sturdy love in public. [47:47]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[19:42] - Community Joys and Concerns
[25:13] - Prayer of Gratitude and Focus
[29:25] - Offering as Worship
[33:56] - Advent Hope: I Could Use It
[35:10] - Wake Up: Don’t Sleep Through God
[39:31] - Sunrise on the Beach Metaphor
[41:12] - Keep Awake Reframed as Invitation
[43:33] - Clothe Yourself in Christ
[44:46] - Expecting Heaven on Earth Now
[46:33] - What Are You Chasing?
[47:47] - Advent as Activism: Be Awake
[50:01] - Welcoming New Members
[56:48] - Communion: Remember and Give Thanks
[71:46] - Benediction: Wear the Light

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Matthew 25:1–13 — 1 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

Observation Questions

What details in the parable mark the difference between the “wise” and the “foolish” virgins? Which elements are practical and which are symbolic? (Read Matthew 25:1–13.)
The preacher describes a kind of “sleep” that isn’t literal rest but spiritual numbness and drifting. What phrases does he use to explain that sleepwalking state? [37:23]
What specific actions or signs did the sermon list as places where “Christ is already breaking in” (where heaven peeks through)? Name at least three examples mentioned. [45:49]
The sermon used the phrase “Dress yourself in Christ.” What images or behaviors did the speaker connect to that clothing metaphor? [43:33]

Interpretation Questions

How should the command “Watch therefore” in Matthew 25 be understood as an invitation rather than a threat, given the preacher’s emphasis on awakeness over fear? [41:27]
When the sermon says to “put on Christ” as a daily practice, which concrete habits (listed in the message) serve as the fabric of that garment, and how do they change daily decision‑making? [43:45]
The preacher claims “hope becomes flesh and blood” when Christians choose mercy and generosity. What does this claim imply about how a congregation prioritizes money, time, and hospitality? [47:17]
The sunrise metaphor (light ahead of the sun) was used to explain grace arriving before full breakthrough. How does this picture alter expectations about waiting and patient ministry? [40:20]

Application Questions

Where are you most prone to spiritual numbness right now (news overload, endless tasks, cynicism, distraction)? Identify one specific way you will notice that numbness this week and one brief action you’ll take the moment you catch yourself. [37:56]
Pick one “Christ-clothe” habit to wear each morning this week (mercy, patience, courageous generosity, or justice-mindedness). What exactly will you do tomorrow morning to put that on before you leave the house? [43:33]
Name a person, family, or neighborhood need you already know about. What is one concrete, time-bound step you will take in the next seven days to move toward that need (a phone call, a meal, one hour of volunteering, a small gift)? [47:47]
The sermon said Advent is for the tired. Choose one short spiritual practice (5 minutes of gratitude on waking, a 15-minute Sabbath pause, a nightly “what I noticed of God” note) to receive hope this week rather than chase busyness. Which practice will you commit to and when will you do it? [48:35]
Recall a recent moment when showing compassion would have been harder than choosing comfort or anger. What would a different, Christ-like response look like next time, and how will you remind yourself to try it? [45:49]
As a small group or household, what is one concrete way you can “expect heaven on earth” by serving justice or meeting a material need this month (e.g., support a food program, advocate for a local policy, donate time/money)? Decide the action and who will own it. [45:49]
The preacher invites us to turn hope into something tangible — “bread in a neighbor’s hands.” Who will you invite to share a meal, coffee, or that loaf of bread in the next two weeks? What specific day/time will you ask them? [47:17]

Sermon Clips

Whether that's success or security or productivity or busyness. And we forget that God already gave us a purpose. God already gave us an identity. God already gave us a calling. And then we get to Advent. And Advent comes in soft like candlelight that says wake up. The dawn is coming. And I don't know about you. While I hate to wake up. While I hate to get up early. While there's nothing worse to me than having to get up before the sun does. There's a special joy in the mornings when I do get up before the sun does. [00:38:25] (63 seconds) #DawnOfAdventJoy

And we're anticipating that for four weeks. We're looking for it. We're walking on our own beach. And we're starting to see that light break. That light come up over the horizon. And we're getting excited because the light is coming. Light is coming y'all. Matthew 25 echoes this same urgency when it says keep awake. Because you don't know the day or the hour. Too often that scripture is interpreted as being about a rapture. About a threat. Better be careful. God's coming at any minute. Make sure you're ready. [00:40:48] (38 seconds) #KeepWatchLightIsComing

Because being asleep is not a good thing. Yeah, we might need rest. But being awake means we're paying attention. Being awake means that we're being alive. Being awake means that we see God breaking through into the world all around us. Being awake means that we are not sleepwalking through the days. We are actually, with our eyes wide open, paying attention for all those places that the light breaks in. Because the light does break in over and over and over again. If we're paying attention. [00:42:30] (42 seconds) #WakeUpSeeTheLight

You see, in our Roman scripture, we are given a key. We are given a means of doing this. Dress yourself in Christ. This, my friends, is baptismal language. At our baptism, we are reminded to peel off our old ways. Our old ways of fear. Our old ways of ego. Our old ways of self-protection. And put on some new clothes. New clothes that are Christ's love. That's Christ's mercy. That's Christ's justice. We put that on. We let go of these old ways. And we put on the new ways. These new clothes. [00:43:12] (45 seconds) #ClotheYourselfInChrist

Because the world is weary. And perhaps throughout history, it has always been weary. But dang it, it feels more weary right now than I can ever remember. And yet, in one of my favorite Christmas hymns, it says, The weary world rejoices. Because there's hope. And we may be weary. We may be weary from violence. We may be weary from division. We may be weary from injustice. We may be struggling to survive. We may be weary from the news. We may be, we may just be weird. [00:43:57] (42 seconds) #WearyWorldRejoices

And yet, sometimes, we are indeed experiencing heaven on earth. We do it when someone chooses compassion over cruelty. Heaven came to earth. When we, when we experience community that rally around someone who is in need. Who is hurting. We see the world breaking in. We see Christ breaking in. Every time the church chooses justice over comfort. We see Christ breaking in. Every time we clothe ourselves in Christ-like behavior. Heaven becomes visible. Hope becomes real. [00:45:27] (55 seconds) #HeavenOnEarthNow

So today I ask you, what are you chasing? What are you chasing? What does that look like for you? Are you chasing what the world tells you you should chase? Are you chasing what God tells you you should chase? Because if we're chasing busyness, if we're chasing self-preservation, or we're just chasing our next obligation, we will stay spiritually asleep. But if we are chasing Christ's mercy, justice, generosity, and courage, then hope isn't just an idea. Hope is an action. Hope is an action word, y'all. [00:46:22] (52 seconds) #ChaseMercyNotBusyness

Hope becomes flesh and blood. Hope becomes the way that we show up in the world. Scripture tells us, get out of bed and get dressed. Not because Advent is a threat, but because Advent is a call to activism. Advent is a call to stay awake in the world that wants to numb us to what is happening around us. Dare I say? It's a call to be woke. To be awake. To be paying attention. It's a call to Christ-like behavior in a world that rewards selfishness. [00:47:17] (44 seconds) #AdventIsAction

We live in a world that rewards selfishness. And that's the radical thing about Christianity. It's the radical thing that should be about Christianity is that it's not living into selfishness. It's living into how can I help? It's living in what can I do? It's living in how can I step up and how can I be a part of making this better? It's a call to be the people who embody hope when others have given up. [00:48:01] (31 seconds) #ServeNotSelf

``So how tired are you? If you're exhausted, the good news is Advent is for the tired. Hope is for the weary. Christ comes not to the strong, but to those who can barely keep their eyes open. The dawn is breaking. The night is almost over. And God is still putting the finishing touches on salvation in you, in the church, in the weary world, that is longing to rejoice. So today, hear the invitation. Wake up! Get dressed! And be a part of God's healing, justice-seeking world that is rejoicing. [00:48:34] (52 seconds) #AdventForTheWeary

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