“It is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.” (Rom 13:11)
Advent begins with a summons: awake. Saint Paul’s words stir us from the slumber of routine and distraction, reminding us that the Lord’s coming is not a distant dream but a near and living reality. Salvation is closer than we imagine, and hope is not deferred—it is dawning.
The psalmist echoes this call: “My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready. I will awake the dawn.” (Ps 57:8–12) Hope is not passive; it sings, it rises, it prepares. To awake the dawn is to live with hearts lifted, ready to praise, ready to welcome Christ’s light into the shadows of our world.
Advent hope is not naïve optimism. It is the courage to believe that God’s love reaches to the heavens and His truth to the skies. It is the trust that His glory will shine on earth, even when darkness seems strong.
So we keep watch—not with dread, but with joy. We prepare not in fear, but in gratitude. Our salvation is nearer now. The dawn is breaking. Let us awake to hope, and let our lives become a song of praise among the nations.
Smitten With Goodness 