Weekly Words with Brandon Moore: Advent-Why We Need It!

My motivation is simple. Sober-mindedness. Peter encourages his readers three times in his first letter to stay sober-minded. Three encouragements, three different reasons.

1. So we can set our hope fully on the coming of Christ

2. For the sake of our prayers

3. Because Satan is prowling around like a lion, looking for someone to devour

While it’s a big deal that we need clear minds to pray well and not be lured into being devoured by Satan, we’re going to take a look at the first of these three encouragements. Here’s the verse:

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

–1 Peter 1:13

The reason we’re looking at this one today is simple. Advent started yesterday. Advent always starts four Sundays before Christmas and every year we’re reminded of the same reality: Jesus is coming. 

Here’s a quote from the Advent devotional I started yesterday:

“Christ is knocking. It’s still not Christmas, but it’s also still not the great last Advent, the last coming of Christ. Through all the Advents of our life that we celebrate runs the longing for the last Advent, when the word will be: ‘See, I am making all things new.’ (Rev. 21:5) The Advent season is a season of waiting, but our whole life is an Advent season, that is, a season of waiting for the last Advent, for the time when there will be a new heaven and a new earth.”

Waiting is really hard. Advent reminds us we must wait. Maybe waiting is so hard because we’re not sober-minded? Our minds scattered on what our three enemies–Satan, the world, and our flesh–say is urgent and therefore wholly unable to focus on the great last Advent. Maybe we’re scanning the earth looking for hope, grace, glory, and peace when in reality the greatest of these will come when we set our minds toward the last coming of Christ? Perhaps in searching for rest out of our own restlessness we miss the true rest that comes from knowing that Christ’s return will bring a newness far greater than we can imagine. 

This is why we need Advent. We need to remember that even in the hopeless, sleepless, and fear-filled nights, Jesus is coming. He’ll be here soon. 

When He does return, all things will be made new. Every tear will be wiped away from our eyes and there will be no more crying anymore. Do you see that? Every reason you’ve ever had for sadness will be wiped away and every future reason you could possibly have for sadness will be done away with as well. 

Life on this side of heaven is difficult. There’s grace for us now, and there’s greater grace for us on the day Jesus arrives. 

Join me this Advent season as I turn my eyes to that greater grace. As we remember the first coming of Christ, we also remember that the second one is inevitable. 

One of our favorite songs right now in the Moore Household is Amazing Grace. One of the verses is fitting here:

Through many dangers, toils and snares

I have already come:

'tis grace has brought me safe thus far,

and grace will lead me home.

Christ will lead us home one day in the future because one day in the past He made His home with us. 

May your Advent season be blessed.

Brandon Moore