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As a church, yesterday we celebrated New Year’s Day with the first Sunday of Advent. We are told to be watchful and aware. It is so easy to get complacent! I know I have remarked before on the ease in which we say the words of the Lord’s Prayer without giving much thought to living by them, and now we are given another opportunity to really think about what we pray. As today’s gospel is about being watchful, this is a great time to begin these changes. Although Advent is usually viewed by children and adults alike as the time to get ready for Christmas and all the shopping, cleaning, inviting, partying, etc., that go with it, Advent is actually a time to prepare for the Second Coming of Christ, the end of the world. These past few weeks, the gospels have been reminding us that we need to prepare, that we will be judged as to how well we have lived as Jesus has commanded. As children watch and wait for the presents, we must watch and wait for the presence of Christ. Am I living according to gospel values, or by worldly values? Am I so caught up in the day to day, and striving for a better tomorrow on earth, that I forget what my eternal tomorrow asks of me? What will be my "New Year’s Resolutions" for my spiritual life? What can I do to make the words "Come Lord Jesus" that we pray during this season to be truly a prayer of faith, living each day confident that we will be alert and awake when he comes?Prayer: Wake us up, Lord! We can get so caught up in the day to day, that we miss many opportunities to do your work in our world. Help us to be examples of love and compassion during this season. Amen.