The Will to Dream: Vigilant Hope

Isaiah 2:1–5 & Mark 13:24–37

In the days to come... they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift sword against nation; neither shall they learn war anymore. Is. 2:4

“But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert.” Mark 13:32-33

Welcome to the first Sunday of Advent, a time when we prepare our hearts to welcome Jesus Christ into our lives again as a baby. This marks the beginning of the Christian calendar and the overarching story of human redemption. Our Advent series is centered on "The Will to Dream," inviting us into a season rooted in prophetic imagination. This sacred practice looks beyond our current reality and moves toward what it could be. This series provides tools to help us confront despair, embody justice, and claim hope as a radical act. We will find ourselves in the stories and learn to dream not as an escape, but as a form of spiritual resistance.

Our current global situation demands a transformative message. In these chaotic times, trust is fragile, truth is contested, and divisions are widespread. Many feel anxious and uncertain as community connections strain, making it difficult to find common ground. People from all perspectives are seeking understanding, healing, and hope. This longing is not weakness; it is a deep desire for a unified world. From this yearning comes the courage to dream and the determination to imagine, resist, and rebuild a better future.

Advent begins not with certainty, but with longing. Isaiah’s vision opens the season by naming both the brokenness of the present and the radical possibility of a different future. He envisions swords turned into plowshares and nations choosing to learn peace. This is not naive optimism. It is defiant hope that emerges in the shadow of injustice and still insists that another way is possible.

The hope of Advent is not about ignoring pain but confronting it with imagination. It sees the world’s wounds clearly and chooses to dream anyway. Mark’s gospel complements this vision with apocalyptic urgency. The call to “stay awake” is not a warning of punishment, but an invitation to prophetic attentiveness. In a world numbed by distraction and distorted by coercive power, hope becomes a discipline. It is the decision to notice, to expect, and to participate in the unfolding kin(g)dom. Together, these texts tell the truth: the systems around us will not save us. But God is near. Hope dares us to keep watch—not for escape, but for emergence. Hope is our refusal to let empire have the final word.

In Mark 13:24–37, Jesus uses the language of Daniel 7:13 to present a glorious vision of his return, declaring that the Son of Man will come in the clouds and that his angels will gather everyone from the ends of the earth (Mark 13:24–27). Jesus offers the metaphor of a ripening fig tree to assure us that there will be signs (Mark 13:28), and that the time is not far off (Mark 13:29–31). Yet, the time will not be known in advance; consequently, we must remain vigilant. The messages in Isaiah and Mark are consonant, as Jesus indirectly expands on Isaiah’s vision that “will come to pass in days to come” (Isaiah 2:2). Jesus promises us two simple things: Jesus will be present and participate in the gathering of all peoples, and because the time will not be known, we must be watchful, waiting in hope.

Jesus’ exhortation to "watch" carries an important implication: we must also "wait." He understands that faithful people have been waiting a long time for God's peace and reign to arrive. Jesus is aware that those in Isaiah's time were waiting, just as those in His own time were being asked to wait. However, Jesus commanded them to wait faithfully, to be prepared, and not to disregard their faith or grow weary in doing good. We all know that waiting can be incredibly challenging, especially when we desire an immediate solution. Some things are easier to wait for than others, and there has never been a time without injustice in the world. Recently, however, it feels like injustice and threats to justice are more prevalent than ever. How can we maintain hope when the world seems to push against it?

What we believe will happen in the future influences how we live our lives today. Jesus invites all of us to live faithfully while we wait, trusting that although there is good in the present, even better times are ahead. Advent hope does not wait for comfort to act. It stirs, protests, builds, and brings people together into movements of mercy and creativity, shaping peace with our hands and hearts.

Isaiah's vision is not a solitary effort; it is a communal undertaking. All nations are invited, and all people are called. The transformation Isaiah describes is not automatic—it requires participation. Therefore, we enter the season not by trying to predict the future but by preparing for it. Hope awakens us. Hope is the will to dream and the courage to start anew.