Are We There Yet? Hope

November 30, 2025 homily on Isaiah 2:1-5; Romans 13:11; Matthew 24:36-44 by Pastor Galen for the First Sunday of Advent

“For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers.” -Romans 13:11

“Are We There Yet?”

If you’ve ever taken a road trip with little ones, you’ve likely heard the famous question: “Are we there yet?” Or, in my family’s version, “How long until we get there?” 

No matter how many times we answer, the question returns with unwavering persistence. And if we’re honest, it’s not just kids who feel it. Adults wonder the same thing — not always asked aloud, but with the same restless impatience simmering underneath.

As much as we might insist that the journey matters, that the memories are made along the way, the truth is that none of us wants to be stuck traveling forever. Whether it’s a winding road through the mountains or a long flight home, we all long for the moment when the car stops, the seatbelt clicks, and the destination is finally reached.

We invent clever ways to pass the time. We tell our kids to look out the window:
“Count how many cows you see.”
“Let’s find license plates from all 50 states.”
“Play the alphabet game.”

But those games are really just distractions. Helpful ones, yes, but temporary. They do not replace the deep joy and relief of finally arriving at our destination.

That restless tension we feel on a journey—the push and pull between trying to enjoy the scenery and longing for the destination—is a small reflection of the spiritual tension we live with as people of faith. Scripture names this experience plainly. Paul writes, “Salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers” (Romans 13:11). Nearer, yes. But not here in its fullness. Not yet.

The Space Between the Already and Not Yet

We live our whole lives in that space between the “already” and the “not yet.”
When we’re young, we’re eager to grow older and experience more independence.
As teenagers and young adults, we look forward to milestone events—finding a partner, starting a family, building a career, buying a home.

Later in life, we look forward to retirement, to grandchildren, to rest, to a pace that gives us room to breathe.

We are always reaching toward something. Waiting for something. Anticipating what comes next.

The spiritual challenge is not to be so focused on what’s coming that we forget to be present to what is. We can become so fixated on the next milestone, the next accomplishment, the next phase, that we forget to notice the gifts God places right in front of us.

Advent – A Season of Waiting

Advent invites us into this holy balance. The word “advent” refers to the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event. It’s the anticipation we feel when we’re waiting for something or someone. 

Interestingly, the word “advent” and the word “adventure” ultimately come from the Latin root advenire, meaning ‘to come.’ The link between these two words is the excitement we feel when we’re waiting for the arrival of something or someone, and when we embark on an adventure, not knowing exactly what might happen or when.

In the case of the Christian season of Advent, the weeks leading up to Christmas, Advent is a time of preparation and anticipation as we look forward to the celebration of Christ’s birth. And it is also a time that reminds us to stay awake and alert with anticipation and with hope as we look forward to Christ’s future return, when he will return to make all things new.

And so Advent invites us into this holy balance, of looking forward in hope, while not forgetting to be present to what already is.

Advent is a season of waiting—but not passively waiting.
It is a season of preparation—but not anxious, frenetic preparation.
It is the time when we acknowledge that we are on the journey, and yet we look ahead with hope because the promise of Christ’s return is sure.

Jesus reminds us in Matthew that no one knows the day or the hour—not even the angels in heaven (see Matthew 24:36). 

The point isn’t to try to calculate the exact date and time when Jesus will return. The point is to be alert and attentive. Jesus calls us to stay awake, to stay engaged, to stay present, because God is at work even while we wait.

Isaiah’s Prophecy of the Nations 

Isaiah casts a vision of where all this waiting and longing is headed—toward a day when nations stream to the mountain of the Lord, when swords become plowshares and spears become pruning hooks, when war is no more, and when we walk in the light of the Lord.

According to Isaiah,

In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and…all the nations shall stream to it. Many peoples shall come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob… (Isaiah 2:2-3a)

Can you imagine this scene? People of every nation, every language, every background in the world, rushing to get into God’s house. But notice here in Isaiah’s prophecy why they’re coming in droves to God’s house:

…that [God] may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples (Isaiah 2:3b-4a).

In Isaiah’s vision, people are streaming to the “mountain of the Lord’s house” so that they can learn God’s ways and walk in God’s paths, and so that God can “arbitrate” between the nations. In this image, God is the judge that Kings go to in order to settle their disputes. Not just individual people, but nations, governments, and rulers are pouring into God’s house to learn God’s ways so that they can walk in God’s paths. 

Imagine if the leaders of every nation in the world were to acknowledge God as the true King — as the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, and the ruler of all the earth! It would bring an end to all wars, conflict and violence in our world. In this beautiful image that Isaiah paints for us, Isaiah tells us that “they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” (Isaiah 2:4).

In Isaiah’s prophecy, weapons of warfare are turned into gardening tools because the people have turned to the Lord to settle their disputes rather than resorting to violence!

Imagine gang members looking at each other and then looking down at their guns and knives, and saying, “well, we don’t need these anymore, now that we’re brothers in Christ!” And so they turn their weapons into spades and shovels and start a community garden together!  Imagine governmental leaders mutually agreeing to get rid of weapons of mass destruction because they know that they will never be needed again! The engineers and scientists of our world can turn their attention elsewhere because they no longer need to invent ways to help their countries attack other nations.

That is our destination! This is the promise we journey toward, and it is a beautiful picture of peace, and love and joy, and it should fill us with hope. And it’s no wonder that we long for Jesus to return, to make everything right, to establish everlasting peace and joy, to wipe away all of our tears. We long for Christ’s return, when there will be no more sickness, or sadness or sorrow or grief.

Our Advent Journey

But today, here at the beginning of Advent, we are still on the road. Still counting the miles. Still wondering, at times, “Are we there yet?” “How much longer till we get there?”

And God meets us in our questions.
God meets us in the longing, in the restlessness, in the hope that aches for fulfillment.
God invites us not simply to endure the journey, but to notice the sacred moments along the way: the glimpses of light, the acts of compassion, the signs of peace, the small arrivals that remind us the Kingdom is drawing near.

Advent is our reminder that we are travelers—but we are not lost.
We are waiting—but we are not waiting in vain.
Christ is coming—and our salvation is nearer now than ever.

May we walk this road awake, hopeful, and present to God’s grace in each step, even as we ask, “Are We There Yet?”

Amen!

Questions for Personal Reflection in Response to Today’s Sermon:

1. What are some travel games that you remember playing to help pass the time on road trips when you were younger?
2. What parts of your life feel like a long road trip right now—where you keep asking, “Are we there yet?”
3. In what ways do you see signs of God’s Kingdom “already” present in your life or community? Where do you feel the “not yet”—the places still longing for healing, peace, or restoration?
4. What helps you stay spiritually awake and attentive in this season, rather than slipping into busyness, anxiety, or routine?
5. What is one way you can walk more hopefully and intentionally in this Advent journey?