Yea, Amen! let all adore thee,
High on Thine eternal Throne!
Saviour, take the Pow’r and Glory:
Claim the Kingdom for thine own.
O come quickly, O come quickly, O come quickly
Hallelujah! come, Lord, come.
Charles Wesley, 1774
Advent is upon us. This time of year is so very rich, guiding the faithful toward the celebration of Christmas but before we get to that season, focusing our attention on Christ’s Second Coming.
The word “Advent” is meant to imply the various “comings” of Christ. He came as the babe in the manger, he comes to us now by faith, and he will come again in glory to finish the work of the new creation.
The First Sunday of Advent, the Sunday just past, highlights the day when God will come to bring righteousness, judgment, and ultimately peace. But we need to prepare for it.
In the Gospel reading from Matthew 24 last Sunday we heard the words: “Keep awake, therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.”
But how do we do that? How do we keep awake?
The text doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t sleep. But it does mean that we should be vigilant.
The Wesleyan tradition has a wonderful emphasis on the means of grace. Grace is the power of the Holy Spirit and a means of that grace, that power, is a way that God meets us and we meet him. It’s an appointment with God.
For Wesley, there were two groups of means of grace; acts of piety and works of mercy.
Under acts of piety he included:
- Meditating on the Scripture
- Prayer
- Holy Communion
Under works of mercy he included:
- Feeding the hungry
- Clothing the naked
- Caring for the sick
And many others. This list is not exhaustive.
What we see, though, is a means of encounter. In meditating on scripture—note, it’s not word studies or academic analysis, but meditation—we encounter the One who inspired the text. In prayer, we encounter God and lift our lives to him. In Holy Communion, we encounter the One who died for us and rose again.
And in the works of mercy, the words of Christ should come to mind: “whoever does this for the least of these, does it to me.” It’s amazing how God works through the smallest kindness, both to the one who shows kindness and the one who receives it.
Advent really is about encounter. It’s about encountering God anew. It’s also a season to see and cooperate with God’s work in the world. And as such, it’s preparation for the world to come.
So be ready, brothers and sisters! Be awake! Rely on the means of grace. For in doing so, you’re walking with Christ. And when he comes, that walk will only continue.
Ryan N. Danker is director of the John Wesley Institute, Washington, DC. This is reposted from a weekly JWI newsletter that you can subscribe to here.
Comment by Ronald Moore on December 5, 2025 at 2:42 pm
A much-needed reflection. The means of grace have always been God’s way of forming a people who are awake, watchful, and ready for the Day of the Lord. In our age, Advent’s call to vigilance is often overshadowed by sentimentality, but the Church’s historic Advent readings, especially from Matthew 24, confront us with the reality of judgment, repentance, and the coming Kingdom.
Your reminder that meditation, prayer, Holy Communion, and works of mercy are “appointments with God” is exactly right. But Advent presses further still: these means train our souls for the return of Christ. They prepare us not merely for Christmas, but for the renewal of all things.
Grateful for the focus on Wesley’s gifts to the wider Church. May we all keep awake.
Comment by Salvatore Anthony Luiso on December 5, 2025 at 3:14 pm
Thank you for this article. I wish all Christians who observe Christmas would observe Advent, without confusing one with the other.
In my personal experience, a strict observance of Advent makes the observance of Christmas better and more enjoyable.
Note: By “Christmas” I am referring to the liturgical season of Christmas, not just Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.