“November 30 Sunday Advent First Sunday Sermon Manuscript”

“Waiting for an Impossible Peace”

Romans 13:11–14

Advent -A Time to Wait for Peace Once Again

1. Beloved, today is the First Sunday of Advent. In this season when we wait for the Lord who will come again, may the grace of the Lord be deeply upon you who continue to dream of peace even in a reality that seems impossible.

2. Advent is not merely a time to prepare the atmosphere before Christmas. It is a profound spiritual season in which we reorder our hearts as we wait for the Lord who has already come and who will come again.

3. The questions Advent always asks us are these: “What are you waiting for in your life right now?” “Even in these shaking times, do you still dream of God’s peace?” “Have you given up on the day that people say is impossible?”

4. Today’s First Reading from Isaiah shows us this large ‘vision’ of Advent. And the Second Reading, Romans 13, which we read today, teaches us concretely “how we must stay awake and live” in faith.

5. When we look at the era we live in, speaking about peace is not easy. Wars do not cease, arms races grow more intense, and advanced weapons are developed across the world. Even Korea now speaks of being a global powerhouse in arms exports.

6. Whenever I hear such news, my heart becomes heavy. As the great powers display military strength that can be mobilized at any moment, and as war becomes a tool of political pressure, I realize once again that we have not escaped the threat of war.

7. War is not simply “news”; it is “reality.” People die, families are scattered, cities disappear, and children cry out in agony. In the midst of such war, speaking of peace can stir expectation and hope, yet at the same time it can sound like an empty, unrealistic cry.

8. Advent begins exactly in such a place—right in the middle of a reality that seems impossible. There, God asks us: “Will you still wait for peace?” “Even if the world says it is impossible, will you still dream?”

Isaiah’s Vision of Peace — The Grand Picture That Advent Looks Toward

9. In the First Reading, Isaiah 2, we see the large direction of Advent: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares… and they will learn war no more” (Isa 2:4). This prophecy was not declared when peace was gradually being achieved, but during the most terrifying time of war.

10. In the 8th century BC, the northern kingdom of Israel had already fallen, and Judah was trembling between great empires. It was a time full of anxiety and the threat of war—much like our own. At that moment when everyone said they needed more weapons and stronger armies, God gave Isaiah a word unimaginable to the world.

11. “Beat swords into plowshares”—this was a command that was humanly impossible. In a time of deep instability, when war could break out at any moment, turning swords into farming tools was unthinkable. This shows us that Isaiah’s vision was not based on human strength or judgment, but a message pointing to the peace God Himself would accomplish.

12. Advent begins precisely on this vision. Isaiah speaks of the “direction” of how God will bring peace. To speak of God’s possibility when faced with human impossibilities—that is the “vision” we must remember, the “vision of Advent.”

13. To wait for Jesus is to enter a time of expectation and dream that extends beyond the personal hope of salvation we confess today. The waiting of Advent is not merely about a salvation spoken of only within the church; it is the time of waiting for the Lord who comes as the true King of Peace who will free the whole world from war and oppression.

“The Night is Far Gone, the Day is Near”—How Romans Describes the Time of Advent

14. In verse 11 of today’s passage, Paul says: “You know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers” (Romans 13:11).

15. The word “time” here is the Greek kairos. It does not mean the simple flow of time, but “the decisive moment in which God works.” Kairos also carries the meaning of a moment that only the prepared can grasp. To “know the time,” Paul says, is to be prepared to seize the decisive moment in which God is at work.

16. “Wake from sleep”—here, “sleep” (ὕπνος, hypnos) means spiritual dullness, the loss of the vision of God’s kingdom. In other words, to those who cannot discern the times and whose faith has grown dim, God calls out: “Open your eyes; now is the time to stay awake.”

17. Though we were unprepared and had lost sight of God’s kingdom, God opens our eyes so that we may recognize that this moment is God’s moment. Paul introduces this as the “time of salvation,” a continuous life of hope that believers can lay hold of.

18. This moment—this time when dullness is turned into hope—is the very time we face in Advent. It is the time when Isaiah’s proclaimed vision begins to unfold.

19. Paul continues: “The night is far gone, the day is near” (Romans 13:12). “Night” is not merely darkness; it refers to the dominion of sin, violence, and greed—the very reality of the Roman Empire, and, in many ways, our own time.

20. But Paul also says, “the day is near”—meaning that the bright light of God’s kingdom is already drawing close to us. This is the heart of Advent: acknowledging the darkness, yet believing that darkness is not the whole truth.

21. Darkness is also the state of emptiness. Into that space where nothing can be seen, God spoke, “Let there be light,” and creation took shape. Darkness exists, but light reveals what was unseen. This is the “work of God” we confess.

22. The darkness of Rome, and the darkness we face today, share this similarity: a reality that behaves as though God does not exist, as though the world itself is king.

23. Paul uses several contrasts to describe our present reality: sleep and wakefulness, night and day, works of darkness and armor of light. These are not simply moral categories. Rome lived in wealth, power, drunken feasts, pleasure, sexual immorality, and cultural domination.

24. Through wars of conquest, Rome absorbed various cultures and called its own definition of order “Pax Romana”—but this was a false peace built on power.

25. The greatest problem among those who placed conquered nations’ gods under the Roman emperor and proclaimed the emperor the greatest of all was pride—crying out, “We are supreme.”

26. Paul calls this “night.” And he calls the life of following Christ, who emptied Himself and loved us to the point of the cross, “day.”

27. The problem is that we also seem to live in a world similar to Rome. The values, culture, competition, and power of the world continually pressure us.

28. We want to live differently as Christians, but the world pushes harder. Thus faith always stands in tension. One side pulls us toward darkness; the other calls us toward light. In this, Paul tells us: “Know what time it is.”

29. Christians are those who can read the times—who notice the signs of day even in the darkness. Advent is the season that awakens this spiritual sensitivity.

Put On Christ — The Spiritual Practice of Advent

30. Paul then says, “Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light” (Romans 13:12). The phrase “lay aside” (ἀποτίθημι, apotithēmi) means “to remove completely,” to sever ties. It means breaking with the old self.

31. The “armor of light” (ὅπλα τοῦ φωτός, hopla tou phōtos) is not decorative but a combat image. This means that the temptations of darkness are not passively overcome; they are fought spiritually. The world takes up weapons for war, but our armor—our weapon—is “the light of God.”

32. Paul then directly names the corruption of Roman society in verse 13: “Let us live honorably… not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy” (Romans 13:13). This is not merely ethical prohibition, but a call to leave the culture of night and live the culture of day. And then Paul declares the core of the passage: “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”

33. The verb “put on” (ἐνδύω, endyō) was a powerful identity term in ancient times. Clothing expressed, “Who am I?” “To whom do I belong?” Notice Paul’s theological order—he does not say, “First throw off sin, then put on Christ.”

34. The opposite is true. “Put on Christ first. Only then will you have the strength to shed sinful habits.” Grace comes first. Christian identity comes first. Transformation comes later.

35. Faith does not begin from perfection; it begins from grace. Even if you failed yesterday, put on Christ again today. Even if your heart collapses today, put on Christ again tomorrow. Even if you fall today, you can put on Christ again tomorrow.

36. Thus Paul confesses, “I die every day” (1 Cor 15:31). Death is not the end but the power to begin again. The old self dies daily; Christ rises new in us daily. “Put on Christ” is a daily practice, a daily choice. Advent is the season in which we learn this “daily resurrection faith.”

The Peace We Wait For — The World, the Church, and My Own Heart

37. So what peace must we wait for? First, the peace of the world. The day when wars cease, swords become plowshares, and violence ends. The day Isaiah proclaimed—when swords are beaten into plowshares. We must hope for and strive toward a world where the priority is not exploitation and gain through war but mutual safety and protection. As you know, after great wars humanity built systems to protect and support one another. The UN is a representative example. Though not as powerful as before, we must still trust that God has shown the fruit of peace through our efforts. Today we must look for what it means for “swords to become plowshares” and devote ourselves to it.

38. Second, the peace of the church. This is the peace in which wounds and misunderstandings are healed within the community of God’s kingdom and we build one another up. Church peace is not easy. After every Sunday, the expressions and situations of members imprint themselves in my mind.

39. It may seem overly sensitive, but through brief conversations, expressions, and the nuances I sense, I spend the week reflecting: What was wrong? What should I do? Could it be this or that? It may seem excessive, but it is the pastor’s effort to create peace within the church.

40. If even a few of you share a heart similar to mine, it will be a great strength in building peace in the church. And the church will grow and flourish. To build the peace of the church is to lead its revival. This is not hypersensitivity but the question, “How can I show love?” Through this question, we build peace.

41. Third, the peace of my own heart. This may be the most solitary battle. Fear, worry, hurt, comparison, guilt, and the emotions that come daily. Sometimes you feel good in the morning and depressed in the evening. Fear suddenly rushes in, and you feel lost. Even if I do my best, how can everything depend only on me?

42. When someone else stirs up your peaceful heart and then acts as if nothing happened, it is infuriating. Inner peace may come through letting go, lowering expectations, and trying to love yourself as much as you can. If you have the assurance that the Lord walks with you, it is even better. But is this easy? Sometimes finding the Lord in collapsed peace feels even harder.

43. Paul concludes: “Make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires” (Romans 13:14). The word “provision” (προνοεῖσθαι, pronoeisthai) means “to plan, to prepare.”

44. Paul means: “The moment of preparing to sin is more dangerous than the moment of actually sinning.”

45. God accomplishes God’s possibilities in our impossibilities. Thus Advent says again: “Even if it seems impossible, do not abandon the dream.” “God will surely accomplish it.”

Conclusion — The Night Is Deep, but the Day Is Near

46. People say, “Peace is impossible.” “People do not change.” “Circumstances do not change.” But Advent says something different: “What is impossible for humans is possible with God.” Therefore today we practice peace. When the world prepares for war, we prepare for peace. When the world practices competition, we practice love.

47. When the world tells us to cling tightly, we learn to give and share. Because we live not by visible reality but by waiting for the coming kingdom of God.

48. “The night is far gone, the day is near. Therefore put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” Live as those who stand before God. Walk as people who practice peace. And upon our small steps, the peace that God establishes will grow.