Sermon on Advent Sunday - Fr Sam Rossiter

In this Advent Sunday episode, Fr Sam invites us to rediscover the season not as a gentle lead-up to Christmas, but as a wake-up call. While we may picture the nativity as a comforting scene with children’s costumes and soft candlelight, Sam reminds us that the real story was anything but safe or sentimental. God entered the world through poverty, scandal, political oppression, and refugee displacement — and this shocking reality shapes what Advent truly means.

Drawing on Matthew 24, Isaiah’s prophecy, and Paul’s exhortation in Romans, Sam explains that Advent begins not in the manger but with urgency: “Be ready.” Jesus’ title “Son of Man” ties His birth to ancient prophecy, reminding us that God’s work in the world is always bigger, more surprising, and more disruptive than our expectations.

Through this sermon, we’re confronted with a three-fold Advent calling:

1. Be ready for God’s new, unexpected work — in refugees, the poor, the overlooked, and the places we least expect to find Him.
2. Live differently because Christ entered our world — letting the nativity reshape our actions, words, priorities, and compassion.
3. Rely on grace, not self-reliance — trusting God to clothe us with righteousness rather than trying to earn it.

Advent becomes a season of awakening — a summons to look for God among the vulnerable in our own community, to embody hope for the hurting, and to join the Holy Spirit’s work of drawing all people into God’s peace.