There’s a saying going back to ancient times: “If you want peace, prepare for war.” In other words, be so strong so as to make it foolhardy for anyone to attack you and risk destruction. You might call it the deterrence argument.

One step into Advent, and we’re suffused with memories. It’s nearly impossible to separate the run-up to Christmas 2016 with holiday seasons of long ago.

"The Arrival of the Son of Man will take place in times like Noah’s. Before the great flood everyone was carrying on as usual, having a good time right up to the day Noah boarded the ark. They knew nothing—until the flood hit and swept everything away.

My mother never had difficulty staying awake—she would wait up for every family member until they were home safe in their beds. When the rest of us struggled to stay up past 10:30 to watch the Late Show, she could easily make it to the Late, Late Show.

Brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge our sins, and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.

The overwhelming focus of the Bible is not the work of the redeemed but the work of the Redeemer.