Wake Up

Wake Up! Your King is at the Door!

Ad Te Levavi – 11/30/2025

Matthew 21:1-9

Rev. Dr. Christopher W. Brademeyer

That portion from God’s holy Word for consideration this morning is our lesson from the holy Gospel according to St. Matthew in the twenty-first chapter with special emphasis on verses seven through nine which read as follows:

“They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”[1]

Thus far the Scriptures.

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Advent is a season characterized by waiting, but not all waiting is the same. We are not talking about regular, boring waiting in every day life like waiting for a doctor’s appointment or waiting in line at the grocery store. Advent is marked by an expectant kind of waiting like a family waiting for the knock at the door when a loved one returns home for the holidays. It is the waiting of longing, the waiting of hope, the waiting that says, “The Lord is coming. Any moment now.”

Our readings today all teach us something simple, but needful: Wake up! Your King is at the door! That is to say, Advent is marked by three waitings. One was fulfilled with the birth of our Lord Jesus over two thousand years ago when Jesus came in the flesh. The second is fulfilled today when Jesus comes to us for forgiveness and salvation through the Word and the Sacraments. The third will be fulfilled when Jesus comes again in glory to judge the living and the dead, that is, when He arrives again at the end of time.

God’s People Have Always Waited for the King

As recorded in our Old Testament reading, during the prophet Jeremiah’s time the waiting seemed endless. Israel lived under false shepherds, corrupt kings, and faithless priests. Darkness hung over the land. Judgment was near. The nation had wandered from the Lord, and everything seemed to be falling apart.

It was during this time that the LORD spoke a promise:  “Behold, the days are coming… when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.”[2] God said, in other words, “Don’t give up! Your King is coming!”

So God’s people waited. Generations came and went. Empires rose and fell. History marched on in the relentless manner that it does. But through it all the promise remained. The King would come. The Righteous Branch would appear. And when He did, everything broken would be restored.

Jeremiah’s times do not seem so unfamiliar to us. We live in similar conditions. Though the details may differ, the pattern is the same. We are surrounded by corruption, disappointment, and worry. Nations rage. The Church seems weak, even dying in places. Our own hearts struggle to hold to the promises of God. Life becomes heavy. Sin clings to us. And into our world, just as into the time of Jeremiah, God speaks the same Advent word: “Do not give up. Stay awake. Your King is coming.”

The King Humbly Arrived

And then, one day, after centuries of waiting, He came. He was born into this world at a time that no one in Israel expected. The only ones who seemed to anticipate His arrival were foreigners, the Magi from the east. Not only was the time unexpected, but so was the manner in which He came to be our Messiah and King. He did not come on a warhorse. Not with legions of angels. Not with political force or military power. No, He came humbly into the world. And here, He marches into Jerusalem on a donkey. A borrowed donkey, no less. St. Matthew tells us: “Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey.”[3] 

This is the great surprise of Advent and of Christianity itself: the King who comes is not the King we would have imagined. He comes in humility, not in self-focused power. He comes to save sinners, not to flatter the righteous. He comes to fulfill Jeremiah’s promise, not by overthrowing Rome through political power or angelic might, but by overthrowing sin and death. When the crowds cried, “Hosanna! Save us!” they spoke of a truth that surpassed the greatest dreams of those who wanted an independent kingdom on this earth for God’s people.

But Jesus does not come to give them, or us, what we want. No, He comes to give us what we need. He rode into Jerusalem to die. To give His righteousness to the unrighteous. To cleanse the guilty. To bring back the scattered. And for that reason, the Church begins Advent not with a baby in a manger, but with the King riding toward His cross because Advent begins with the purpose for which Jesus was born.

His Coming Demands Wakefulness and Repentance

St. Paul picks up this theme in our Epistle lesson from Romans chapter 13 “The hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.”[4] Advent season is a reminder to be awake, spiritually speaking. But what does that mean? It means recognizing that the world is darker than we wish to think and that our hearts are, too. It means refusing the spiritual drowsiness that says, “I’ll repent later.” It means acknowledging the sin we tolerate, justify, and excuse in our slumber. It means confessing the truth, even when our drowsiness would rather speak in conformity with the world around us. Paul says, “Cast off the works of darkness… put on the armor of light.”[5] Wake up, he says. The night is almost over. The dawn is breaking.

Advent is not about sentimental feelings. It is not about nostalgia. It is a season of repentance, of sobering clarity, of honest confession. A season that says, “Lord Jesus, I have been sleeping. Wake me up.” We drift into sleep when we prioritize everything except our life in Christ.We drift into sleep when entertainment, work, busyness, anger, or sin become the rhythm of our days. We drift into sleep when sin becomes a habit rather than a burden. And Paul’s message is urgent for ones such as us. The King is near. The Judge is at the door. Wake up!

But hear this: God calls you to wakefulness not to shame you, but to save you. He shakes you awake with His Word because He loves you and desires your salvation.

Put On Christ

St. Paul gives a beautiful summary of Christian life when he says, “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” He does not say, “Try harder.” He does not say,  “Be a better version of yourself.” Nor does he demand,  “Clean yourself up.” No, he says, “Put on Christ.”

Wear Him like a garment. Be clothed with His forgiveness. Be wrapped in His righteousness. Be covered with His mercy. His cross is your identity. His Word is your food. His promises are your strength. Putting on Christ means that your sin no longer defines you, His grace does. Your past sins no longer chain you because you have been redeemed in His blood. Your failures do not get the last word, His salvation does.

Advent wakefulness is not achieved by spiritual caffeine or redoubled effort. It comes from being clothed in Christ, from hearing His absolution, from receiving His body and blood, from living in His mercy. To live awake is to live as one who has already been rescued, already been forgiven, already been claimed by the King. In short, it is to live life in the full awareness of what Christ has done for you and your salvation. If you are redeemed in the blood of Christ, which you Christians surely are, how can you live a drowsy life of sin and inattentiveness to the Word of God? Even now the Lord is with His people to save them.

As Surely as He was Incarnate, He Will Come Again

Jeremiah pointed forward to the birth of our Lord. The Triumphal Entry revealed Him as the arriving King of God’s Israel. St. Paul, in Romans, calls us to be ready and to live accordingly. The King who came in humility will come again in glory. The King who rode on a donkey will return on the clouds. The King who wore a crown of thorns will wear the crown of everlasting dominion. And on this day of His return, every injustice will be silenced, every wrong will be righted, every grave will be emptied, every tear will be wiped away. Your King is coming. The darkness of this world will not last.The night is nearly over. And so, the Church’s Advent cry is the same as the crowd’s cry in  Jerusalem, “Hosanna!” “Save us!” Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Conclusion

So hear the voice of the Scriptures, God’s holy Word as we begin another Advent: Wake up, your King is at the door. Wake up from sin, for your King forgives you. Wake up from despair, for your King gives hope. Wake up from distraction, for your King brings life. Wake up from fear, for your King is merciful. Wake up from spiritual sleep, for your salvation is nearer now than ever.

He came and was born of the virgin Mary once for you. He comes now in Word and Sacrament for you. And He will come again in glory for you.

In the holy Name of + Jesus. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

[1] Matthew 21:7-9 English Standard Version. All further quotations from the Holy Scriptures are from the ESV unless specified otherwise.

[2] Jeremiah 23:5

[3] Matthew 21:5

[4] Romans 13:11

[5] Romans 13:12