Stuart Gardiner
29 November 2025
In the first of five Advent and Christmas Gospel meditations, Father Stuart Gardiner reflects on Matthew 24:36-44.
Jesus says life will carry on as usual right up to the moment everything changes.
People eating, drinking, getting married—just doing what people do.
Then it happens. No warning. No control.
He’s not trying to frighten anyone.
He’s describing how easily we drift.
The people in Noah’s time weren’t evil. They were just busy.
They didn’t notice what was coming because they weren’t really looking.
That’s the risk for us too.
We get caught up in work, noise, plans, and screens.
We assume tomorrow will be the same as today.
But Jesus says, stay awake.
Don’t drift.
Don’t let your days blur past.
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He uses a simple picture—a thief in the night.
If we knew when the thief was coming, we’d be ready.
But life doesn’t give us that kind of notice.
Change can come suddenly—through illness, loss, love, opportunity, grace.
Everything ordinary can break open in a moment.
Staying awake isn’t about fear.
It’s about attention.
It’s choosing to notice what matters before it’s gone.
When was the last time we really looked someone in the eye?
Said what we’ve been meaning to say?
We keep waiting for the right moment, but it rarely comes.
We all know how fragile life is.
The question is what we do with that knowledge.
Do we keep scrolling, numbing, and delaying?
Or do we decide to live awake—to make the life we actually have count?
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That’s what Jesus means by being ready.
Not being perfect, not being anxious—just authentic.
To live so that if everything changed tomorrow, we’d still be glad for how we spent today.
That’s the point of this passage,
to wake us up to the present.
To remind us that love, honesty, and compassion are already within reach.
The only question is whether we’re paying attention.
So, let’s stay awake.
Stay honest.
And not let our lives slip by while we’re not looking.
Reverend Stuart Gardiner recently retired from the Anglican Parish of Westmeadows/Bulla.
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