Read Matthew 24:36-44 with your family.

Today is the first Sunday in Advent. For Christians, this is the first day of our new year. Every Christian year begins with the first Sunday in Advent, and this year we will be growing our faith by through the Gospel of Matthew.

In our story for today we are reading the warning from Jesus to pay attention and be ready for when God comes, because we do not know when it will happen.

People have tried to predict when God is returning for hundreds and hundreds of years, and they seem to ignore the part of the reading that says don’t waste your time trying to figure it out because there are no warning signs.

So what does Jesus mean about being ready?

It means do the right thing when you can. Remember how Jesus taught us to live, and try to make other people feel better about the world around them.

There is no special level we have to reach in order to be ready. God has made us enough.