This sermon, preached on the first Sunday of Advent, is based on Mark 13: 24-37. At the start of a new church year, we find ourselves in various places. A lot of things are going on in our world and in our lives that are challenging, upsetting, and turbulent. We react to this news in a variety of ways: fear, anxiety, confusion, anger, resilience, defiance, and resignation. This sermon explores the faithful responses of Advent. Amid the messiness of life itself, there is the promise of new life. That is the message of the fig tree. That is a message of Advent.