In today's first reading, the prophet Isaiah begs God to visit the people of Israel in person even though the nation is not faithful:

"Why do you let us wander, O Lord, from your ways, and harden our hearts so that we fear you not? Return for the sake of your servants…Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down."

I'm sure we can all relate to this kind of cry for help. We have all begged for God to come and rescue us from some sort of calamity, even if we haven't been the most faithful of servants. "God, get me out if this," we pray. "Why are you letting this happen to me?"

I have prayed this type of prayer many times --- for rescue from trivial, self-inflicted difficulties as well as in times of actual crisis. I have prayed for deliverance from speeding tickets and for the removal of genuine emotional heartache. At the moment, the pain or fear is very real.

Advent is a time when we are asked to reflect on our need for God in our world and in our lives --- not just to rescue us from trouble but to transform us into the people we are created to be. We are asked to be ready to accept and embrace the presence of God at all times, not just in times of crisis. Advent reminds us of this challenge.

Of course there are always many global and personal crises surrounding us. Our world needs to be rescued from wars, disasters, hunger and poverty. People in Iraq, Pakistan, Africa and our own Gulf Coast are crying out for relief. And there are always situations in our own lives that cause us grief. Strained relationships, illness, unemployment, domestic violence and substance abuse surround so many communities. We are desperate for the same relief.

And it is enough to cause us, like Isaiah, to cry out: Why do you let us hurt ourselves and others, O Lord? Oh, that you would return and make everything right.

At Advent we celebrate the fact that God has returned in Jesus Christ, and he promises to return again --- not just in some final cataclysm but every day. For God does not promise just to rescue us but to transform us, so that we are not just free from difficulty but we are also able to experience joy now.

In today's Gospel, Jesus tells his followers, "Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come." None of us knows when Jesus Christ will return for the final time, nor when he will enter our lives here and now. But we are called to be ready to welcome him and to follow him in either case.

It is one thing for us to cry out and call for God to intervene in our world and in our own lives. It is quite another thing to recognize and to welcome God's arrival. If we wander from God's ways, we are a lot less likely to recognize God's presence in our world. Advent challenges us to always be expectant, to be watchful, and to be prepared to not just recognize the presence of God, but to assist by our acts of generosity and compassion, and to assist in bringing the presence of God to our communities.

Bill Peatman writes from Napa.