Romans 13:11-14
Intro
This morning’s passage is all about preparation, and since we have entered the season of Advent, the four Sundays prior to Christmas, this is not at all a surprise. However, the preparation is not as we have come to interpret it in our current rendition of modernity. When we talk about Christmas preparation in the current climate people think about putting up the Christmas tree with all of its lights and decorations. We think of decorating the outside of the house in some way so that it might help to display the light of the season. We think of putting things up all throughout the house in order to create that special Christmas feeling. And, of course, we think of all gifts that need to be purchased, wrapped, shipped, ect., ect., in order to share our affection toward our friends and family. That’s what we think of in terms of preparation.
That is not how our scripture is calling for us to prepare. What our passage says to us is that it is time to wake up, time to wake up to the reality that the day of Christ’s return is ever closer to the day that we now enjoy. Some of you may be wondering why this would be the tact that is taken by the theologians who put the lectionary together, especially considering that we are trying to get ready for Christmas, the birth of Jesus, and not Easter, where we celebrate his resurrection. I answer such a query this way: we talk about this sort of preparation because our eyes should always be fixed upon where God is ultimately leading us, and while our Christmas celebrations are wonderful reminders of where we come from and how we have come together, it is not where we are ultimately going.
Now sitting here in church on a Sunday morning, we can all give, at the very least, a half hearted, "yeah, I can go along with that. We need to stay focused on Jesus return".
However, when we are faced with all of the societal expectations that do come with Christmas, is looking toward the end time really practical? I believe it is if we understand how we are to look at it, and our lives. This passage is a wonderful reminder of that very thing. The scripture reads this way.
Romans 11:13-14
11
Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; 12 the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; 13 let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires."It’s Time to Get Up"
I don’t know about you, but my body is programmed to wake up at the same time every day. It doesn’t matter if I can sleep in or not, because as soon as it gets within five minutes of when I’m ‘supposed’ to get up, the brain synapses begin to fire and while I can try and pretend that I might be able to fall back to sleep, I know that I cannot. My brain, not my body, wakes me up.
As soon as that happens, I immediately kick into my routine. I head downstairs, empty the dishwasher, pour a fresh cup of milk for Austin, get a bowl of cereal for myself and then sit down at the computer for 10 to 15 minutes. Once this is done, I head upstairs, brush my teeth and get Austin out of bed, dressed, and headed downstairs to get him walking around so he can watch his brother get on the bus before having his breakfast. I do it almost without thinking.
I know that many of you have similar experiences in that you go through those moments when you really aren’t even thinking. Stuff is getting done, but you’re running on autopilot. I mean there have been times when I’ll be out driving and all of a sudden I’ll realize that I’m 15 miles farther down the road then I thought and I can’t remember any of the stuff that happened those last 15 miles. We disconnect.
Unfortunately, to a certain extent, I think the Christmas season is experienced by many of us in the exact same way: we know what we have to do and we get it done but we’ve done it so many times before that we do the autopilot thing. Thanksgiving ends and the first thing that I think is, time to get out the Christmas tree and all the decorations. Its not that I don’t enjoy it (because it is starting to warm up on me) but its by rote and nothing more.
Paul, the author of Romans is picking up on this reality that as the days, weeks, and months draw his readers and us here today farther and farther away from the actually life of Jesus, we operate more and more out of a prescribed reaction, rather than actually appreciating what is being revealed. This is why Paul says that, "we need to wake from sleep". He’s saying that we need to wake up and stop doing the whole thing where we are just going through the motions, that we need to plug into what is actually going on around us because if we do that, then, from a position of faith, we will be protected with the ‘armor of light’. But again, we need to wake up and focus on where God is ultimately leading us.
So how do we do that? How do we plug into where God is leading us?
Well, to begin with, I think the biggest hurdle is that we become focused on the wrong things. We do one of two things, we either do the autopilot thing (that I talked about a few minutes ago), or we see all the stuff that needs to be done in the day and that that’s all we’re able to see. In both cases we are not able to see God.
Speaking to the latter and being completely candid with ourselves, how many of us write the whole mental (or actual) list and before we even get started doing any of it we begin thinking, "how am I ever going to get this done?" We haven’t even started and we are already a step and a half behind. When we approach the world this way the likelihood that we will be able to see the movement of God is greatly diminished, because we are not aware to God, only to the issues that face us.
In both cases we need to flip it! We need to be focused on God first because as we do that we are then able to experience God moving in the midst of even the mundane parts of the lists that we put together. And here’s a simply way to begin to do that very thing.
At the beginning of the sermon I mentioned the morning routine that I have gotten used to. Over the past few days I’ve added a very simple starting point that helps to frame all that is done in that morning routine, as well as all of the stuff that is on that mental list, in a new light. As soon as the mental clock wakes me up, the first thing that I say is not, "oh, I wish I could sleep some more." Instead it’s, "This is the day that the Lord has made. Let me rejoice and be glad in it." I have been amazed at how that little daily foundational piece has allowed me to get up, and not just go through the motions or become defeated by my lists, but instead recognize that today is yet another opportunity to experience the presence of God, not be defeated by the monotony of a routine that I know innately or all that I perceive needs to be done.
This is the day that the Lord has made. Let me rejoice and be glad in it. It has allowed me to wake up each day and instead of being apathetic in the midst of routine or overwrought under the pressure of obligations, I am plugged into the blessings that are abundantly present.
Paul called for us to wake up and place on the armor of light for the day of salvation is rapidly approaching. I’m not going to stand up here and tell you that I know when Jesus is going to return because I don’t. People have been making those predictions since the day that Jesus has ascended into heaven and thus far, they’ve all been wrong. Two thousand years later we are still waiting.
And yet, we still have the call to remain prepared and diligent, not living a defeated life that sees us stuck in autopilot or burdened by the expectations that we have placed upon ourselves or by others. A way that we can do this, both for this season of Advent and for all the seasons of the year, is by starting out our day by focusing on God. "This is the day that the Lord has made. Let me rejoice and be glad in it."
As soon as you wake up, put on the armor of light. As soon as you wake up, focus on God. As soon as you wake up, recognize that this is the day that Lord has made. Make sure to rejoice and be glad in it!
We have a choice as to how we approach our days. We can go through on autopilot, we can become burdened down, or we can rise above it by allowing God to lift us up. Won’t you prepare to make today, tomorrow, and the next the best days that they can be? Take a few seconds to remind yourself, "This is the day that the Lord has made. Let me rejoice and be glad in it."
After Sermon Prayer
Holy God, in the midst of the very familiar, and the never-ending, we have a tendency to forget that You would have us be prepared for what You have in store for us. God help us to do that very thing by waking up and remembering You. God, You have given us each and every day as a gift. Help us to live them in such a way. It is in Jesus’ name that we pray. Amen.