Wake Up!
Romans 13.8-14
Midweek Advent I/December 4, 2013
LSS at Meramec Bluffs, Ballwin, Missouri
Rev. Keith R. Weise, chaplain
Invocation In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
1 Advent is about preparation.
As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, there’s a lot that must be done.
The tree must be put up
with all the rest of the decorations that make our homes
look
and
feel
like Christmas.
Gifts must be
bought
wrapped
and
placed under the tree
or
put in the mail.
Meals must be planned.
Family members must be placated by sending them their yearly Christmas card.
It all must be done if we’re to be ready for Christmas.
2 Perhaps.
Perhaps all those things must be done.
But in truth
all those things
are not the preparations to which God calls us during Advent.
All those things are
earthly
mundane
ordinary
preparations for
earthly
mundane
ordinary
things.
3 The preparation God desires of us during these holy days is different.
Godly preparation during Advent does not involve
trees and decorations.
It’s not about
gifts
or
meals
or
family gatherings
or
Christmas cards.
True Advent preparation is neither
earthly
nor
mundane
nor
ordinary.
4 No, Godly Advent preparation is spiritual.
It’s preparation of the soul
which we all can do
no matter
our age
our physical abilities
or
the condition of our health.
It’s not earthly—it’s heavenly.
It’s not worldly—it’s other-worldly.
It’s not ordinary—it’s extra-ordinary.
Because the events for which we prepare during Advent are all those things:
heavenly
other-worldly
extra-ordinary.
As Christians
we don’t just prepare for the secular season of Christmas
with all its earthly trappings.
No, we Christians spend Advent preparing for Christmas
by preparing for the coming of Christ.
5 Thus St. Paul says:
Romans 13.8-10
Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
This is true Advent preparation:
Love your neighbor as yourself.
Do no harm to anyone.
Commit yourself to the fulfilling of the Law of God through love.
Do these things
and
you will be properly prepared to celebrate the birth of
Christ when Christmas comes.
This preparation is very important—
it’s necessary for your spiritual health
and
it’s vital for the state of your soul before our Lord
who comes in the flesh at Christmas.
6 And still
As important as our Advent preparations are
to be ready to celebrate Christ’s birth at Christmas:
There is yet a
bigger
more important
reason to engage in such spiritual preparation for Christ.
All your
heavenly
other-worldly
extra-ordinary
preparations
are meant to make you ready not just for Christ’s birth—
but they’re also meant to make you ready for an even more
wonderful
heavenly
other-worldly
extra-ordinary
event:
The coming of Christ at the end of the age.
7 And there’s no time to waste in your preparations for Christ’s final coming:
St. Paul says:
Romans 13.11-14
. . . do this, [make your Advent preparations] knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
Have you been lulled into a spiritual nap by all the earthly preparations for Christmas?
Does just thinking about
trees
and
presents
and
family get-togethers
and
cards
make you
tune out
and
not want to think of Christmas at all?
Are you spiritually asleep when it comes to Christ and his coming
at Christmas?
and
at the end of the age?
8 Then WAKE UP!
For your salvation is nearer now than when you first believed.
Stir up your soul and WAKE UP!
For the night is far spent, and the day of your salvation is at hand.
Rouse your sleepy heart and WAKE UP!
Put off your works of darkness
and
Put on the armor of light.
9 Wake up
and
Walk properly:
in love for your God
in love for you neighbor
For such love is the fulfillment of the Law.
Such love is the godly preparation of the saints who long for the
coming of the Lord.
Wake up
and
Put off your works of darkness.
Put off your revelry and drunkenness
Put off your
lewdness
and
lust
and
strife
and
envy.
Such denial of your flesh is holy preparation for all who look for the earthly manifestation of their heavenly king.
Wake up
and
And put on Christ:
Put on Christ by diligently hearing and reading the Scriptures.
Put on Christ by receiving him
in his Word
in his forgiveness
and
in his body and blood.
Wake up
and
Put on Christ through repentance before you put up any decorations.
Put on Christ through devotion to him before you buy any presents.
Put on Christ through prayer before you send out a single Christmas card.
Put on Christ and you will be prepared for him when he comes.
10 So
Ephesians 5.14
Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light.
Wake your soul from your sleep
and
prepare to celebrate the birth of the Lord.
Wake up
and
prepare to welcome the Lord as the babe of Bethlehem.
Wake up
and
prepare to meet the Lord of glory when he comes at the end of the age.
Wake up
and
prepare yourself
And Christ will give you light.
Christ will give you grace.
And
Christ will give you the salvation he brings with him when he comes.
Amen.
Invocation In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.