First Sunday in Advent, 2007
Rev. Brian L. Kachelmeier
Romans 13:11-14
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
I remember a time when I used to have a radio alarm clock. I would set the alarm clock to my favorite station, set the time, and set the volume. Now of course, a key component to the setting of my alarm clock was the volume level. When my alarm clock went off it really went off. It was loud and it woke me up. It also helped that my alarm clock was on the other side of the room. The alarm had a purpose it was set to wake me up.
Later on in life I learned to use another function on my alarm clock. Not only was there a volume control, but there was also a snooze button. Whereas the purpose of the alarm was to wake me from my slumber, the point of the snooze button was to allow time for some extra sleep. Now I don’t know about you, but over the years I have had to battle with that snooze button. I set the alarm with good intentions before I go to bed, but once I wake up in a groggy slumber I over ride the alarm with the simple touch of the snooze button. Sometimes I over ride the alarm again and again and again even to the point of shutting the alarm off. That snooze button has become my friend. Yet, it is a hindrance to me in accomplishing the reason why I set the alarm clock to begin with. I didn’t set the alarm in order for it to tell me to go right back to sleep. I set the alarm to tell me to wake up.
Now when you think about it, this whole system of alarm clocks and snooze buttons doesn’t make much sense. It’s like you want to be waken from your sleep, but not really. A snooze button is really an “ignore-the-alarm” button. It would be as if carbon monoxide detector would go off and you would push an ignore button. It would be as if low fuel light went off in your car and you would push an ignore button. It would be like wearing a watch and then when you realize you are late to an important meeting you would then push an ignore button. Could you imagine the alarm going off at the fire station and the fire fighters just reaching over and hitting the ignore button?
Yet for some reason we like to hit the snooze button on our alarms so that we can ignore the wake up call. The bottom line is that we enjoy sleep. We would rather sleep in and do nothing than wake up early and tackle the day’s chores. By nature we desire to indulge in laziness. If it weren’t something that we enjoyed it wouldn’t be difficult to take us away from it. Think about those things that you really like to do, and think about how tough it is to pull you away from doing them.
In today’s epistle lesson, the Holy Spirit uses the image of being awaken from sleep to teach us a spiritual truth. “Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand.” (Rom 13:11-12 ESV). This is an image that is easy for us to understand. We can easily make the connection between the physical and the spiritual. When we are sleeping, we are not aware of what is truly going on around us. Thus, when someone is not paying attention, we say such things as, “wake up and smell the coffee,” “stop sleeping on the job,” and “ya snooze, ya lose.” Likewise, when we are sleeping what we see is not reality. It is only a dream.
When we are awake, we are paying attention. We are focusing. We are seeing reality. Now when we transfer this image over into the spiritual realm we understand that when we are awake spiritually we are spiritually paying attention. We are focused on spiritual realities. Yet, just as we have a tendency to be lazy physically, we have a tendency to be lazy spiritually. Thus, God’s Word acts as a spiritual alarm clock to wake us up from our spiritual slumber. Now your sinful flesh will want to hit the snooze button and ignore the alarm. In fact, by nature you will find yourself drifting off during the Bible readings and not paying attention. You’ll find yourself even falling asleep during the sermon. There is a battle between your Old Adam in you who wants to go back to sleep with the lights off and the new man in you who wants to arise from your slumber and live in the light.
Do not hit the snooze button while you are here at the Divine Service. You didn’t come here this morning to sleep and ignore God’s Word, rather you came to gladly hear and learn it. If you were to fall asleep while your were driving and veer off the road, the consequences could be deadly. Likewise, in your life of faith if you fall asleep and veer off the way to eternal life, the consequences will be deadly. You’ll quickly find yourself on the highway to hell.
The Holy Spirit goes on to clarify in today’s epistle lesson by saying, “So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” (Rom. 13: 12-14 ESV). The image of casting off and putting on is the image of holy baptism. In baptism we are clothed with Christ. His righteousness is put upon us. Primarily in baptism we see Christ as our gift bestowing His righteousness covering us. Secondarily in baptism we see Christ as our example of living in His righteousness. As Christ is the light of the world, we are to be lights to the world. The reality of our baptism points to the reality of our lives. We have died to sin and now we live to God. Therefore do not be dead toward God and alive in sin. We have been freed from the slavery of sin. Therefore do not enslave yourselves to sin again. We have been made into sons of the light. Therefore do not become children of the night.
In order to clarify what is meant by the deeds of darkness, St. Paul lists out such things that we are to avoid, confess, and put to death. We are not to participate in orgies, drunkenness, sexual immorality, sensuality, quarreling, or jealousy. All such activities gratify the flesh and indulge the appetites. Such activities consist in the lack of self control and moderation. They are unrestrained and excessive. They involve a persistent and consistent pursuit of sensual pleasures. These uncontrolled passions become controlling over the person. Such appetites are never satisfied nor are the desires ever fully filled. This is an unhealthy coveting for more than one needs. It’s like when you are eating a meal that just tastes oh so good and you go back for seconds, and thirds, and fourths, and on and on. You desire the taste of the food. Even though your stomach is full, the desire for more remains unsatisfied.
The true Christian virtue is one of self control and discipline. You should rule over your desires and appetite so that they do not rule over you. You are to make no provisions for the flesh by feeding, strengthening or encouraging the flesh. You are not to gratify the desires of the flesh.
Jesus was not overtaken by the desires of the flesh. He remained awake in the garden of Gethsemane and humbled Himself to perfect obedience to the will of the Father. He humbled Himself to the point of death on the cross. He gave up His flesh for the life of the world and He offers it today to us as a gift in which we have life, salvation, and the forgiveness of our sins.
Thus in the season of Advent, we emphasize watchfulness, staying awake, being on guard and casting off the works of darkness. It is in the stealth of dark that people do evil things that they would not do in the broad daylight. As believers, we are to walk in the light as He is in the light. We are to reflect His glory to the world that is covered in darkness. He desires to come for us and we desire for Him to come again. His desires become our desires. His will becomes our will. His good and gracious will is to break and hinder every evil plan and purpose of the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh.
We are to return to our baptism daily by recognizing sin, exposing the darkness, confessing our transgression, putting off the works of the flesh, and putting it to death. We are to wake up and walk in newness of life by putting on the Lord Jesus and His righteousness that is ours as a gift and then ours as an example. In Christ, we have ears to hear and when we hear the alarm go off we are ready. Just like when the alarm goes off for that special day that you have been planning, you rejoice to live in that day.
At our house the children have these Advent calendars. Each day the kids open up a box to see what is inside. Each day they are adding to a scene. Yesterday was the first day of the Advent calendar and they couldn’t wait to wake up today to open up the next surprise. They were up today before 6:00 AM. They weren’t looking for a snooze button. Instead, they were running down the stairs looking for the light switch.
In Christ, we are in the light. As we wait for the Savior of the Nations to come, we rejoice that He has visited His people, He comes to us this day in His Word and Sacrament, and He will come again. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. And Blessed is the one who hears the Word of God and keeps it. Amen.
