Advent Wed 1a Romans 13:8-14 Wake Up
Isaiah 2:1-5 Matthew 21:1-11
In South Africa, there were two men who hated each other. It happened over some trivial matter that they soon forgot. But what they did not forget was that they now hated one another. So each day they spied on each other to find some petty issue to complain about. As soon as one found fault he would make a sarcastic, spiteful remark and the other one would fire back with an obnoxious retort. Sometimes they would battle from early in the morning till long after dark. Then they would lie awake at night tossing and turning over something they had said or was said about them.
Consequently, each of them started out their day tired and listless. Despite their fatigue, they woke up every morning with hatred and revenge in their hearts. Throughout each day they were always depressed and irritable and found no pleasure in the things they used to enjoy. They lost interest in their work and had trouble concentrating. They had trouble making decisions and remembering even simple things. Even their appetites changed; one started to eat a lot and gained weight while the other lost his appetite completely and was nothing but skin and bones.
These men became preoccupied with themselves and their hatred of each other that at first made them sad had now turned into self-hatred. Each would go through a gamut of negative emotions ranging from feeling worthless to excessively guilty. Their hatred was taking a terrible toll on them. It was only a matter of time before it would have a negative impact on their families. Sure enough, one of them met the daughter of his enemy, a little girl, while she was picking berries in the forest. Seizing her, he cut off both her hands, and calling out loudly and in triumph, “Now I am avenged!” he sent her home.
When he realized that because of his irresponsible act on the little girl, he would face the wrath of the village, he fled from the community. He left his family and crossed the border into the dark savannah. As he was fleeing, he kept wondering how he had let things get so out of control. Such is the fruit of those who let the darkness of sin control their lives.
All those negative emotions those two men felt were really symptoms of sin. God made a list of the ‘sins of the night’ a long time ago when He gave us the Commandments. Paul lists some of them in his letter to the Romans: "You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, and you shall not covet." When you commit these sins your body reacts. Feelings of guilt over what you have done or some wrong that has been against you can cause you to lose sleep.
Sin causes you to wake up fatigued. Sin cuases you to rise each morning with lustful desire, anger, hatred or revenge on your mind. If you look in the mirror, you can see the symptoms on your face. Your eyebrows are pushed downward and there is a frown on your face. These emotions can rob you of the pleasures of life and can affect your friends and family who live and work with you. When you are living in unrepentant sin, it affects each and every day of your life negatively and every one you come into contact with is impacted in a bad way.
Living your life thusly is not part of the plan that God has prepared for you. Paul says God’s Commandments are summed up in this word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
In our Epistle lesson, Paul sees all of us living at the border between day and night. The darkness of night is behind us, but we still cannot see clearly. The dim light of dawn is ahead of us, so we know the full light is coming. That’s the time to get up from our sleep of sin. That’s the time to forget the past and work for the future.
Paul does not tell us to turn around to fight against the sins of our past. He does not tell us to seek revenge against those who have wronged us. Nor does he tell us to dwell on the sins we have committed or even on those things which our neighbors have that we do not. Instead, he tells us to take up the weapons for fighting in the light. We fight for a good future, not to redeem ourselves from a bad past.
As we live on that border of dawn between the dark of night and the light of day, we know which way we are going. Our faith in Christ assures us that the past is forgiven and the future is secure by His grace.
Paul’s wake up call tells us to get rid of the things from the darkness of night. We are not to do the things that hurt others and ourselves. We don’t start our day by continuing the things that have created the darkness of the past. Again, he gives us a list of the common sins popular in Rome at that time. He says “Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.” Romans 13:13 (ESV)
Instead, we should start each day by putting on Jesus Christ. As you clean and dress your body for the day, remember that he has cleansed and dressed your heart for service. By His death He has forgiven your sin. By His resurrection He gives you new life. Jesus did not wait for you to stop sinning before He died on the cross. On the contrary, He showed His love for you on the cross.
Scripture tells you, “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” Romans 5:6-10 (ESV)
In your Baptism you have put on Christ; that is, you wear His love, His mercy and His peace in your heart. His peace allows you to reflect on your past sins and knowing that you are forgiven puts a smile on your face. The peace that the Holy Spirit gives you, assists you in planning your day according to the life that Christ has given you. You can face each new day with the challenge to “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
When you wake up each day remembering you are a baptized child of God, you remind yourself that your sins are forgiven—your past has been cleansed away and you have a fresh new day to represent your God and Savior in a way that pleases Him.
Paul says you are to be wide-awake, alert, and ready to go. You cannot be excited about His return if you allow unforgiven sin and anger to fester in your heart. Paul adds: “Our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.” Nothing is more certain. And tomorrow His return will be even closer. And knowing that He will return soon with His eternal reward gives you reason and purpose to live out each day accordingly. Abiding in His love and sharing His love with everyone you meet really does help restore your spirit.
Saint Peter says, “Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil. 1 Peter 3:13-22 (ESV)
My friends, your life will be blessed when you love one another. You will be able to wake up each morning with a clear conscience, able to forgive and be forgiven. You can look in the mirror and see a happier face smiling back with wide eyes and an eagerness to go out into the world.
Scripture tells you “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” (Romans 12:17-18) And Proverbs (2 :21-22) says, “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.”
Revenge belongs to the Lord, not to us. God took out His revenge on His Son for the sake of all those who would believe in Him. Those who reject God and His ways will face His judgment.
That brings us back to the story about the two men and the little girl. Many years passed by. The girl had grown to womanhood and had moved to another community with her father. One day a gray-headed beggar came to her door asking for food. She immediately recognized him as her father’s enemy, who had so cruelly mutilated her. Going into the hut, she bade her servant take as much bread and milk to the poor wretched man as he was able to eat. She watched him as he hungrily ate of the food. When he was satisfied, she dropped the cloth that covered the stumps of her arms and said to him, “Now I am avenged.”
Why should we love one another? Not to save ourselves. That’s already been done. But we love one another out of our love for Jesus and for His sake; so that His death was not in vain. In Jesus Name, Amen.