It's Time to Wake Up!

CONSECRATION Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.  Jesus, I belong to you. I lift up my heart to you. I set my mind on you. I fix my eyes on you. I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice. Jesus, we belong to you.  Praying in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.  SCRIPTURE Isaiah 9:2–7 NIV The people walking in darkness     have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness     a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation     and increased their joy; they rejoice before you     as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice     when dividing the plunder. For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,     you have shattered the yoke that burdens them,     the bar across their shoulders,     the rod of their oppressor. Every warrior’s boot used in battle     and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning,     will be fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born,     to us a son is given,     and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called     Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,     Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace     there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne      and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it     with justice and righteousness     from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty     will accomplish this. CONSIDER THIS Isaiah’s words are just as relevant today as they were when they were uttered thousands of years ago—a word for people in desperate need of the light. Maybe you’re arriving at this Christmas season resonating with the people Isaiah describes as walking in darkness. Perhaps you’ve been stumbling your way through the year, wrestling with weariness, or are feeling lost. Or maybe this past year hasn’t felt like walking in darkness, but actually living in it. Disappointment, grief, unmet longings, despair, doubt, loneliness, depression, anxiety, or any other life experiences we’d rather not experience stand in stark contrast with the cheer and ribbons and sparkling lights that characterize December. If so, I’d like to bypass wishing you a happy holiday season and welcome you to Advent. Advent carries within itself a message of hope for the whole world. Those who are most aware of their need for it will likely receive it most eagerly. Hear these words again: The people walking in darkness     have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness     a light has dawned. (v. 2) This isn’t a light that brings warm fuzzies or superficial platitudes that aim to ease the situation with no real impact at all. It changes everything, including us. Light exposes the reality of things and wakes us up. In Advent, we aren’t just spotting an abstract light glowing in the distance that gives us some slight illumination or piece of information. The Light of Advent is a person: Jesus. For to us a child is born,     to us a son is given,     and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called     Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,     Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (v. 6, emphasis added) Instead of stumbling in darkness, things become clear. Not clear in a way that we have all the solutions and problems go away, or even that our circumstances change, but clear in the sense that we see things more rightly. We gain a more accurate perspective of our circumstances in the light of Jesus, and a more accurate perspective of Jesus, who entered into the darkness, and discover that He is with us. Our disappointments, disillusionments, and places of pain become places of transformation and encountering the one who is our “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (v. 6). Perhaps you’ve been reading this and you’re actually arriving at Advent relatively okay. Maybe you’ve had a good year, or perhaps you’ve even had the best year of your life. But if you were to honestly assess your spiritual temperature, you’d probably fall somewhere in the lukewarm, indifferent, or distracted category. I’d like to welcome you to Advent as well. Advent isn’t just a call to observe the light—it’s a call to respond to it. Advent is a wake-up call. To wake up is to recognize that we’ve been slumbering, to admit that perhaps we’ve been sleepwalking through our faith, distracted by the noise or comforts of life. Waking up requires us to pause, to ask the hard questions, and to make room for the light to break in. While the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season makes it easy to forget the light has dawned, Advent calls us to wake up. The apostle Paul echoes Isaiah’s message in his letter to the Ephesians with a call to action: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you” (5:14, emphasis added). If you feel lukewarm, indifferent, or distracted, take heart—this is not a word of condemnation, but an invitation. But honestly admitting you fall into one of these categories is the first sign of waking up and a signal that the Spirit is already at work in this. The important question is: How will we respond to the Spirit’s stirring—will we hit the snooze button, or will we rise to meet the light? Advent begins with an invitation: to wake up and encounter the light of Jesus—a light that is not distant or abstract, but here with us, changing everything. The people walking in darkness.     have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness     a light has dawned. (v. 2) It’s time to wake up. RESPONSE PROMPTS How are you showing up to Advent this year? Are you awake? How do you know? PRAYER Lord, I don’t want to go through this season asleep. Light of the world, help me to see clearly and walk freely. Where there was death and darkness, I received Your light and Your life. I declare Your words out loud to myself: Wake up, sleeper. Rise from the dead. And Christ will shine on you. Amen.