Advent 1. November 29 and December 2, 2001 Romans 13:11-13

And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

Dear people of God—rescued from the flaming lake of fire in hell by the innocent blood of the very Lamb of God:

There once was a man named Antonio Stradivari. Mr. Stradivari made musical instruments—especially violins and cellos. Mr. Stradivari was a very good mathematics student. He understood geometry. He would shape the wood very carefully. He would glue and clamp and fasten the pieces with extraordinary care. He would varnish the wood with his own special blend of varnish—rubbing and polishing his violins—so they were as perfect as is humanly possible. Then he would tune the violins. Those kind of “s” shaped places on the sides of the lower fatter part of the violin—are not just dark painted “s”s they are little holes right through the wood. Maybe you all know this. They are holes—that you can poke this special poker through—to tap this special piece of wood deep inside the violin. This makes the sound sweet and rich and wondrous! Mr. Stradivari made about 1,116 violins in his lifetime. When he was 93 years old he was still making violins. Today there are known to exist only about 650. It was reported the other day that one Stradivarius violin is worth $22 million! This violin is being saved—protected—insured and preserved. The only thing is—it’s not ever going to be played. How sad! How tragic and sad that the people will look at this instrument—maybe even touch it and handle it—point at it and talk about it. But they won’t do—the one thing—the essential thing for which Mr. Stradivari made it—to make music—to be played! Our Heavenly Father made us—designed and engineered and built every single one of us to give glory to him. How eternally tragic if we should spend our lifetime—looking like we love Jesus on the outside—but not doing what Jesus made us to do—to make disciples—to believe and share the Gospel! Jesus’ powerful unconditional love changes everything. Jesus’ powerful forgiving love changes what is deep deep inside us. Jesus’ forgiving love changes everything. This first Sunday in Advent—the beginning of a whole new Church Year—God’s Word is a powerful wake up call!

Wake Up From Your Slumber!

1. Put aside the deeds of darkness

2. Put on Jesus!

The part of God’s Word we are concentrating on is part of the apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans. What does that mean to you—the letter to the Romans—Paul’s letter to all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints! When I was in Watertown in the early 1970s we studied Roman history in great detail. We learned to appreciate all that is wrapped up in those few words, “And it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria. And all went to be taxed—everyone into his own city.” Our Heavenly Father was in control of not just that little splinter of creamy colored rock and stone that was Palestine. Our Heavenly Father was in control of the whole Roman world and beyond. Our Heavenly Father directed the events of the whole world—so that the Son of God—conceived by the Holy Spirit would be born of the virgin Mary in David’s town—in Bethlehem. The Son of God would be born in Bethlehem—sleep in a manger. His birth announcement would be sung by a multitude of angels. The newborn Savior of the world would be adored by humble shepherd.

Inspired by the Holy Spirit the Apostle Paul was writing both to ancient Romans and present day Americans when he wrote: “Since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things, but also approve of those who practice them.” Romans 1:28-32 The infection of sin begins in the heart and in the mind. It spreads to the eyes that look with lust where they ought not to look. To eyes that can watch TV late into the night—but can’t stay awake in Church. Eyes that read the TV Guide, Sports Illustrated, Harry Potter, and The Hobbit—but don’t ever read God’s Word! To the hands that lash out—to hit and hurt. To the feet that run after the things and stuff of this world. To the knees that will not kneel in repentance—that neglect to kneel in heartfelt prayer. To tummies that are stuffed with Christmas cookies—washed down by cup after cup of Christmas cheer—while faith and soul go away hungry. The infection spreads to feet that can go to stores while it is still dark outside because Christmas gifts will be on sale—yet those same feet stay in bed on Sunday morning because we are too tired from the Christmas party Saturday night.

God’s Word says to God’s people—wake up! The reading on the back of your worship folder begins with the words, “And do this…” Do what? Love your neighbor! Paul wrote, “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law…Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” From now until past New Year’s—most families will have stress. People who don’t have enough time to do all the things they need to do and want to do and have to do and ought to do—will find out that they don’t have enough time to do all the shopping and wrapping and cooking and cleaning and preparing they want to do. Add to this colds and the flu—tension headaches and tummy aches and runny noses and people coughing and hacking so they can’t get a good night’s sleep—and you have a perfect recipe for arguing and fighting and frustration. Love does no harm to its neighbor—your spouse—your children—your brothers and sisters. This Advent time—Jesus will make you strong to be patient and to love one another!

The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. Jesus accomplished our salvation—our rescue from sin and death when he lived a life without any sin. Then he died on the cross—numbered with the common criminals he bled and suffered and died—claiming our guilt and shame. On Easter Jesus rose from the dead—and because he lives we too shall live forever. For now we wait. We watch and wait for Jesus to call us home to Heaven. That ultimate and forever rescue is nearer now than when we first believed! There are 16 ½ school days (from Thursday)/13 ½ (from Sunday) left before Christmas vacation. Snoopy and Charlie Brown tell you every day on the front page of the newspaper how many shopping days until Christmas. How many days before Jesus calls you home to Heaven? I don’t know. I do know that you and I are closer to Heaven today than we were the day we were baptized. Closer now than the day we first heard the Gospel of God’s amazing grace!

Paul encourages us to bear the sweet fruits of faith—to glory of the Christ-child. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Paul’s Advent list of sins is a painful one. It is horribly true that about this time every year there are office parties. People at work stop working and have drinks and snacks. It is one of the devil’s most time worn tricks—for people to drink alcohol. And before you know it—that alcohol does a couple of things. It relaxes people. That’s not necessarily bad—to be relaxed. But it is bad—if what relaxes is our conscience—the God-given little voice in our heart and mind that says, “That’s a sinful thought—don’t say it. Don’t act on it! That’s a sinful idea—a sinful trap from the devil. Don’t blunder into that trap—hurting yourself and your co-worker and your marriage and your family!” Alcohol can lead people do what is self and soul destructive and painful and just plain wrong! It happened just the other day—a hand full of young people were arrested for stealing signs—stealing street and traffic signs. Now that might seem pretty harmless—of all the things young people could do—to take a stop sign. But it isn’t pretty harmless. When I was in high school there were some people in my town who decided it would be cool to steal a sign. A bunch of them piled out of the car and pushed and pulled and pushed and pulled and pushed and pulled on a sign and snapped it off—snapped it right off at grass and ground level. They quickly put the sign in the back window—the signpost sticking out the side window of the car. Yikes! Someone is coming! They took off—real fast—around the corner. The signpost hit a mailbox. The sign came around and someone died! They died from stealing a stop sign. The wages of sin is death. It is by grace alone—that the gift of God is eternal life for Jesus’ sake!

The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber! I heard on the news the other day about a man who was going to put the lights up around his house. You know the kind that you clip on to the edge of the roof. The problem was—when someone packed them away last year—they just sort of mushed them into a box and now they were all tangled up—knots—absolute knots—all twisted—it was just stupid! His hands were cold and numb and those stupid wires. If you tried—if somebody on purpose tried to tie them together you wouldn’t get them this messed up! Boy he was getting frustrated. Finally—finally—he was getting them untangled. He had them all laid out on the driveway—flat and straight—when somebody from his family came driving in—turning in real fast and they ran over them—crushed them—ground them into little pieces. He went into the house—got his gun—his pistol and went out in the back yard and shot his lawn—emptied his gun into the sod. When the police got there—and you can be sure the neighbors called. When the police got there—he told them—this was what he had learned in his anger management class! How sad! How sad that people get that frustrated—preparing to celebrate the birth of the Savior. How sad—that when I told you—he went into his house to get a gun—how many of you didn’t think—like I did when I first heard it—that he went got his gun to do murderous physical harm to his own family! That would have been even more tragic. Wake up! It’s time to wake up from the mental sleepiness that threatens our faith and soul. Wake up to the profound danger all around us. Then know that there is safety and rest only in Jesus—our Advent King—our Savior and Redeemer. Amen!