Memory (May 30, 2021)

Memory is an interesting thing, isn’t it?  

Things can escape our memory, or we can have our memory jogged.  We can take a trip down memory lane, or we can suffer from a memory lapse.  We can be overwhelmed by a flood of memories, or we can be so close to remembering something that it is on the tip of our tongue.  Some of us have the memories of an elephant.  Others of us have good memories…they are just short.  There are things like collective memories.  Muscle memory.  False memories.  We can memorize things by rote or by heart or by association.  There are folks who have a mind like a steel trap while others would forget their heads if they weren’t attached.  There are occasions that are etched into memory for all time and there are others that are entirely forgettable.

Sometimes, memory is of vital importance.  Other times, it isn’t.  For instance, if you drive a vehicle, it is of vital importance to remember that a red traffic light means stop.  In fact, this is so important most of us don’t even really have to think about it once it has been ingrained into our driving patterns.  It becomes part of our deep, implicit memory, formed and operated upon without effort.  Once we have driven (or even just ridden in vehicles) for a while, we don’t even have to think about what to do when a light turns red.  We have experienced this so much that we just stop.  Still, this aspect of driving is crucial for us to remember.  When we forget to stop at red lights, bad things happen.  This functional memory is of vital importance, but there are other aspects of driving that typically aren’t so important…like remembering the make, model and color of each car stopped at the red light with you.  I drove on Route 30 from Irwin to Greensburg yesterday.  I stopped at multiple red lights.  There were at least 20 cars stopped with me at different points.  Maybe I could remember 1 right now.  Maybe?  Probably not.  I know that I would remember 0 after some more time passes.  But does it really matter?  No.  There are many, many, many things in life in which we won’t remember the aspects or the details, and that is OK.  Sometimes, memory isn’t that important.

Anyway, why am I writing about memory in the first place?

I forget.  I’m hungry.  What’s for supper?

(Sorry.  I couldn’t help myself.)

I’m writing about memory because we are approaching Memorial Day, and that is a day when we are asked to remember.  

Memorial Day is a day when we, as a nation, are called to remember the price that many have paid for us to live as we do.  We are called to remember the lives that were given, the sacrifices made, the families that have forever been changed by those who gave of their lives in service to their country.  We are to remember the often-repeated cliché that still holds truth, that “freedom isn’t free.” 

Memorial Day is a day for us to remember, and I am thankful for the reminder.  I am thankful for the reminder for us as a nation to pause, to remember, to celebrate those that have given their all on our behalf.  It is a good thing for us to do.  It is an important thing for us to do.  However, even though it is good and important for us to be reminded of the sacrifice of others on Memorial Day, I imagine that there are those who need no such holiday to jog a memory.   

There are parents who don’t need Memorial Day to remember their children who have died while serving the nation.

There are children who don’t need Memorial Day to remember the hole that their parents have left.

There are spouses who don’t need Memorial Day to be reminded of the loss of their partner.

There are women and men who have served alongside of their fellow soldiers who don’t need Memorial Day to be reminded of the cost of freedom.

There are cousins and neighbors, friends and relatives, those who have experienced personal loss who don’t need Memorial Day to remember.

They remember all of the time.

For some, every day serves as a Memorial Day because the reminders are present consistently.  They are reminded by the empty places at the table, by the rooms that are no longer used, the calls that are no longer made, the letters that are no longer received.  There are memories and reminders throughout their day-to-day life and the Memorial Day holiday is not necessary for them to remember.  Instead, the memory is deep.  It is ingrained.  It is a part of the fabric of their very being, even more so than stopping at a red light is a part of what it means to remember how to drive.  

For others, the loss isn’t as personal, the grief isn’t as present.  Memorial Day serves as a reminder, but then it fades away like the memories of the other cars stopped at yesterday’s red light with us.  It reminds us that it is important for us to remember the sacrifices, but then we forget until the holiday circles around again. 

Yes, Memorial Day can be important as it jogs our collective memory, but it would also serve us well if our memory went beyond Memorial Day, if we remembered more consistently.

If we consistently remembered that our freedom were bought with a price, how might that impact the way we used that freedom?

If it were in the forefront of our memory that there are those who continue to walk in grief and in pain, how might that impact the way we treat one another?

If remembering those who have served unto their death extended beyond Memorial Day within our nation, how might that influence the way we act and behave collectively?  

In our country, what would life look like if we were consistent in remembering the lives that were sacrificed on our behalf?  

I imagine things would be better, and yet, we often forget.  We often forget the price that was paid that we might have life.  So, we need days like Memorial Day for us to remember.

Sadly, this type of forgetfulness, this failure to remember also occurs in our walk with Jesus.

We often forget the price that was paid for our freedom.

We often forget the life that was laid down for our sake.

We often forget the blood that was shed, the life that was surrendered.

We often don’t experience or see the reminders in our day-to-day life as signal of God’s grace and God’s mercy.  Few of us look to the empty chairs within our homes and picture Jesus.  Few of us hear of betrayal and think of our Lord.  Few of us are reminded in a constant day-in and day-out way about the sacrifice of our Christ upon the cross. 

Not only do we forget the sacrifice, but we also forget the promises of life that are offered through it.
We forget the promise of God’s presence through each moment (even through our grief).

We forget the promise of God’s Spirit.

We forget the life that we have been offered, the freedom that we have received, the love that we walk in, our role in the Body of Christ, the way we are called to serve.

We forget to humble ourselves and be obedient, to flee from temptation, to walk as those who are called to be blameless before the Lord.

We forget so many things that the Lord has done for us and with us and through us.

And yet, it is important to remember.  It is important for us to remember in a way that moves beyond celebrations like Memorial Day, an impersonal holiday that is remembered once a year, to something more personal, something more real, something much deeper…like those for whom Memorial Day is an everyday affair.

Memory is an interesting thing.

One moment we can be as sharp as a tack.  The next as dull as a butter knife.  We can remember our favorite pair of socks that wore out (mine were a pair that had a picture of a banana on the front and read “I’m bananas”), but we can forget to be there for people on important dates and holidays.  We can maybe remember to thank Jesus for the cross on Good Friday or to celebrate the resurrection on Easter, but we can forget to walk with Jesus all of the other days of the year.

Perhaps this is why the Scripture says this: 

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

~ Deuteronomy 6:4-9

According to this passage, it isn’t enough for us to remember every once in a while.  It isn’t enough to have a “oh yeah…we should remember God” day once a year like is sometimes done with Memorial Day or Christmas or Easter.  Instead, our relationship with God should be an all the time ordeal, a personal affair where it impacts our everyday life, not just an occasional holiday.  

Remembering God moves well beyond the knowing of unimportant details of life (like knowing the other vehicles at a red light) straight into knowing that which is most essential to living (like how to stop when the light is red).  This is life-changing, completely important, vital stuff.  In fact, this was so important to God, that the Lord even offered some memory tips, some ways that we might be sure to remember.

Put the commands upon your heart.  Impress them upon your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you travel.  Tie them as symbols on your hands and your foreheads.  Write them on the doorframes of your houses and your gates.

MAKE REMINDERS to REMEMBER!

Have your life in God be so a part of your day-to-day existence that you can’t help but to remember.  Make God so a part of your every waking moment that you are unable to forget.

This Memorial Day, let’s remember.  Let’s remember those who have gone on before, their lives, their sacrifices, their gift, but let’s not stop there.  Let’s remember Jesus.  Let’s remember His life, His love, His sacrifice, His gift.  Let’s remember how Jesus went to the cross for each of us, personally, and let’s make it a personal part of our everyday existence.  Let’s put reminders of the promises of God everywhere we can think.  Let’s share in stories, read Scriptures, and point to Jesus in everything that we do.  After all, Jesus is the One who brings life out of death so that there is hope for life eternal, even for those we are remembering on Memorial Day.

~ Pastor Chris

Feeding Crows (May 23, 2021)

836.

That’s the current record.

836.

According to the American Birding Association, if you want to obtain a record for personally identifying the most species of birds within the United States during a single calendar year, that is the number that you would have to beat.  836.

836 different species of birds.  All personally identified by sight or by sound over the course of one year within the US.

My mind can barely comprehend this type of feat.  I feel like I’ve accomplished something if I recognize an occasional yellow finch or if I get a glimpse of an oriole.  

836 DIFFERENT SPECIES OF BIRDS?????   All within the US?  All identified within the course of a year by one gentleman?

I don’t even know how to begin to process this type of information.  It is just beyond my abilities to compute how this is physically possible (or even that desirable…it definitely falls outside of my passions).  Still, the fact remains.  John Weigel has done it.  He holds the record for the United States Big Year.  836.

Apparently, I have lived the majority of my life unaware of a couple of things.  One, there is a difference between birding and bird watching.  (Birding…when you travel to see birds.  Bird watching…you notice birds while traveling.)  Two, there is a thing called a “big year,” where you travel with the specific goal of identifying as many birds as possible within a year.  This can be done within the US, where 836 is the current record.  Or, it can be done within another geographical area…like across the entire globe, where the current record sits at 6,852 species by Arjan Dwarshuis.  

Who knew?  Maybe you did.  I surely did not.

I’m neither a birder nor am I a prolific bird watcher.  Granted, I enjoy seeing cardinals.  I like catching glimpses of blue jays or eastern bluebirds.  I’ll even notice a hummingbird from time to time.  For the most part, I enjoy birds (unless they are dropping their business somewhere that I would prefer for it not to be).  I enjoy their songs.  I enjoy thinking about their ability to fly.  I enjoy their colors.  I even enjoy their variety.  

Still, I am no ornithologist.  I’m not even intentional about my enjoyment of our fine-feathered friends.  No bird feeders.  No bird houses.  No bird baths.  No binoculars (unless I happen to see something that I consider extraordinary).  No field guides.  No notebooks to journal my sightings.  Nothing like that.  

Do you know the most that I do?

I’ll occasionally throw some bread that has gone stale outside of our window in hopes that I might see something special.  Sometimes, I think, “Maybe this crusty old bread will attract an amazing bird.  Perhaps I’ll get to see a tufted titmouse.”  (OK…I probably wouldn’t know a tufted titmouse if it was pecking me in the toe, but I had to put something there.)

That’s it.  Stale bread.  The occasional stale chip.  Discarded in a pile with the tiny hope of catching the glimpse of some pretty-looking bird if I happen to be walking by the window at the right time.  No further effort.

Typically, my efforts, even though they are very minimal, pay off to a certain degree.  The bread gets eaten, and birds come.  I’ve seen some cardinals enjoying some Italian.  I’ve seen some blue jays nibbling on some Lays.  I’ve even seen some sparrows scarfing down some Cheetos.  It’s working! 

But do you know what bird excited me the most?  Do you know what bird brought the biggest smile to my face?

A crow.

Plain.  Old.  Ordinary.  Normal.  Black.  Crow.

It brought about a huge smile!  I was overjoyed to see a crow snacking on the stale treats it had been presented.

“A crow!  You mean to tell me you got excited about a crow!”  Yes.  A crow.

You see, I have fond memories of crows.  Specifically, I have fond memories of my Grandpa feeding crows.  At the same time everyday, Grandpa would get up from his chair and exclaim, “Well, I’m off to feed my birds!”  Then, he’d head outside with all of the food scraps to feed the crows.  He’d take them pieces of fat, bits of leftover mayonnaise, scraps of food that went bad, whatever he could find, and he’d set them in his back yard.  Every day.  Same time.  Same place.  He kept his appointment, and the crows did too.  They’d come and wait up in the trees or on the telephone wire until Grandpa left.  Then, they’d swoop down to enjoy their meal.  Day after day after day.  Grandpa would take out the scraps.  The crows would come and eat them.  For years, Grandpa would feed his crows.

Yep.  Crows.  Not hummingbirds or bluebirds or cardinals or jays or anything flashy.  Grandpa fed crows, and he would laugh about it all of the time.  “How do you like my birds, Chris?  Aren’t they great?” he’d ask with a huge smile and a twinkle in his eye.  “I wonder how many will come tomorrow?”

Grandpa knew that what he was doing wasn’t “normal” bird watching behavior.  He knew that most people seek to attract the “pretty” birds, the ones with all of the vibrant colors.  People will put up hummingbird feeders or try to attract orioles or finches or the birds that are colorful.  Not Grandpa.  He preferred the crows, and he was fine if this was considered “unusual” behavior.

You see, Grandpa saw value in crows beyond beauty, beyond aesthetics.  He would talk about how smart they were, how they would remember.  (Scientists say that they are as smart as a seven-year old child.  Able to problem-solve, remember people, and use tools.)  He’d talk about how reliable they were, how they would come everyday at the same time.  They knew when to show up.  He’d also talk about how useful they were, how they would eat all of the things that he didn’t want spoiling or stinking up the garbage.  For Grandpa, crows were an intelligent, consistent, and practical bird that would help him with cleaning up.  (Try asking that of a hummingbird.  No!  They just want your sugar water!)  Grandpa was able to look beyond the feathers and the fluff, seeing value in a bird that most people consider to be a nuisance.

It makes me wonder.  How often do we do the same?

How often do we see the nice car, the designer clothing, the flawless face and want to attract that type of person?  How often do we see the plumage of success and equate value?  How often do we hear the sweet sounds of a pleasant voice and associate worth?  How often do we judge based on outward appearance, whatever those may be, good or bad, and we proceed based on those appearances?

I fear that we behave in this way more often than we’d like to admit.  We make judgments based on hair cuts or color, whether someone is wearing the latest trend, if someone can afford a proper suit, and on and on and on and on.  We use all kinds of factors and variables to make judgements and to assign worth to people based on external perceptions, sometimes instantaneously, and we rarely look beyond them.  We judge using external measurements.  Not so with God.

This is how God judges:

“The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

~ 1 Samuel 16:7

The Lord looks at the heart.

For us, this should serve as a reminder in a least a couple of ways.  One, we should be mindful of how we are “looking” at others.  Are we judging based on external realities?  Are we drawing conclusions based on external factors?  Or, are we asking God to reveal to us the heart?  Even if the appearance is off, or the words aren’t quite right, or the behaviors aren’t 100% what we would expect, have we sought to “see” the heart?  Have we sought to get below the surface?  

Two, have we applied this standard of judgment to our own lives?  I don’t even want to think about how much money is spent per year on diets and exercise programs and plastic surgery and image management and on and on and on.  Some of that isn’t all bad; however, physical appearance, success, financial freedom, etc. isn’t the criteria by which we will be judged.  Instead, God sees the heart.  How are we doing in that department?  Are we spending time in allowing God to mold our heart to be more like his own?  Are we concerned with our own inward beings more so than external appearances? 

I don’t know about you, but I have some leftovers that have gone bad, some food that has spoiled, some scraps that need to be taken care of.  I have some thoughts and ways of judging that do not align with God.  It is time for those to be set out and removed.  It is time to quit judging based on the external and instead ask God for a view of the internal.  It is time to feed the crows.

How about you?  Are you willing to look after things that may not be as attractive or initially appealing but will ultimately be more beneficial?  Are you willing to get rid of some waste and thoughts that will just continue to stink up your life?  Are you willing to take a lesson from my Grandpa?

I hope that you will join me in this endeavor, and perhaps the next time you see a crow eating an old crusty piece of bread, it will put a smile on your face as well. 

~ Pastor Chris

Some Line Graphs (May 16, 2021)

Have you ever considered plotting out your life on a line graph?  What would you measure?  What data would you track?  How would you define “success” or “failure”?  If your life could be laid out on a simple graph, what would it look like?

Now, before I go further, let’s deal with some obvious things.  In general, line graphs are pretty simple, pretty straightforward.  Typically, they measure two variables and that is it.  For instance, a common line graph that is used at the doctor’s office (especially when you are young and growing) is age vs. height.  Age will be plotted along the X-axis (the one that runs horizontally across the bottom…for those of us who haven’t been in math class for a while), and height will be plotted along the Y-axis (the one that runs vertically).  As the years pass and data is entered, the line graph can easily demonstrate an average growth rate.  When someone is a year old, they are ___ tall, when they are two, they are ___ tall.  On and on it goes, the line increasing upward until it plateaus.  This type of information is helpful, especially if you compare it to averages.  Lay an individual line graph over a chart of averages, and voila.  You can reasonably predict how tall your kid is going to be.  (In our experience, we’ve been raising someone who is on track to be pretty tall.  He’s always been at the top of that graph, and we haven’t seen him slowing down yet.)  Line graphs are beneficial.  They can be a helpful, visual aid in looking at your life and how it compares to others and to general trends.

Though line graphs are beneficial, they are also limited.  Two sets of data.  Not a lot of complexity.  Helpful and simple, but incomplete…especially when dealing with people.  Sure a line graph can show growth and be used to get a reasonable expectation for the future, but it doesn’t show any other factors.  For instance, what if Silas stopped liking food and didn’t eat for a long time?  How would that effect his overall height?  Or, what if he happened to find some kind of super-food that he really, really liked and it had some kind of positive growth effect?  

You get the idea.  We are complex people who live in complex environments.  Simple tools like line graphs are helpful, but incomplete.  Get it?  Good.  Let’s move on.  Back to something that helps us get closer to the point.

Recently, the Bible-reading plan that I use has had me reading in 1 Samuel.  Right now, I’m reading about the life of King Saul.  Saul’s story is one that I have read before.  The account of his life is one with which I have some familiarity, and yet, I am always struck by the trajectory of his life.  I am always saddened and caught off guard by the path that Saul followed.  In particular, I am effected by two different trends that are evidenced within his life.  His relationship with God & his humility.  These two things are what often stand out for me with King Saul, and for some reason, this time I thought about them in terms of some line graphs.  This isn’t how I usually think or process things, but hey…let’s see how it works.

First, let’s look at Saul’s humility.

In the beginning of his story, Saul was described as a humble guy.  In fact, when the prophet Samuel told him that he was to be king, this is how he responded:

“But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why do you say such a thing to me?”

~ 1 Samuel 9:21

When God uses Samuel to tell Saul that he is called, that he has a job, that he is to be king, Saul responds as many first do to God…with humility.  Who am I?  I am not worthy of such a task.  I am not deserving of such a call.  God, how could you use me?  Me?

Saul begins his journey as king with a mentionable dose of humility.  Somewhere within him, he knows that he is not worthy of this role, of this honor.  He is not deserving of the calling of God upon his life.  For arguments sake, let’s give Saul a “100%” humility ranking at the start.  No, he wasn’t 100% humble, but let’s give him that ranking right at the beginning of his calling.

Then, let’s look further down the path.  Let’s look at Saul somewhere in the middle of his calling, during his reign as a king.  How would his humility rank then?   

Quite frankly?  His humility tanked.  Rapidly.  Though we don’t know a lot about the timeframe or what happened previously, look at what it says in 1 Samuel 13.  (Just so we are familiar with the timeline in 1 Samuel, Saul was called by God in Chapter 9, Anointed and made king in Chapter 10, Rescues a city and is confirmed king in Chapter 11.  Samuel makes an address in Chapter 12, and then we get to Chapter 13.  Some time has passed as Jonathan, Saul’s son, is now in the picture and is fighting alongside Saul in battle.) 

He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter.  So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul offered up the burnt offering.

~ 1 Samuel 13:8-9

At this point, Saul had been given directions by God to wait for Samuel’s arrival before an offering would be made for the Lord.  Saul chose not to wait.  He looked at the circumstances of his men beginning to scatter.  He looked around for Samuel and thought that God had not come through.  He looked at himself.  And…he took matters into his own hands.  No longer did he view himself as some little Benjamite unable to fulfill the calling of God.  Instead, Saul acted as if God was the One who could not follow through with His plans.  Saul was the only one that was able to make things right.  Saul was the only one who could act.  Now, instead of being humble before the Lord and waiting as God directed, Saul was taking matters into his own hands without regarding what God had said.  He was even willing to step outside of his role as king and take up the role of king and priest.  Humility rating?  10% at best.

Now, when we tank we have the opportunity to bounce back, the chance to rectify our situation.  We fall off of the diet wagon, we have the chance to get back onto it.  We stumble in our Bible reading, we have the chance to start again.  I believe that Saul had the chance to humble himself before the Lord, to ask God to work within his heart to make him humble once more, to rectify this flaw that came up in his life.  Unfortunately, Saul did not choose that path.  Instead, in general, he continued on a downward path in terms of humility.

As Saul’s humility waned and his pride grew, he became so infatuated with maintaining his kingdom, his rule, his position of authority that he openly fought against God.  Saul became so prideful that he would stop at nothing to secure his place on the throne.  Not only did he threaten and chase after David, the one who was anointed to be his successor, but he also punished anyone who helped David along the way…even if they were servants of the Lord.

Then the king ordered the guards at his side: “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because they too have sided with David. They knew he was fleeing, yet they did not tell me.”

~ 1 Samuel 22:17

“Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because they too have sided with David.”  This is Saul?  The one who started by saying he was not worthy?  The one who started by saying that he was a nobody from a small tribe?  The one who started in humility?  Now, he is at the point where he is not only willing to step outside of the boundaries put forth by God in terms of the timing and the offering of sacrifices, he is actively killing those who would support David, even if they are priests of God.  Humility rating?  0%.

If plotted on a line graph, Saul’s humility plot might look something like this: 

                                            

                

                                                                

Granted, there would be little blips and bumps, times when he acted with more humility than others.  Still, in over-simplified terms, Saul’s perceived humility started off great and decreased rapidly over the course of his reign as king.

Do you know what else happened?  

His relationship with God took the same path, followed the same trajectory.  As his humility decreased, his relationship with God decreased…so much so that towards the end of his life, Saul said this:

“I am in great distress,” Saul said. “The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has departed from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams.”

~ 1 Samuel 28:15

Saul, who was once chosen by God and spoken to through the prophet Samuel had now come to the point where his relationship with God was in shatters.  The line graph for this data would look remarkably similar.

                                                                

Of course, you can’t really say what caused what.  Did his lack of humility cause the relationship to suffer?  Yes.  Did the relationship suffering cause a lack of humility?  Yes.  These two things were inter-related.  Not only that, but the graphs and the comparison over-simplify the complex nature of Saul’s life.  Regardless, Saul who started in humility, ended in pride.  He who started in dependence, in relationship with God, ended in independence and separation.

What about you?  What about your life?  What data would you plot?  What are the significant factors that you are tracking?   What would a line graph of your life indicate?  How is your humility?  How is your pride?  How is your relationship?  Are there areas that are decreasing that need to be turned around?

My prayer is that we would learn from Saul.  I pray that we would seek God will all of our heart, that we would serve the Lord in humility all of our days.  My prayer is that our line graph for humility and for our relationship with God would show just the opposite of Saul, and that we would ever be increasing in them both as we fulfill our calling and grow in love of Christ.

                                                               

 ~ Pastor Chris

Awaken (May 9, 2021)

Are you a morning person?  An early bird?  Do you have the “early to bed, early to rise, makes a person healthy, wealthy and wise” philosophy?  Do you just bound out of bed before the rooster has a chance to crow, rip-roaring and raring to go?

Or, are you more of an evening-type individual?  A night owl?  Do you have the “early to rise and early to bed makes a person healthy, wealthy and dead” philosophy?  Do you drag yourself out of bed at the crack of noon, and even then it’s hard to get moving?

The early bird vs. the night owl.  The early riser vs. the late riser.  For years there has been a debate about which is better, which is more productive.  Is it better to get moving straight away so that you don’t “burn daylight” or is it better to do more in the evening, in the cool of the night?  Is it better to quote Benjamin Franklin (the early riser) or James Thurber (the late riser)?

It used to be that this answer was pretty simple, pretty straightforward…especially if you were a person whose livelihood revolved around farming, or if you lived in a time before electricity.  Daylight only happened for so long.  Sleeping during daylight hours was counter-productive as you couldn’t make up the work in the evening.  There was no option for working at night.  Benjamin Franklin had it right.  If you want to get work done, if you want to be productive, get up early.  

These days, things have changed.  Electricity and modern inventions have made working into the evening more feasible, more realistic.  With so much being done online and electronically, it makes much less difference if your report is completed at 10am or 10pm.  Even in farming, practices of spraying and planting in the evening are increasing.  The picture has become much less clear.  Does the early bird get the worm or does the second mouse get the cheese?  

In reality, at least when it comes to sleep patterns, it probably makes very little difference.  A person can get up at 5 in the morning after going to bed at 8 the previous evening and still be lazy, or someone can get up at 5 in the morning and accomplish a ton.  Likewise, someone can get up at 1pm after going to bed at 4am and be lazy, ore they can get up at 1pm and accomplish a ton.  Though sleep schedule and preference can make a difference in some circumstances, particularly depending upon the job that you’d like to accomplish or the people that you need to meet/work together with, it really isn’t the primary issue that we need to be addressing.  If someone prefers to wake up at 4am, great.  If someone prefers to go to sleep at 4am, great.  The more important question we need to be addressing is whether or not we are truly awakened.  When we get out of bed are we truly awake?  Are we awake to the things of God and do we set about accomplishing them each day?  Are we using the hours that we have been given for good, for holy things, for light or are we wasting the hours that we have with evil, with wickedness, with the dark?

To me, that is a much more important question than the issue of the time we get up and the time we go to sleep.  The real question…are we awake when we are up?  Are we really awakened to the presence of God in our lives?  Are we able to follow Jesus during each day that we have been given?

In his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul says it this way:

And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already 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. 

~ Romans 13:11-12

The hour has already come for you to wake from your slumber.

The time is upon us.

The time is now.

We need to be awakened.

Not just physically, but spiritually.  We need to be spiritually awakened to the things of God within our lives.  We need to be awakened to the salvation of Jesus that has been given to us and the task that lies before us.  The night is nearly over.  The day is almost here.  Let’s put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.  It’s time to get up!

Whenever I was in high school, waking up in the morning was not my favorite thing in the world.  In fact, I had a pretty hard time with getting out of bed for school.  It took two alarm clocks and one Mom.  I’d set one alarm clock right beside my bed.  Typically, I’d turn that one off without even realizing what was happening.  Roll over and smack the thing.  Go back to sleep.  Then, the other alarm clock would go off across the room.  I’d drag my sorry carcass over to it and would turn it off as well.  Sometimes, that was sufficient, and I’d be up.  Other times, I needed more.  I needed Mom.  If both clocks didn’t work, and I was going to be late, Mom would step in and do whatever it took.  Gentle reminders, “Honey you need to get up to go to school.”  Little shakes of the shoulder, “Sweetie it’s time to get moving.”  If that didn’t work, she would elevate to the next level.  Foot tickling or blanket removal.  If those efforts didn’t achieve the goal, she’d bring out the big guns.  Water.  Drip.  Drip.  Drip.  Drip.  Right on my forehead.  (It’s very difficult to sleep with water dripping on your forehead.)  Whatever it took to get me moving, for me to be awakened, that’s what happened.  After all, I had a task to perform, a job to do.  School lay before me, and it was important that I was awake to participate.

Sometimes it can be hard to get up.  It can be hard to be awakened.  We feel comfortable in our slumber, and we don’t wish to be disturbed.  Regardless, we need to recognize that the alarm is ringing.  The buzzer is buzzing.  Both of them.  The one right next to the bed as well as the one across the room.  Wake up sleeper!  Open your eyes!  It’s time to get moving!  Put aside the deeds of darkness.  Do away with the wickedness that is holding you back.  Awake to the things of Jesus.  Dress in the armor of light.

Paul continues:

Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing 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 flesh.

~ Romans 13:13-14

It’s easy to read a passage like this and immediately think in terms of behavior modification or in terms of a list of things that we are to refrain from as followers of Jesus.  No carousing.  No drunkenness.  No sexual immorality.  No debauchery.  No dissension.  No jealousy.  Staying away from these things is good, is advisable; however, if all we get from this passage is a list of “don’ts,” then we are likely still asleep.  We’ve likely missed part of the point.  Yes, there are behaviors that we should refrain from, and Paul makes a list of some of them here; however, there is more to waking up than that.  Do you see it?  Do you see what Paul wants for us, what it looks like to be awake?

Being clothed in Jesus Christ.

Completely covered in Jesus.

Completely alive, completely awake in the love of the Lord.

Having the attitude of Jesus, the mindset of Jesus, the concerns of Jesus.  Being no longer worried about how we might gratify the desires of the flesh but focusing on the workings of the Holy Spirit within our lives.

I fear that there are a lot of times in my life when I have appeared to be “awake,” but I was really just sleep walking.  There have been occasions where it looked like I was living, where I was active, where I was doing the right things or saying the right things or being in the right places, but on the inside I was trying to fulfill the inward desires of my flesh more than I was being clothed with Christ.  I was going through some motions still asleep, needing to hear the alarm, to respond to the shaking, to bound out of bed from the water being dripped on my head.

Friend, it is time to wake up.

It is time to be awakened to the things of God in your life.  Will this mean that there are some behaviors that you have to change?  Perhaps.  Even more than that, it will mean that you are clothed in Jesus.  That Jesus is your covering.  That Jesus is your protection.  That Jesus is within your every thought.  That your mindset is the Lord’s.  That your attitude is the Lord’s.  That each step you take is the Lord’s.

Can you hear the alarm sounding?

Can you hear the voices calling?

It doesn’t matter if it is 4am or 4pm when you are reading this, if you’ve just gotten out of bed or if you’re about to hit this sheets.  It doesn’t matter if you are early on in your life or if you are entering your twilight.  The time is now.

Will you ask God to awaken you?

Will you ask the Lord to move within you?

Will you put on the armor of light?

Will you allow Jesus to clothe you?

….or do I need to go and get some water?

 ~ Pastor Chris