Wake Up, the Hour Has Come

Romans 13:11-14

A fisherman had planned a special trip for several months. He arranged with his boss so he can take a vacation. He took his car for a complete maintenance and check up. He wanted to be sure that his family would not be in need of anything, so he provided whatever was needed. He had a long list of things to do; one by one he crossed them.

Then the day arrived. He was excited and he left the home early. He arrived in his cabin ahead of time. He slept early and woke up early at 4:00 am in the morning. He was excited he wore his special fishing clothes. He took his instruments, a fishing box and a bucket. He arrived to the river and he was ready to enter the river. He opened the fishing box, and guess what, the box was empty. He forgot to bring along the most important thing, the bait. The bait box was empty.

It is advent. It is time of preparation and anticipation. It is “the most joyful time of the year,” say the songs of the season. Today’s passage is an eschatological passage written by Paul warning the church about the coming of Jesus. Paul is concerned that Christ will come and the church would not be prepared, the church would be sleeping. “The day is almost here.” (12b) Therefore this is an urgent matter. A wake up call for preparation. And I am afraid that sometimes we prepare ourselves like that fisherman who did everything possible to be ready, yet he forgot the prepare the most important thing.

“The hour has come… wake up… salvation is nearer now than we first believed” (11).

Paul talks about time. Two words are important when we discuss the subject of time: “Chronos” (time of the day, the daily time schedule, your appointments, chronological time) and “Kairos” (the quality time when something special happens, the event, the coming of Jesus.)

The calendar brought us to December 2007. That is chronos. However, when we expect something special to happen, in this case the coming of the Messiah, time becomes kairos. “The hour has come.”

Paul is speaking about the Second Coming of Jesus; I see this also a time for us to be prepared for the coming baby Jesus in our lives. It is time for preparation. How do we prepare?

I am sure many of you are already talking about what to do during Christmas vacation. Where to go? Who will be invited? Do we have enough presents?

By looking our consumerist society:

If you are a child, advent is an endless four weeks of stretched month of December, eagerly waiting for the present opening day.

If you are an adult, advent is hurried, rushed, four weeks of breathless days of buying, planning, cooking, with anticipation of joy, you end up in extreme exhaustion.

Relax, yet be awake and be ready. Paul is saying: “The night is nearly over and day is almost here.” (12)

We all need the night sleep to gain new strength for next day. That is the positive use of the word night. I used to sleep like a baby. Then during my lifetime things changed and I developed sleep- apnea. Now Thanks to a machine called CPAP, that pumps more air into my nose, I received back the gift of sleeping. Many of you can relate to what I am saying. Yet, Paul is talking about something else.

Some can always be living in the “night”. It has double meaning. At night you can be in the dark, your works can be in dark. At night, you think you are hiding in darkness. At night, evil works can be done easily. Most crimes take place at night. Paul adds more: So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and out on the armor of light.” (12) The second meaning of night is being sleepy and continuing in sleepy lifestyle.

Paul is warning the early church with two things:

The first one: Wake up from being sleepy and be alert for the coming of the Lord. It reminds me five virgins who were not prepared when the groom came; they were sleeping and did not have enough oil for the lamps.

Put away your “dark deeds”.

The second: What are those “dark deeds?” How can we have the “armor of Light?”

We will continue in English.