"Wake Up"

I do not set my alarm clock, but I am always up on time. I have a human alarm clock named Anna. My three your old daughter wakes up ready to go every morning between 5:30-6 AM. We hear her door open, then the sound of her little running feet and the next thing we know her brown eyes are starring into ours.

On Saturday morning, I say, "Anna can't you go back to sleep?" To which she giggles, certain that I must be joking...after all the sun is up and so we should wake up too! As long as I have Anna, I don't need an alarm clock and as long as we have Jesus, his Light will shine on us no matter how dark it gets!


Ephesians 5:8-14 reads, "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10and find out what pleases the Lord. 11Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said:
"Wake up, O sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you."

Bible scholars believe that the end of verse 14 was an early church baptism chant. As the person would go into the water they were reminded that we are all asleep in our own selfishness and sin. But because of Jesus' death and resurrection everyone is invited to rise from that death and receive the promise, "and Christ will shine on you". That is rich promise of baptism and of our relationship with Jesus: No matter how dark it gets, you are promised Jesus, the Light, to guide, strengthen and empower you so that you his light in you will put darkness on the run!

It is always humbling for me to think about what baptism meant to the early church. In baptism they were publicly proclaiming their faith in Christ during a time and culture in which people were being killed, imprisoned, having their personal property confiscated and beaten for their faith. And yet, their faith in Christ was more valuable to them than their own well fare, which was demonstrated through baptism. Our faith ancestors truly lived as children of the light.

Of course, we also know that more Followers of Christ died for their faith in the last century than all other centuries combined. As I type these words, a brother or sister in Christ will die simply because they profess Jesus as their God. Baptism for the Church in other parts of the world today is more than symbolic, it is truly an act of full surrender to Jesus.

This Sunday as we gather for our baptism celebration, there will be no hint of fear; no worry for one's welfare. However, the meaning of baptism is no less. In baptism our personal faith is made public. It is drawing the line in the sand and saying before the whole Body of Christ, "The old is buried and through Christ a whole new creation exists." Through the act of baptism God's grace of assurance is given to us as we are minded that as long as we live for him, his light will shine on us. And the Bible says when one person turns from self to Jesus all of heaven parties.

This Sunday come ready to celebrate...come prepared to praise...come expecting God to shine on us and make himself known and be ready to wake up to something new from God. Please join me in praying and expecting for this Sunday!