THE FIRST SATURDAY IN ADVENT
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2010
ROMANS 13:11-14 Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; 12the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; 13let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
I generally don’t wear a clergy collar except on Sunday morning, when I make hospital calls and when it is important to be identified as clergy. I am often surprised the effect that black shirt and while collar often has on people. I remember returning from a hospital call in Washington D.C. while on internship. I was wearing my clergy attire and was stopped at a red light. A young couple, seeing my collar, knocked on my window and asked me to marry them! I doubt that would have happened if I were wearing shorts and a tee shirt. What we wear often makes a difference in how people perceive us and how we act.
In the Second Reading for last Sunday, St. Paul says we are to put on the armor of light and in verse 34 he tells us to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Makes me wonder, how differently would I act and what would people expect of me and how would they react to me if somehow I was able to put on the armor of light and the Lord Jesus Christ? As Lutheran Christians we believe that in our baptisms we have put on Christ. At The Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd we dress the newly baptized babies a white baptismal garment symbolizing that they have put on Christ and are covered with the righteousness of Christ.
SO WHAT does it mean to you and to the people in your life that you have put on Christ?
Stir up your power, O Lord, and come. Empower me to walk in your light and proudly wear your name. AMEN
I think that putting on your light means to always try to show and reveal your best side. I believe that others will see the good in you and hopefully react in kind.
ReplyDeleteI remember (though some of the details are vague) a story told by a presenter at a pastoral leadership conference a couple years ago: how his neighbor's garbage can, set out at the curb, had blown over in a fierce wind and the garbage blew all over the yard. He went to help pick it up. When she thanked him, he paused long enough to decide not to just say "You're welcome," but he opted instead to say something brief to the tune of "I'm glad to help other people however I can because of how much Jesus has done for me." That was it...but it turned out that a co-worker of his wife was friends w/ this lady (the neighbor), and it wasn't long before word got back to him that the neighbor's son had decided to try out a Christian youth group nearby as a result of hearing how the neighbor (the workshop presenter) had helped his mom w/ the garbage and WHY he had.
ReplyDeleteNot that we are always going to have such gratifying results--or hear about the results that do come about b/c of our actions. But this presenter told us he was so glad he hadn't simply said "You're welcome" b/c that, he said, would have brought HIMSELF praise: She might later have told her son what a nice man lives across the street. But the few words he said, by way of explanation of why he had done what he had, gave the praise to Jesus. To me, that's what "putting on the Lord Jesus Christ" and his light means.
Hopefully it means that I live my life in a way that would be pleasing to the Lord - Loving God and loving my neighbors as I would love myself. That being said, I constantly fall short of this. I guess just more to work on ;-)
ReplyDeleteIt convicts me to put on His holy character and be driven like He was to glorify and enjoy the Father. I need to think more about what that means for me personally.
ReplyDeletePS: sorry I fell behind. I thought that updates would come by email.