Romans 13:11-14 (NRSV)
Read Romans 13:11-14 on biblegateway.com
Verse 11Besides 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; Verse 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; Verse 13let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. Verse 14Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Devotion
Awake, awake! Easy for you to say. Hard for me to do! After trying to
wake me for a meeting, a friend once despaired, “I hope you haven’t
wasted money on a smoke alarm. Unless it throws you out of the window,
it is useless to you!” Advent comes at that dark and frigid time when the
world is inclined to hibernation. But we are to greet not just the dawn, but the rebirth of all creation. We are to wake from sleep because, as Paul writes to the Romans (Rom. 13:11-12), salvation is nearer to us
now than when we became believers. Because Jesus comes, and comes
again, we are to put aside works of darkness and be garbed with the
armor of light. It is never so dark as just before dawn: awake, awake
and greet the new morn!
Prayer
Our God, hear our prayer that we might heed your alarm and awaken to the
dawn of the day and the new life of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.