WEBVTT 00:00:01.189 --> 00:00:03.149 Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night, 00:00:03.430 --> 00:00:05.490 needing to go to the bathroom, and you just didn't 00:00:05.490 --> 00:00:07.509 want to turn the light on? You know turning the 00:00:07.509 --> 00:00:10.269 light on will help you see. But you know that 00:00:10.269 --> 00:00:13.310 feeling, waking up at 2 .30 in the morning, making 00:00:13.310 --> 00:00:15.230 a quiet deal with yourself, I'm not turning on 00:00:15.230 --> 00:00:19.690 that light. Because you know the rules. If the 00:00:19.690 --> 00:00:22.769 light goes on, your eyes will sting, your brain 00:00:22.769 --> 00:00:26.089 kicks into gear, and your body thinks it's morning, 00:00:26.190 --> 00:00:29.230 and suddenly you're awake. when all you wanted 00:00:29.230 --> 00:00:31.570 to do was stay half asleep and go take care of 00:00:31.570 --> 00:00:35.490 your business. So you shuffle in the dark, eyes 00:00:35.490 --> 00:00:38.649 half closed, hand on the wall like a sleepy zombie, 00:00:39.350 --> 00:00:43.250 making way more noise than anybody needs to hear 00:00:43.250 --> 00:00:45.789 at any point in time and being called by your 00:00:45.789 --> 00:00:50.909 older cousin a super spy. Thank you, Jock. You're 00:00:50.909 --> 00:00:54.280 trying not to wake up. You're trying not to see 00:00:54.280 --> 00:00:57.560 too clearly. You're trying to stay inside the 00:00:57.560 --> 00:01:00.259 comfort zone of drowsiness where the dark lets 00:01:00.259 --> 00:01:03.219 you pretend that you're still asleep. You tiptoe 00:01:03.219 --> 00:01:06.079 through the dark hoping that the night can just 00:01:06.079 --> 00:01:09.480 keep lulling you along and you can get back to 00:01:09.480 --> 00:01:13.760 bed quickly. Sometimes we avoid light on purpose. 00:01:14.500 --> 00:01:17.340 If we turned it on, if we really saw things, 00:01:18.040 --> 00:01:22.079 we'd have to be awake. And being awake is inconvenient. 00:01:22.739 --> 00:01:25.540 Being awake demands something. It breaks the 00:01:25.540 --> 00:01:29.040 spell of comfortable sleep. Turning on the light 00:01:29.040 --> 00:01:32.939 forces awareness. Once the light is on, you must 00:01:32.939 --> 00:01:36.140 face the reality that the night is over. That 00:01:36.140 --> 00:01:40.680 you're awake and that you must act. That's the 00:01:40.680 --> 00:01:43.780 worst part. If you're awake, it means you're 00:01:43.780 --> 00:01:47.799 supposed to be doing stuff. We live in a world 00:01:47.799 --> 00:01:51.340 that constantly lulls us into sleep. Sometimes 00:01:51.340 --> 00:01:53.359 it's the literal sleep of the night, but more 00:01:53.359 --> 00:01:57.219 often it's the moral, spiritual, ethical sleep 00:01:57.219 --> 00:02:00.359 that quietly settles over our hearts. We like 00:02:00.359 --> 00:02:03.299 it that way. Darkness can be comfortable. It 00:02:03.299 --> 00:02:06.519 keeps us from having to face truths that we'd 00:02:06.519 --> 00:02:10.180 rather ignore. It allows us to postpone uncomfortable 00:02:10.180 --> 00:02:14.479 conversations with ourselves, with others, with 00:02:14.479 --> 00:02:17.870 God. Darkness is seductive because it allows 00:02:17.870 --> 00:02:22.870 us to stay unexamined, unchallenged, and unaccountable. 00:02:23.330 --> 00:02:27.090 And the same is true morally and spiritually. 00:02:27.969 --> 00:02:30.590 We can live, speak, and act without fully seeing 00:02:30.590 --> 00:02:33.689 ourselves, without being fully honest with God 00:02:33.689 --> 00:02:37.210 or our neighbors. But the moment light shines, 00:02:37.930 --> 00:02:41.689 whether through conscience, scripture, or God 00:02:41.689 --> 00:02:45.680 Himself, we can no longer pretend. The night 00:02:45.680 --> 00:02:53.060 is over. The dawn is near. Wake up! You're welcome. 00:02:54.699 --> 00:02:58.259 Paul captures this urgency in Romans 13 when 00:02:58.259 --> 00:03:00.360 he writes, The night is far gone. The day is 00:03:00.360 --> 00:03:03.439 at hand. So let us cast off the works of darkness 00:03:03.439 --> 00:03:07.979 and put on the armor of light. We cannot pretend 00:03:07.979 --> 00:03:11.080 that moral sleepiness is harmless. The night 00:03:11.080 --> 00:03:15.169 is ending. The light is coming. We often prefer 00:03:15.169 --> 00:03:17.650 spiritual drowsiness because if the light comes 00:03:17.650 --> 00:03:20.110 on then that means we have to admit something 00:03:20.110 --> 00:03:24.250 if Christ's truth shines on our words our habits 00:03:24.250 --> 00:03:30.569 our excuses our compromises We'd have to acknowledge. 00:03:30.569 --> 00:03:33.710 What's really there if We step into the light 00:03:33.710 --> 00:03:36.409 we can't keep pretending that everything is in 00:03:36.409 --> 00:03:39.330 order if you turn on the light Then you have 00:03:39.330 --> 00:03:42.000 to see the mess that's on the floor the clutter 00:03:42.000 --> 00:03:44.460 in the corner, the things that we've tripped 00:03:44.460 --> 00:03:47.780 over a dozen times, the things that we try to 00:03:47.780 --> 00:03:50.699 navigate around, instead of realizing the need 00:03:50.699 --> 00:03:56.379 to clean it up. Darkness lets us stay numb. Just 00:03:56.379 --> 00:04:00.000 like that 2 .30 a .m. trip to the bathroom, with 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:03.219 all of our resentments, prejudices, hidden sins, 00:04:03.300 --> 00:04:06.039 and comfortable habits, we sometimes whisper 00:04:06.039 --> 00:04:08.699 to our souls, don't turn the light on, don't 00:04:08.699 --> 00:04:12.650 wake up. Don't look too closely Let me stay in 00:04:12.650 --> 00:04:15.949 the half darkness a little longer, but Advent 00:04:15.949 --> 00:04:21.209 says wake up The dawn is here and Christ is shining 00:04:21.209 --> 00:04:25.069 the light has risen But you've just been keeping 00:04:25.069 --> 00:04:28.649 your eyes closed Consider the darkness that grows 00:04:28.649 --> 00:04:31.350 when no one is paying attention for years here 00:04:31.350 --> 00:04:34.129 in Houston it appeared executives were running 00:04:34.129 --> 00:04:37.879 a perfectly successful business climbing to unprecedented 00:04:37.879 --> 00:04:40.980 financial heights, but behind the scenes, accounting 00:04:40.980 --> 00:04:44.439 tricks, manipulation, and deception were running 00:04:44.439 --> 00:04:48.079 unchecked. They created shell companies to hide 00:04:48.079 --> 00:04:51.100 losses. They shifted debt off their books so 00:04:51.100 --> 00:04:54.279 it wouldn't be noticed. They reported profits 00:04:54.279 --> 00:04:57.519 that were not actually profits after all. People 00:04:57.519 --> 00:04:59.680 trusted numbers because they wanted to believe 00:04:59.680 --> 00:05:02.920 everything was fine. Darkness thrived because 00:05:02.920 --> 00:05:06.399 people don't want to look too closely. They didn't 00:05:06.399 --> 00:05:10.100 want to turn on the light. But you see, the consequences 00:05:10.100 --> 00:05:13.660 were devastating. Not just for the Enron executives, 00:05:14.139 --> 00:05:17.540 but for the employees, the retirees, the investors, 00:05:18.079 --> 00:05:20.459 and the communities who trusted the company. 00:05:21.339 --> 00:05:24.860 Jobs evaporated overnight. Life savings disappeared. 00:05:25.000 --> 00:05:27.740 Families were uprooted. Communities were shaken. 00:05:28.639 --> 00:05:31.000 All of this because darkness had been allowed 00:05:31.000 --> 00:05:34.860 to grow unchallenged. because people had been 00:05:34.860 --> 00:05:38.220 lulled into ethical sleepiness. And the strange 00:05:38.220 --> 00:05:40.839 thing was, many of the people involved were not 00:05:40.839 --> 00:05:43.839 villains in their own minds. They weren't waking 00:05:43.839 --> 00:05:47.060 up each morning thinking, how can I be evil today? 00:05:47.279 --> 00:05:50.680 Mwa ha ha, where is the wax for my mustache? 00:05:51.060 --> 00:05:55.420 Do do do. Do you think that anyone being evil 00:05:55.420 --> 00:06:00.459 ever really says, yes, I am evil today, you caught 00:06:00.459 --> 00:06:04.860 me? Most of them were simply operating in what 00:06:04.860 --> 00:06:07.740 had become business as usual, because that's 00:06:07.740 --> 00:06:10.720 how darkness works. It doesn't show up wearing 00:06:10.720 --> 00:06:15.100 a dastardly cape and a top hat. It shows up disguised 00:06:15.100 --> 00:06:18.100 as normal. And because so many people were spiritually 00:06:18.100 --> 00:06:20.259 and morally sleepy, because they were used to 00:06:20.259 --> 00:06:23.399 the dark, they kept walking forward without ever 00:06:23.399 --> 00:06:27.439 turning on the light. But you see, we don't even 00:06:27.439 --> 00:06:29.660 have to look at corporate America to see the 00:06:29.660 --> 00:06:33.410 same patterns. We can even think about churches, 00:06:33.410 --> 00:06:37.050 communities, families. When trust is misused, 00:06:37.269 --> 00:06:40.290 when authority is wielded irresponsibly, when 00:06:40.290 --> 00:06:45.110 darkness thrives in silence or in secrecy, the 00:06:45.110 --> 00:06:49.589 damage is real. People are hurt. Faith is shaken. 00:06:50.490 --> 00:06:54.449 Hope is diminished. Darkness thrives. We've all 00:06:54.449 --> 00:06:56.949 seen the news lately about a large prominent 00:06:56.949 --> 00:06:59.350 Houston congregation where a leadership structure 00:06:59.350 --> 00:07:04.199 was upended in a massive internal shift. Decisions 00:07:04.199 --> 00:07:07.279 were made behind closed doors, authority was 00:07:07.279 --> 00:07:10.199 redirected in ways that many members didn't actually 00:07:10.199 --> 00:07:13.279 understand, and people suddenly began to feel 00:07:13.279 --> 00:07:15.399 as though trust had been broken when they discovered 00:07:15.399 --> 00:07:20.120 they had no more say in their own church. Even 00:07:20.120 --> 00:07:22.720 churches can drift into a kind of organizational 00:07:22.720 --> 00:07:26.639 darkness, secrecy, power struggles, defensiveness, 00:07:26.800 --> 00:07:30.389 fear of the light. and the damage always spreads. 00:07:31.410 --> 00:07:34.610 It doesn't ever stay in one place. People become 00:07:34.610 --> 00:07:38.149 disillusioned. Young adults walk away. Members 00:07:38.149 --> 00:07:41.089 feel unseen or unheard. Communities fracture. 00:07:41.930 --> 00:07:44.730 Darkness, even when it feels safe, always costs 00:07:44.730 --> 00:07:49.170 more than we think. But isn't that how things 00:07:49.170 --> 00:07:52.389 have to be though? Don't businesses have to act 00:07:52.389 --> 00:07:56.970 that way? No. There are plenty of examples whenever 00:07:57.310 --> 00:08:01.269 doing the right thing may cost quite a bit, but 00:08:01.269 --> 00:08:04.810 people still do it. When Johnson & Johnson in 00:08:04.810 --> 00:08:08.410 1982 found out that seven people died after cyanide 00:08:08.410 --> 00:08:11.350 -laced Tylenol capsules reached the market, the 00:08:11.350 --> 00:08:14.810 company did not hesitate. They recalled every 00:08:14.810 --> 00:08:20.029 single Tylenol bottle in the nation. Over 31 00:08:20.029 --> 00:08:22.610 million bottles at a staggering cost that no 00:08:22.610 --> 00:08:26.110 one helped them with. They acted transparently, 00:08:26.410 --> 00:08:29.850 decisively, and sacrificially. Or Patagonia, 00:08:30.089 --> 00:08:33.110 on Black Friday of all days saying, don't buy 00:08:33.110 --> 00:08:37.129 this jacket, rather than trying to manipulate 00:08:37.129 --> 00:08:41.850 guilt or pressure, instead asking that, do people 00:08:41.850 --> 00:08:44.750 really need to buy our product today? And if 00:08:44.750 --> 00:08:47.549 they choose to buy, do they trust that their 00:08:47.549 --> 00:08:52.690 money is used responsibly? Or CVS Pharmacy, when 00:08:52.690 --> 00:08:55.090 they stopped selling all tobacco products in 00:08:55.090 --> 00:08:58.750 2014 because they wanted to align themselves 00:08:58.750 --> 00:09:01.370 with health care rather than addictive substances 00:09:01.370 --> 00:09:06.950 losing two billion dollars every single year 00:09:06.950 --> 00:09:10.309 and even now having to close over a thousand 00:09:10.309 --> 00:09:13.789 locations over the last three years ten percent 00:09:13.789 --> 00:09:17.909 of its locations streamlining to continue its 00:09:17.909 --> 00:09:20.009 mission of doing what's right for the community 00:09:21.200 --> 00:09:23.620 But when scripture talks about darkness, it's 00:09:23.620 --> 00:09:27.480 not always talking about dramatic things or obvious 00:09:27.480 --> 00:09:31.000 rebellions. Often darkness is the stuff that 00:09:31.000 --> 00:09:34.879 we've stopped noticing. Habits we excuse, patterns 00:09:34.879 --> 00:09:39.379 we justify, sharp words that we shrug off, grudges 00:09:39.379 --> 00:09:43.720 we quietly feed. sins that we rename so we don't 00:09:43.720 --> 00:09:46.960 have to feel convicted, the things we keep in 00:09:46.960 --> 00:09:49.720 the corner because we hope God doesn't bring 00:09:49.720 --> 00:09:53.419 them into the center of the room. Do we really 00:09:53.419 --> 00:09:58.220 think that the sins listed in Romans 13 were 00:09:58.220 --> 00:10:01.740 just exceptions to what everyday people were 00:10:01.740 --> 00:10:05.600 doing? Darkness allows us to say, I don't want 00:10:05.600 --> 00:10:08.500 to deal with that yet. I don't want the light 00:10:08.500 --> 00:10:11.669 to expose that. Let me stay comfortable, but 00:10:11.669 --> 00:10:14.090 the longer we stay asleep the more damage that 00:10:14.090 --> 00:10:22.549 we do Even as we know that Jesus is coming It's 00:10:22.549 --> 00:10:26.210 like this time I was having this terrible dream 00:10:26.210 --> 00:10:29.289 one night as a child and I began screaming bloody 00:10:29.289 --> 00:10:33.049 murder To the point where my father jumped out 00:10:33.049 --> 00:10:37.559 of bed Ran down the hallway slipped on a dryer 00:10:37.559 --> 00:10:42.179 sheet, began pinball bouncing from wall to wall 00:10:42.179 --> 00:10:45.519 in the hallway, and then finally jumped up on 00:10:45.519 --> 00:10:50.480 my bed to protect me from imaginary dogs, whatever 00:10:50.480 --> 00:10:54.919 I was dreaming about. And I did not want the 00:10:54.919 --> 00:10:59.379 lights to come on at all because I did not want 00:10:59.379 --> 00:11:02.059 to know just how beat up my dad was because of 00:11:02.059 --> 00:11:07.769 my bad dream. I didn't want to see what was needed. 00:11:08.730 --> 00:11:11.250 But the problem is that you cannot put ice on 00:11:11.250 --> 00:11:13.110 the bruises if you haven't turned the lights 00:11:13.110 --> 00:11:17.190 on to figure out where they are. See, you can't 00:11:17.190 --> 00:11:19.970 fix the brokenness in the world or inside of 00:11:19.970 --> 00:11:23.549 yourself without allowing the light to come flooding 00:11:23.549 --> 00:11:26.710 in and show you what is happening inside so you 00:11:26.710 --> 00:11:31.240 can change. But you see, Matthew is reminding 00:11:31.240 --> 00:11:35.340 us that just having better ethical behavior or 00:11:35.340 --> 00:11:39.639 more vigilance is not enough. The wake -up call 00:11:39.639 --> 00:11:44.720 is about Jesus. Advent introduces us to a child, 00:11:44.820 --> 00:11:47.639 a child who steps into the world when we are 00:11:47.639 --> 00:11:50.940 unprepared, vulnerable, and still half asleep. 00:11:51.820 --> 00:11:54.799 You see, children have a way of revealing what 00:11:54.799 --> 00:11:59.029 we would rather hide. They ask questions that 00:11:59.029 --> 00:12:01.929 we cannot ignore. They let the pastor know if 00:12:01.929 --> 00:12:05.710 he's preaching way too long. But you see, the 00:12:05.710 --> 00:12:09.309 thing is that the children are the ones who are 00:12:09.309 --> 00:12:11.450 the most likely to tell you things that you didn't 00:12:11.450 --> 00:12:14.110 want to know. They're the ones who are going 00:12:14.110 --> 00:12:17.230 to say, wow, have you always had a mole there 00:12:17.230 --> 00:12:21.629 in the center of your forehead? Wow, do you always 00:12:21.629 --> 00:12:25.240 talk with that lisp? or even along the lines 00:12:25.240 --> 00:12:29.379 of, did you ever have hair on your head? They 00:12:29.379 --> 00:12:32.659 noticed, though, the inconsistencies in our behavior, 00:12:33.919 --> 00:12:37.799 the speech, our ethics. They're the ones that 00:12:37.799 --> 00:12:40.039 challenge us with moral clarity that we often 00:12:40.039 --> 00:12:42.679 lose as adults. And the thing is, is that we 00:12:42.679 --> 00:12:44.679 know that when we were children, someone taught 00:12:44.679 --> 00:12:48.919 us honesty, fairness, compassion, justice. We 00:12:48.919 --> 00:12:51.220 were instructed not to cheat, not to deceive, 00:12:51.299 --> 00:12:54.159 not to take shortcuts. But somewhere along the 00:12:54.159 --> 00:12:57.580 way, adulthood gave us permission to forget. 00:12:59.259 --> 00:13:02.019 We rationalized our compromises. We found ways 00:13:02.019 --> 00:13:04.720 to hide darkness instead of shining light on 00:13:04.720 --> 00:13:06.539 it because it wasn't quite as dark as something 00:13:06.539 --> 00:13:09.860 else. And then we look at the next generation 00:13:09.860 --> 00:13:12.559 and wonder why they seem to prioritize career 00:13:12.559 --> 00:13:15.600 advancement over integrity, why they don't seem 00:13:15.600 --> 00:13:18.100 to have any loyalty to the places where they 00:13:18.100 --> 00:13:21.899 work, why their ethical actions seem optional. 00:13:22.320 --> 00:13:25.639 Why they make TikToks that make light of anything 00:13:25.639 --> 00:13:28.779 they do with their bodies. Why the world feels 00:13:28.779 --> 00:13:32.379 so fractured. As the words in Cats in the Cradle 00:13:32.379 --> 00:13:34.679 would remind us, I'm gonna grow up to be just 00:13:34.679 --> 00:13:38.559 like you, Dad. You know I'm gonna be like you. 00:13:39.720 --> 00:13:42.879 Children imitate what they see. They learn from 00:13:42.879 --> 00:13:46.779 actions. They learn from attitudes. And they 00:13:46.779 --> 00:13:51.399 learn from our failures. When we work too hard, 00:13:51.690 --> 00:13:54.830 The kids work too hard. When we look for the 00:13:54.830 --> 00:13:58.350 easy way out, the children can't handle life 00:13:58.350 --> 00:14:02.490 either. But the good news is that it's never 00:14:02.490 --> 00:14:07.210 too late to model the right way. No matter our 00:14:07.210 --> 00:14:10.490 past missteps, we can begin today. We can choose 00:14:10.490 --> 00:14:15.230 integrity, honesty. We can follow the light and 00:14:15.230 --> 00:14:18.389 have a chance at the next generation seeing it 00:14:18.389 --> 00:14:22.610 and following. But you see, as inconvenient as 00:14:22.610 --> 00:14:26.850 it may be, it's still needed. Whether tiptoeing 00:14:26.850 --> 00:14:29.789 through the dark and we stub our toes because 00:14:29.789 --> 00:14:32.629 we didn't want to turn on the light, or when 00:14:32.629 --> 00:14:34.490 we realize that the bruises are going to be there 00:14:34.490 --> 00:14:37.490 whether we see them or not, the truth is better 00:14:37.490 --> 00:14:41.049 than the fear that we may imagine. But the child 00:14:41.049 --> 00:14:44.549 of Advent, the Christ child, works in the same 00:14:44.549 --> 00:14:49.909 way. He exposes darkness not to condemn us, but 00:14:49.909 --> 00:14:53.950 to redeem us. He illuminates our shortcomings, 00:14:54.490 --> 00:14:58.509 our ethical lapses, our moral sleepiness, because 00:14:58.509 --> 00:15:01.909 He's offering us grace, forgiveness, and the 00:15:01.909 --> 00:15:05.889 opportunity to start anew. The light does not 00:15:05.889 --> 00:15:10.090 shame, it heals. The light does not punish, it 00:15:10.090 --> 00:15:14.750 restores. The child comes for the ethically distracted 00:15:14.750 --> 00:15:20.120 people. The child comes for us. The ethical life 00:15:20.120 --> 00:15:24.700 though, it's more than businesses It's communities 00:15:24.700 --> 00:15:28.240 families Legacies, it's more than children. It's 00:15:28.240 --> 00:15:31.820 nephews nieces our students our neighbors kids 00:15:31.820 --> 00:15:36.080 the children in our own church They pay attention 00:15:36.080 --> 00:15:39.799 to whether ethics matter in real life They pay 00:15:39.799 --> 00:15:43.840 attention to where ethics matter in our life 00:15:43.840 --> 00:15:47.240 Because if all they see is compromise and self 00:15:47.240 --> 00:15:51.950 -interest They will do the same if they see integrity 00:15:51.950 --> 00:15:55.370 and courage They will be inspired to walk in 00:15:55.370 --> 00:16:00.049 the light What does Romans 13 look like when 00:16:00.049 --> 00:16:03.070 we put on the armor of light? It's more than 00:16:03.070 --> 00:16:06.110 just avoiding the things that it listed in there 00:16:06.110 --> 00:16:09.049 There are things listed in there that I've never 00:16:09.049 --> 00:16:11.590 really had to worry about in my everyday life 00:16:11.590 --> 00:16:15.789 But if we're honest, it looks like truth -telling 00:16:15.789 --> 00:16:19.899 even when it's uncomfortable It looks like fair 00:16:19.899 --> 00:16:23.679 treatment of others and not exploiting or manipulating 00:16:23.679 --> 00:16:28.019 It looks like generosity being free and honest. 00:16:28.039 --> 00:16:32.220 It looks like forgiveness and patience to others 00:16:32.220 --> 00:16:36.820 and to ourselves It looks like daily resisting 00:16:36.820 --> 00:16:41.139 choices That can lead us into darkness The ones 00:16:41.139 --> 00:16:45.179 that we say well everyone else is doing it. I'm 00:16:45.179 --> 00:16:48.940 sure it's not that bad But you see, Advent is 00:16:48.940 --> 00:16:51.519 a season when the church stands between darkness 00:16:51.519 --> 00:16:55.259 and daylight. It's that early morning moment 00:16:55.259 --> 00:16:58.519 when the sky is starting to turn blue, but the 00:16:58.519 --> 00:17:01.860 sun hasn't yet risen. I have no idea what it 00:17:01.860 --> 00:17:06.079 actually looks like in real life, but the thing 00:17:06.079 --> 00:17:10.200 about the sunrise, rumor has it you cannot stop 00:17:10.200 --> 00:17:15.099 it. You can't close the blinds and try to pretend 00:17:15.099 --> 00:17:18.349 it's not there. You can close them, but it's 00:17:18.349 --> 00:17:21.670 still there. You can try to bury your head under 00:17:21.670 --> 00:17:25.490 the pillow, but it's still there. You can pretend 00:17:25.490 --> 00:17:27.390 it's the middle of the night, but the dawn keeps 00:17:27.390 --> 00:17:31.109 on coming. Because Jesus says He will come at 00:17:31.109 --> 00:17:34.549 an hour when we do not expect. But that's exactly 00:17:34.549 --> 00:17:37.750 why we need to be awake. Because the light of 00:17:37.750 --> 00:17:41.009 Christ is not about being harsh. It's not about 00:17:41.009 --> 00:17:43.329 humiliating. It's not a gotcha moment from God. 00:17:43.549 --> 00:17:47.190 I caught you. It's helping us to finally see 00:17:47.190 --> 00:17:51.509 a way forward to be healed to be children of 00:17:51.509 --> 00:17:57.069 the day the light the dawn and So as Paul says 00:17:57.069 --> 00:18:00.309 that once Christ has been put on once we are 00:18:00.309 --> 00:18:03.490 clothed in his righteousness Then we shed off 00:18:03.490 --> 00:18:06.930 the shadows Because putting on Christ is more 00:18:06.930 --> 00:18:10.349 than what's on the outside It's what transforms 00:18:10.349 --> 00:18:14.519 us on the inside So let's be honest about the 00:18:14.519 --> 00:18:17.759 things that we have kept in our darkness. The 00:18:17.759 --> 00:18:21.339 bitterness that we've nursed. The habits that 00:18:21.339 --> 00:18:25.619 we've justified. The lies that we've told ourselves 00:18:25.619 --> 00:18:29.579 to get past the decisions that we've made. The 00:18:29.579 --> 00:18:33.099 secret selfishness. The fears, the pride, the 00:18:33.099 --> 00:18:37.589 excuses, the unspoken resentments. You don't 00:18:37.589 --> 00:18:40.470 cast these off in order to earn God's love you 00:18:40.470 --> 00:18:44.130 cast them off because God's love is already shining 00:18:44.130 --> 00:18:52.430 on you And as we do the scripture illuminates 00:18:52.430 --> 00:18:56.670 the prayer centers The community strengthens. 00:18:56.910 --> 00:19:00.910 The service wakens. Compassion, worship keeps 00:19:00.910 --> 00:19:04.450 our eyes open. We are meant to wake up not just 00:19:04.450 --> 00:19:06.869 to a moment, but to a rhythm that is meant to 00:19:06.869 --> 00:19:12.089 change our life. This whole next month is meant 00:19:12.089 --> 00:19:17.269 to be about resetting before a new year has dawned. 00:19:17.529 --> 00:19:21.490 Where we offer forgiveness, correction, grace, 00:19:22.069 --> 00:19:25.539 and a new beginning. but especially with ourselves. 00:19:26.799 --> 00:19:30.319 So here we stand, the first Sunday of Advent, 00:19:31.339 --> 00:19:37.900 the Sunday of hope. The light is coming on, but 00:19:37.900 --> 00:19:41.319 are we going to fight the sunrise today? Are 00:19:41.319 --> 00:19:44.339 we going to keep condemning everything around 00:19:44.339 --> 00:19:48.059 us but refusing to awaken ourselves? The alarm 00:19:48.059 --> 00:19:51.589 is going off. The curtains are opening, the horizon 00:19:51.589 --> 00:19:53.930 is glowing, and you're pretending that that alarm 00:19:53.930 --> 00:19:58.849 is just a good beat to dance to. But let's be 00:19:58.849 --> 00:20:04.529 honest, the day is at hand. So if we wake up, 00:20:04.829 --> 00:20:08.869 today is not a day for fear or shame, but hope, 00:20:09.569 --> 00:20:14.250 mercy, and restoration. So today, as the baby 00:20:14.250 --> 00:20:18.759 is going to be in the manger, Let us let the 00:20:18.759 --> 00:20:22.799 child show us what is good and what is true, 00:20:23.339 --> 00:20:26.220 but also the forgiveness for when it hasn't been 00:20:26.220 --> 00:20:30.000 true for us. Because today is when the dawn draws 00:20:30.000 --> 00:20:33.740 near, the light is shining, and today is the 00:20:33.740 --> 00:20:38.619 day when we are called to wake up. Thanks be 00:20:38.619 --> 00:20:38.980 to God.