Stay Awake
“In the morning when I rise, give me Jesus.”
And coffee. A lot of coffee! I do not know about you, but I need help staying awake. That is especially true as we look to the transition to early morning school wake-ups after a summer of sleeping in. We can all relate to feeling drowsy in the morning or during slumps in our day. Yet, we all have to find ways to stay alert so we can effectively do our jobs whether it is working in an office, building roads, or caring for small children.
The same is true of our discipleship in Jesus Christ. In Mark 13:32-37, Jesus is speaking to His disciples about His second coming:
“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake.”
He goes on to compare His command for His disciples to “keep awake” to servants in charge of a home during a time of absence of the master of the house. The servants do not know when the master will return, so they must be vigilant in their work for the home and expectant of his return, lest they be sleeping upon his arrival. “And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.” (Mark 13:37). This teaching foreshadows the account of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane prior to His arrest where He instructs Peter, James, and John to stand watch while He prays. According to Matthew 26:36-44, Jesus asks His disciples to “stay here and keep watch with Me.” He returns not once, but three times to find His most trusted followers asleep. Matthew 26: 40-41 states:
“Then Jesus returned to the disciples and found them sleeping. ‘Were you not able to keep watch with Me for one hour?’ He asked Peter. ‘Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.’”
Brothers and Sisters, I do not know about you, but I have trouble following Jesus’ command to “stay awake” sometimes. The Father is gracious to forgive, and I am grateful for that. The journey of following Jesus has multiple forks in the road and we have to make choices in our following. Jesus wants us to respond to Him and His teaching. How will we respond to reading this account and His good command for us to “stay awake”?
Here are some suggestions to help you get going or continue following Jesus as you practice “staying awake.” You and I both need to get out our CUP to fill us up each day with the things of the Holy Spirit as we abide in Christ.
C – Community. At the Church at Severn Run we like to say “life is better connected”. Following Jesus was never meant to be done in isolation. We learn from the response of the people who heard Peter’s sermon at Pentecost that three thousand were added to the number of Jesus’ followers. They “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (Acts 2: 42-43) Gathering together to learn from one another, sharing hospitably and generously the things that God has provided for the building up of the Body of Christ is an important part of the Christian life. If you are not plugged into a Connect Group, I encourage you to prayerfully consider doing so either at Severn Run or in another church local to you! Stay awake.
U – Understanding. I believe we are living in a time of intellectual crisis. For decades, Western Christianity has battled a wave of postmodern philosophy that teaches that truth is relative. We need not look any further than Jesus’ trial and crucifixion to see that this is not a new epistemology or a new theory of knowledge. Pilot sat in judgement of Jesus before His crucifixion and he himself, while questioning Jesus, asked him the question our culture constantly poses: “What is truth?”. (John 18: 38) As Followers of Jesus, we must be clear in what we believe.
~Jesus is the Truth, and the Way and the Life. (John 14:6) God draws people to Himself through the Son and the power of the Spirit is given to each person who places his or her faith in Jesus Christ as Savior through His atoning sacrifice for sin and He is Lord of our lives.
~Jesus is absolute truth, and we need to believe big in who He is, what He did on the cross, what He did through His resurrection, and what He continues to do now. He is alive and working!
Understanding what you believe and who you believe in is the journey of a lifetime in Christ. We have been given the great gift of literacy, electronic and printed Bibles in various translations and languages, and a mind to learn and grow. Jesus’ disciples learned from Him, and we can continue to learn, growing in confidence in what we believe through the careful study of Scripture! Stay awake.
P – Prayer. The Apostle Paul instructs us in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to “pray without ceasing”. Prayer is our communication with God. He hears our pain, our joy, our praise, and our groaning. The Psalms are an amazing collection of prayer, hymns, and songs of praise. They remind us that God is near to the broken hearted and He hears our praise and worship! To “pray without ceasing” is a call to us to maintain a constant awareness of God and a readiness to communicate with Him, as Jesus did. He is our example. He gave to us the Lord’s Prayer in the Sermon on the Mount. “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven “. Praying throughout the day alone, with your family, even with a stranger, keeps us aware and open to His leadings! Stay awake.
At the end of the day, the truth is that you are what you consume. It’s true for our body, our minds, and our spirit. As we each learn to intentionally adopt these rhythms or disciplines into our lives, we are drinking a cup of Living Water to help us to stay on guard and keep awake. Whether you only need an espresso sized cup or you are sipping on a giant sized cup everyday, I pray that God meets you where you are as you follow Jesus’ command. Stay awake.
KB