Jeremy L. Berg

But an alarm is still an alarm.   And sleep is still so alluring and peaceful.  The covers are snug and the coolness of the morning breeze keeps us wrapped tightly in the sheets.  And even the most dazzling sunrise hurts eyes so accustomed to the dark.  So we often linger in our comatose state, ignoring the rooster’s call.  Waking up is never easy. 

In fact, when it comes to our spiritual life with God, the Apostle Paul tells us waking up is nothing short of rising from the dead.  Sleep, in the Bible, is a common metaphor for the state of physical death, and waking therefore speaks of resurrection, or new life from the grave (Dan 12:2; 1 Thes 4:13-14).  That’s why Paul, when announcing the arrival of God’s new day, declares: “Awake, O sleeper!  Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you” (Eph. 5:14).  Waking up to God’s new life is usually more difficult than just putting on your slippers and dragging yourself to the shower.  New life bursting forth from the grave requires a miracle.  Resurrection life in Christ comes only comes through divine grace and supernatural awakening.   

Leaving the warmth and comfort of bed usually requires a long, difficult, and ongoing battle.  We can ignore the alarm, draw the shade and pretend its still night, but the when the Son rose on God’s new horizon that first Easter morning, there was no turning back the clock.  Morning has dawned.   “It’s time to wake up and face the music,” as they say.  

Reflection Questions:

1. Today’s reading reminds us that we don’t rouse ourselves from spiritual sleep.  Salvation in Christ is a gift from God, a supernatural miracle.  God awakens us.  Can you point to the day when God first began to awaken your soul?  

2. Some of us seem to be heavier sleepers than others.  Did it merely take a gentle nudge to bring you to new life in Christ?  Or did it take loud, bullhorn to jolt you out of your spiritual sleep?  

3. We can get quite comfortable living under the covers, apart from God and in the dark.  Satan tries to make a godless life as cozy and alluring as possible so we never want to get out of bed and face the light.  What sins and temptations of the world tend to draw you back under the covers?