One day, one of the disciples of Buddha, the founder of the Buddhism, came to Buddha and asked a question: “Are you a God?” Buddha replied, “No.” Again, the disciple asked, “Are you an angel?” Buddha said, “No.” And again, the disciple asked, “Are you a Prophet” Buddha said, “No.” Then the disciple asked, “Who are you?” Buddha answered, “I am the one who is staying awake.”
I get it. Being spiritually awake is a deep virtue. And I’ll also name the opposite, that sometimes sleep is absolutely delicious. Good, restorative, deep REM sleep can bring a kind of personal refreshment that nothing else can. But not all sleep is so healing.
Dr. King once said that when Rip Van Winkle went up a mountain to go to sleep, he passed a sign with the picture of King George. But twenty years later, when he came down the mountain, he passed the same sign with a picture of George Washington, the fledgling nation’s first president. And in Dr. King’s matchless way, he said that the great shock was not that Rip slept for twenty years, but that he slept through a revolution.
Sunday, we enter the season of Advent. The Mark apocalypse passage suggests that when we are spiritually asleep, we can miss great movements of God among us. “Therefore, keep awake, for you do not know when the master of the house will come.” The sermon this Sunday in our online worship is titled “Awakening: Remembering the Other World in This World”, arising from Mark 13:24-37. The passage will be read by Glenn and Allison Santner. Mark Cox and Michael Seyller will read a passage associated with the lighting of the Advent Candle. Special music will be provided by the Sanctuary singers, accompanied by Nara Lee and directed by Gerry Sousa. And in the children’s moment, we’ll begin decorating the Christmas tree with the ornaments you will be sending in during Advent.
We look forward to connecting with you on the first Sunday of Advent. Connect with the Live Stream by visiting www.smumc.church.