h2odevos eots 112711 "Wake-up"

H2odevos eots 112711

First Sunday of Advent

“Wake-up”

Deck the halls with boughs of holly,

Fa la la la la, la la la la.

'Tis the season to be jolly,

Fa la la la la, la la la la.

http://www.petermayer.com/songs/deck-the-halls

Hi, welcome to h2odevos 2011. This year’s theme is Echoes of the Season.  It is Sunday, November 27^th, the First Sunday of Advent.  Peter Mayer has a lovely rendition of

“Deck the Halls.” It’s an old and familiar song. In some ways I think it is a “wake-up call.”

Now, “wake-up calls” come in a variety of forms and fashions. There is the “old school wake-up call” in the form of a rooster. There is the alarm clock that can be set and reset to go on “snooze.” Traditionally, this First Sunday of Advent is also a “wake-up call.” I have always thought that this season of “Advent is the Cure for Spiritual Tryptophan.”

http://www.howtosayin.com/time+to+wake+up.html

In Mark 13, we hear Jesus say,

^“Therefore, keep awake — for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, ³⁶or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. ³⁷And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake."

The notion of “sleep” is used in a variety of ways in the Bible. One of the major thoughts about “sleep” and consequently about “waking up” is the idea of being ready. If one is asleep, one is not ready. On the other hand, if one is “awake” one is ready, mindful and

“Good to go.”  Advent is a time of being “awake” of readiness, mindfulness and goodness.

Additionally, the invitation to “Deck the Halls” is a call to action and service. As I think about “decking the halls” I am aware of the interior work that needs to be done for this season of preparation and anticipation. I’m thinking about what if anything is cluttering the “halls.”  Do the “halls” need a little bit of fresh paint? Are the “halls” well lit? How about the floor of the “halls?” Do we need to do some dusting or some spiritual vacuuming?

Twenty years ago I saw a movie called “Defending Your Life.”  
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101698/
It represents Hollywood’s attempt to figure out what happens after a person dies. In many ways it asks the question “were you ‘awake’ when you were alive? (put in link)

“WAKE-UP” and listen for “echoes of the season.”

Rtg

 DECK THE HALLS