Sleeper Awake (and Quit that Darn Snooze Button)

Brad Sullivan

5th Sunday of Lent

March 18, 2018

Emmanuel, Houston

John 12:20-33

Sleeper Awake (and Quit that Darn Snooze Button)

First of all, I’d like to thank my buddy Patrick Hall for his sermon last Sunday entitled, “Risking Exposure,” which helped draw out of me these words for today.  You can look him up, Patrick Hall, and search for his sermon from last Sunday called, “Risking Exposure.” 

Now turning to today’s sermon, I’ve recently found that one of the worse inventions ever created is the snooze button.  It’s a procrastinator’s dream.  You get to put off the day and stay comfy in bed, wrapped in the covers for just a little bit longer, which, if you’re going to do that just set the alarm for 10 minutes later.  The big problem with the snooze button is what doesn’t get done because of it, the morning walk or time in prayer, the rushing through a morning that could have been more peaceful.

Ok, so as non-horrific and only mildly annoying as that may sound, what about when we begin hitting the snooze button on life?   I know I need to do this thing now.  I know it’s important.  I know it’s where I need to go in life, but I really just want to stay as I am, so I’ll put it off.  Snooze.

When the Greeks came to see Jesus, that was an alarm going off for him.  As soon as he heard that a couple of Greeks wished to see him, Jesus immediately told his disciples, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified,” aka, it’s time for me to go get arrested and killed.  Why was the fact that a couple Greeks wanted to talk to him an alarm clock for Jesus?  Perhaps because they were Gentiles, and Jesus realized that in order for his mission to extend to the Gentiles, he had to die and be raised, and the Holy Spirit to come upon his disciples so that they could all continue his work and grow his Kingdom here on earth.  Perhaps it was simply some pre-ordained signal given to Jesus by his Father.  “Now son, when a couple of Greeks come to talk to you, that’s when it’s time.” 

In any case, as soon as that alarm went off, Jesus hopped out of bed, and immediately began preparing his disciples for his coming death.  He told them that a grain of wheat must fall into the earth and die so that it could bear much fruit, rather than just stay as it is.  Jesus was talking about his Kingdom and the resurrection life within his kingdom both after this life, and in his kingdom life here on earth. 

Long before our deaths, we have alarm clocks going off, telling us that it is time for the Kingdom life here on earth, letting us know there are conditions and situations in our lives which need to die to let the Kingdom life happen.  We need to let go of an old resentment.  We need to stop drinking.  We need to stop going halfway with our faith and fully embrace the way of Jesus.  We need to let a past relationship go, or we need to stop fooling ourselves that we are ok as we are and admit to just how broken we really are. 

We all have alarm clocks going off letting us know that it is time to let that condition or situation die, and we hear the alarm, we know what we need to do, that it is time to get up out of bed, that shadow of the tomb, and let die what needs to die, but instead, we hit the snooze button and stay as we are, assuming we can manage life as it is, assuming we can try harder, do better, and largely stay as we are.  This is of course untrue, and we simply wait for the next alarm, keeping our whole lives in the shadow of death, rather than waking up, getting out of bed, and placing that part of our lives that needs death into the tomb.

Why do we do this over and over?  Why, when we hear Jesus calling us to let something in our lives die, do we keep hitting that blasted snooze button?  We could say lack of trust or lack of belief, fear at facing the new day without whatever part of us we need to let go, or sometimes we’re just so comfortable as we are, even if it’s not working, we’re just so comfortable lying in bed with the covers drawn up, that we don’t want to move.  We don’t want to change, because it’s just too hard to get up out of bed, when we know we’ve got that snooze alarm ready to come around again. 

The problem is that with this snooze alarm, is that in life, it only makes getting out of bed even harder.  We become more engrained in the life we have, and even though we know life is not working, the thought of risking change becomes intolerable.  Facing the new day is far too daunting, and we are far too tired, so we hit the darn snooze button again.

Perhaps then, we need to start going to bed earlier, so we’re not so tired in the morning, and the thought of facing the new day doesn’t seem so daunting.  By going to bed earlier, I mean intentionally following practices of prayer, of scripture reading, of service to others, setting aside intentional time each day for prayer, learning more and more to trust in Jesus and thereby to be rested enough so that the alarm is not a horrid sound, but an invitation from a trusted friend. 

We also need to do these prayer and scripture practices, this service others not only by ourselves, but also in community with others who can help us learn to trust in Jesus more.  We need to admit to those prayer, scripture, and service partners, why we keep hitting the snooze button.  We need to admit to them and to ourselves what is keeping us in bed so that they can give us extra support so that we can get up out of bed in the morning, knowing we have others to help us face the world without the things we need to let die.  We need help putting things in the tomb.  We need folks with us at the funeral, and we need those folks with us to help us through the new life as our lives are remade by Jesus, as his fruit begins to grow. 

It is a daunting task to let die within us that which Jesus is calling us to let die, and that snooze button is so tempting, but what is waiting for us when we get out of bed is the resurrection life of Jesus’ kingdom here on earth.  The love of Jesus, the life of Jesus, the forgiveness and grace of Jesus all both received from Jesus and then given by us to others, that is what we are putting off every time we hit that thrice blasted snooze button.  His Kingdom.  His resurrection life. His grace and forgiveness, a new life unbound by that which keeps us asleep.  That is what is waiting for us.

“Sleeper awake,” Jesus calls.  “Quit that darn snooze button, and get out of bed, that shadow of death.  Let die within you that which needs to die, and follow me.”