Have I ever told you how much I love my bed? There is nothing unusual per say about the bed itself, It is not made of a precious material, it is not intricately carved, it is not one of them fancy sleep number beds that professional athletes use. Its just a really comfortable bed. The mattress has a firm pillowtop that Goldilocks would appreciate but I think what set my bed apart from a typical bed are the ultra-soft cotton sheets, the weighted electric blanket, and (I hate to admit this as a dude but) the satin pillowcases that encase my memory foam pillow.
My bed is so comfortable that I sometimes don’t want to get out of it. It probably doesn’t help that I have programed Alexa to softly and slowly wake me up with a series of soothing sounds, a recitation of Luther’s morning prayer and a devotional reading on the 23rd Psalm. You see I like my bed and I am not eager to leave it. Especially this last Monday when it was cold and rainy outside. And I knew this week was full of late-night meetings and extra worship services to plan and prepare. I was tempted to just roll over and go back to sleep. Thankfully, I have also programed Alexa to turn on my bedside lamp, read my daily calendar, and sound an alarm. But even still, sometimes I just want to stay in my comfortable bed.
I hope your life isn’t as comfortable as my bed. Don’t get me wrong I do not wish an uncomfortable life on any of you. I want your lives to be full of creature comforts; I want you to live in beautiful homes, drive cool cars, and eat delicious food. I want your lives to be comfortable, just not as comfortable as my bed. Because I know what can happen when life gets too comfortable. When life gets too comfortable, we tend to get spiritually sleepy. Prayers become routine. Personal devotions are discontinued, and public worship becomes optional. These are but the snoring sounds made by a soul that slumbers, a soul that has become so comfortable with life that it no longer sees the need to call upon the name of the Lord, or be guided by His Word, or seek Him in His sanctuary.
When life gets too comfortable, we tend to get spiritually sleepy. Which ought to concern us because, our lives are rather comfortable. Thankfully, on a night like this night, God’s alarm clock rings especially loud. It rings to you and to me, “remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.” The bell tolls: it tolls for you and for me. One day these comfortable lives will come to an end and If on that day we are found to be spiritually asleep… well let’s just say our eternity will be anything but comfortable.
“2 Wake Up!”, our Savior cries out to us from the Island of Patmos…“2 Wake Up!”, “3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard” “2 Wake Up!”, “hold it fast, and repent.”
Wake up and remember. Remember your sin; remember your thoughts of anger, envy, bitterness, arrogance, and desire, remember your filthy, hurtful, slanderous, and blasphemous words, remember selfish, thoughtless, reckless, and offensive actions. Remember your sin. Regardless of how uncomfortable it might be, remember how far you have fallen short of the glory of God and to what depths you deserve to be cast. Sin is not something you can dismiss with a snooze button. One day you will have to stand up and deal with it and, trust me, better to deal with it now, better to suffer some discomfort in this life, than deal with it later and experience the discomfort of hell. Wake up and remember your sin.
That is what Ash Wednesday is all about. It is a night to think openly and honestly about your sin, not simply to make yourself uncomfortable but ultimately, so that you might wake up and repent. Repent to your Savior. Place your sinful thoughts, your sinful words, and your sinful actions at the feet of Jesus. Trust that the discomfort He experienced on the cross paid for your sinful thoughts, words, and actions. Pray that He give you the strength to stay spiritually alert so that even when life is comfortable you still see the need to call upon Him, be guided by Him, and worship Him. Wake up and repent to your Savior.
I am not one of those wierdos that automatically wake up at 5am and jump out of bed to face the challenges of a new day. (Personally, I suspect those people don’t have a bed as comfortable as mine.) But I have noticed, once Alexa coaxes me out of bed, I find there is so much more joy and satisfaction in being awake. I want your lives to be comfortable, just not as comfortable as my bed because I know the joy and satisfaction that come to those who are spiritually awake. Which is why, even at this late hour of the night, I borrow the words of your Savior and say to you, “Wake up!” Amen.