“Therefore, keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back. … If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’” – Mark 13:35-37 (NIV)
Being “woke” has become a punchline that many social conservatives use to ridicule social progressives. In the minds of some, “woke culture” is a pejorative label attached to everything from police reform to transgender equality.
But Jesus wasn’t flippant or dismissive at all regarding the need for his listeners to stay conscious and alert in regard to the imminent changes occurring in their environment, in their society, and in their religious paradigm. Jesus did not want these changes to find his followers asleep on the eve of cosmic reconstruction.
If we had been more consciously alert to the scientific research and forecasts of global pandemics, we would have been better prepared to take the precautions necessary to save lives and mitigate much of the crisis we’ve endured over the past two years.
If we had been more consciously alert to the documented history of racism in America, we wouldn’t find ourselves in so many volatile debates about critical race theory.
If we had been more consciously alert to the ill effects of global warming on our planet, we may not be battling incessant wildfires and intensified storms as we are today.
The handwriting on the wall cannot be read by those who are asleep. Prevention requires conscientious pro-activity.
The song, “Sweet Little Jesus Boy,” is a bitter-sweet lament of our utter unpreparedness for Jesus’ first Advent. May this lament not continue to be our epithet.
Prayer
Lord keep me alert to my past and present so I can consciously be better prepared of what’s coming. Amen.
