But when anything is exposed by the light it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.”
Ephesians 5:13-14
The children of Israel were exiled to Babylon for several centuries. Understandably, during this time, there was a lot of sadness and anxiety. Would they ever return home? Would they ever be free? Had God abandoned them? Would God deliver them?
In the book of the Prophet Isaiah, the prophet writes about the sorrow of the exile, also bringing words of hope. Many of the Messianic prophecies are found in Isaiah as well. In Isaiah 60:1-2, we read “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and His glory will be seen upon you.” These words, “arise, shine” were given as instruction to the children of Israel in the face of the darkness of exile. God didn’t want them wallowing in sorrow, but to transform their thinking, even in captivity, to be able to arise and shine. In John 1:5, we read that the light of Christ is “The light (which) shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Indeed, the light of God could shine even on people who were exiled and in sadness. The prophet used these God-inspired words as encouragement for the people of not only what was to come (their eventual return to their homeland), but also as encouragement to shine despite their difficult circumstances. This call to “arise, shine” was a call to arise and transform thinking, and it came from God through the words of the Prophet Isaiah.
In Luke 15, we read the story of the Prodigal Son. He has demanded his inheritance from his father, and then had gone to a faraway country and wasted all of it in loose living. He ran out of money, no one gave him anything, and he found himself feeding pigs on a farm and living off the food they were eating, just so he could stay alive. His encouragement to arise and transform did not come from God or through another person, but came from deep within himself. In Luke 15:17-20, we read “But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants.’ And he arose and came to his father. But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” Of course, we highlight the forgiveness of the father as the lesson of this Gospel passage. However, the most critical moment was the one of self-awareness, the call to “arise” that came from within a lonely soul that was looking for hope and remembered the love of his father. When he went home, as we read, the father did not punish or even scold him. Before the son even had the opportunity to utter a word of confession and apology, the father embraced and kissed him. Sometimes our need to arise and transform comes from a place of self-awareness, that we need repentance or some other kind of modification, as well as an intrinsic hope for the love of God our Father, which we are assured through this Parable, comes generously when we make our way back to Him.
In Acts 22, St. Paul tells of his conversion as a witness to the crowds in Jerusalem. He told of his experience on the road to Damascus, when he was blinded by a bright light and heard the voice of Jesus speaking to him. He was told by the Lord to “Arise and Go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.” (Acts 22:10) Paul was in Damascus for three days and three nights without sight. A disciple named Ananias had a vision of the Lord in which the Lord told him to “arise and go” (Acts 9:11) to see Paul and to minister to him. Ananias understandably was concerned, having heard of the reputation of Paul persecuting the early Christians. Obediently he went. He preached and ministered to Paul. Ananias told Paul, “Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins calling His name.” (Acts 22:16) This call to arise and transform came from God through the words of Ananias.
In the book of Ephesians St. Paul calls on the new Christians of Ephesus to renounce their pagan ways and gives a lengthy list of sins—filthiness, silly talk, ingratitude, fornication, impurity, covetousness, deception, disobedience—with a warning not to associate with these things or with people who do these things. Instead, he writes “When anything is exposed by the light it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it is said: ‘Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.’” (Ephesians 5:13-14) Before the dawn each day, it is very dark. The sky transforms slowly, and within a short amount of time the sky is fully bright. And what we see looks totally different than it did an hour earlier. It’s the same way with our Christian walk. When we shine Christ light on ourselves and in our activities, we will become transformed. The sinful and harmful things we are attracted to will not fit under the light of Christ. In embracing the light and letting it shine on our lives, we will naturally go away from these things. If one is a Christian and still struggling, it is because there isn’t enough light allowed to shine on our lives and our activities, or because we have his ourselves from the light. This is why St. Paul wrote, “Awake O sleeper and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.” We are to rise from the things that are spiritually dead and stand in the light of Christ. We are to expose our sinful ways to the light. In order to be focused on our faith and be an effective witness for Christ, we must arise from every kind of sin and allow the Holy Spirit to captivate our hearts at all times.
Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry! Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit! From Thee let my vindication come! Let Thy eyes see the right! If Thou triest my heart, if Thou visitest me by night, if Thou testest me, Thou wilt find no wickedness in me; my mouth does not transgress. With regard to the works of men, by the word of Thy lips I have avoided the ways of the violent. My steps have held fast to Thy paths, my feet have not slipped. I will call upon Thee, for Thou wilt answer me, O God; incline Thy ear to me, hear my words. Wondrously show Thy steadfast love, O Savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at Thy right hand. Keep me as the apple of the eye; hide me in the shadow of Thy wings, from the wicked who despoil me, my deadly enemies who surround me. They close their hearts to pity; with their mouths they speak arrogantly. They track me down; now they surround me; they set their eyes to cast me to the ground. They are like a lion eager to tear, as a young lion lurking in ambush. Arise, O Lord! Confront them, overthrow them! Delivery my life from the wicked by Thy sword, from men by Thy hand, O Lord, form men whose portion in life is of the world. May their belly be filled with what Thou hast stored up for them; may their children have more than enough; may they leave something over to their babes. As for me, I shall behold Thy face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with beholding Thy form. Psalm 17
The Orthodox faith encourages us to continually expose our sins to light through the sacrament of confession, as well as mention of repentance and contrition that are common themes in our Lenten services. Let us all give some thought for how we can better allow the light of Christ to shine on our behaviors and on/in our lives.
