“Awake, My Soul, and with the Sun” (ELW 557)
Devotion
Awake, my soul, and with the sun
thy daily stage of duty run;
shake off dull sloth, and joyful rise
to pay thy morning sacrifice.
All praise to thee, who safe hast kept
and hast refreshed me while I slept.
Grant, Lord, when I from death shall wake,
I may of endless light partake.
Lord, I my vows to thee renew.
Disperse my sins as morning dew;
guard my first springs of thought and will;
and with thyself my spirit fill.
Direct, control, suggest, this day,
all I design or do or say,
that all my pow'rs, with all their might,
in thy sole glory may unite.
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
praise God, all creatures here below;
praise God above, ye heav'nly host;
praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Just as we need a splash of cold water on our faces to awaken and enliven us for a new day, so also we need a splash of our baptismal water to awaken our souls—and to "shake off dull sloth." "Dull sloth" is what accumulates because we are by nature sinful and unclean. It weighs us down and inhibits our doing God's will. We cannot do the cleansing by ourselves. But we've been given the gift of baptism—forgiven, cleansed and entrusted with responsibilities in God’s family.
Martin Luther describes our "dull sloth" and what to do about it in his Small Catechism:
"Our sinful self with all its evil deeds and desires should be drowned through daily repentance (so that) day after day a new self should arise to live with God in righteousness and purity forever." And again, "In baptism God forgives sin, delivers from death and the devil, and gives everlasting salvation to all who believe what he has promised."
Christ's free gift of daily renewal is available to all. It means that we have been "buried therefore with him by baptism into death so that, as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life." (Romans 6:4)
Prayer
Thanks be to God! Amen.