The case of the internal clock

Ever since I was approved as a substitute aide for a local school district, I tend to wake up every morning by 6 AM without the help of my alarm clock.

The gal who calls the subs to work indicated she would call sometime after 6, but before 6:30 if she needed me. I don't bother to set my alarm, since I know I won't get a call every day . And if she doesn't call, I want to sleep at least until 7 before getting up to start my day.

I've always had difficulty when startled awake from a deep sleep by the telephone. It leaves me jittery for awhile and I have to really work hard at calming my mind in order to go back to sleep.

Being in ministry, it's a fact of life that goes along with the job so I've learned to live with it. After all, emergencies which need the pastor's attention can't be scheduled between 9 AM and 5 PM.

But apparently, because I anticipate a possible 6:30 call from the school, my internal clock kicks in to wake me up - just in case the phone rings. My brain is saving me from that jittery awakening.

Has that ever happened to you?

We are fearfully and wonderfully made! God equipped us with a stress hormone called adrenocorticotropin which apparently starts to build up in our systems about 30 minutes before we actually wake up. When it reaches a peak, it gives us the gentle "jolt" we need to rouse us from sleep to wakefulness. Somehow, this internal clock of ours can even be set for specific times like a 6:00 wake up call.

When we are startled awake by our clocks, that hormone doesn't build up gradually. Instead, we experience an adrenalin rush, that fight or flight feeling, which can leave us disoriented, tired or jittery for awhile until the hormone dissipates. 
 
Apparently plants have an internal clock too. Researchers studying certain plants found that about an hour before sunrise, the genes that activate sunlight absorption in the plant began to "wake up" for the day. This same internal clock regulates the plants' ability to produce buds and fruit/seeds at te proper time.

In Matthew chapter 24, Christ gave his disciples indicators of a sort of spiritual "internal clock" for creation. He foretold of a cosmic build up of earth stressors (an increase of wars, famines, earthquakes, hatred among people, and an increase in wickedness) designed to wake up the hearts
of men, alerting them to the coming of Christ. Those who anticipate his coming will respond to the "internal clock" wake up call and be ready to go, while those who don't, will be startled awake to the harsh reality of God's judgment.

Thank you Lord for those internal clocks that not only wake me up for my daily activities, but that also help me wake up to your light! Amen.

Are you ready for Christmas?

“And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven” Luke 1:76-78 NIV

It seems like the trappings of Christmas appear earlier each year, doesn’t it?

Why almost after the Back-to-School sales are over – when the pencils, notebooks, glue and crayons take up residence in their normal aisles again – the tinsel and Christmas ornaments start appearing in the superstore aisles. Lighted artificial Christmas trees appear in the garden section, taking over one aisle at a time until the holiday mood is in full swing.

You’d think that so much advance notice would help us all prepare for the coming holiday. Four months really ought to be plenty of time to to shop, bake, mail out cards, decorate, and plan our Christmas get-togethers, right?

With all the choices available and so much time to make our decisions, we shouldn’t need to be at the mall on December 24th, still hunting for that last sale; that elusive “perfect, gotta-have-it” gift. Should we?

Whatever the reason, I often find myself among those scrambling around at the last minute to be ready for Christmas on time. This year, I still have lots of sewing and baking to do yet in order to get my gifts finished.

Oh, I have good intentions each year to shop through the year, to start sewing and card-making in January. But life happens and I usually find myself trying to keep up with the busyness rather than getting ahead of it.

Being unprepared for Christmas is nothing new. For centuries before Christ came, God sent prophets to tell people he was coming. So why were there only a handful of shepherds on hand to see the angels the night of his birth?

Before Jesus started his ministry, John the Baptist was wearing camel-hair garments and eating locusts, preaching in the wilderness to let people know, but only a few really understood his message.
For three years, people followed Christ. But they still thought he was coming as a King to deliver them from Rome. They didn’t understand that he needed to die for them.

After his resurrection as he ascended into heaven, the angels told us that Christ would return. Even now, current events are shouting the message of his soon return from the mountain tops. They match up with the prophecies in God’s word.

Are we paying attention? Or will it sneak up on us like December 24th does each year and find us scrambling to be ready?