The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy.  Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.

If you know my youngest son, you know about his weekend uniform. Maybe 2 years ago he started wearing onesie pajamas from Friday night until Monday morning before school. Just for context, he looks like he’s 5, but he’s eight years old. Then when school got out one May he realized “hey, no more school, so that means pajamas can be worn 24/7” and that’s what he did. He’s worn one piece, long sleeve and long pants pjs all through the Alaska summer with a few exceptions for formal events. We did create a three-day rule that on the third day he needed to get clean jammies on. Even after many months I don’t know that I’ve fully nailed down why this is so important to him. Maybe it’s for maximum comfort and total laziness? He certainly doesn’t care if they get dirty or sweaty, he keeps on wearing them. When pressed that it has been two full days of playing outside and I can visibly see the dirt on his clothes, he will often look at himself and say, “it’s fine!”

How often do we look at areas we are struggling in our lives and say to others or ourselves, “it’s fine”. For comfort or laziness or maybe immaturity, we persist in things that ultimately aren’t good for us. We are too afraid to change into something new, to leave behind the days-old pajamas for something better. We get stuck. Often, we don’t even see it, but we need to make a change.

In our passage today the apostle Paul is writing to Christians in Rome on how to live new lives in Christ. He’s explaining that there’s an opportunity to trade in your dirty pajamas for shining armor! A Sonic the Hedgehog outfit is no match for the Alaskan weather just as living in your flesh without Christ is no match for the enemy. In battle armor protects your vital organs from damage. So too, our connection with Christ protects not only our physical bodies but our hearts and minds as well. Paul knew that believers would be tempted to all manner of sins, but also that they could die to those old selves and put on the new selves; the armor of our Savior. He knew they might be tempted to tell themselves or others “it’s fine!” when engaging in immoral and unhealthy behaviors, persisting in “dark deeds” instead of following God’s commandments.

Like a loving parent that doesn’t let their kid wear filthy clothes for weeks on end, Paul is giving us instructions on what we must do for our own good. The Holy Spirit in us also helps us to accomplish this change, bit by bit, as we surrender more and more to Christ, more fully covering and protecting ourselves with his righteousness.

Where in life might you be stubbornly clinging to your “filthy clothes” habits that are contrary to living in the light? How can you put on Christ in a new way in your life this week?

Father God, we come to you with our dirty old pajama-wearing selves, and then Christ clothes us in shiny armor. We want to live by our flesh, but help us day by day to live by your Spirit. Please lead us out of darkness. We trust you to lead us. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.