NOTES for Th1 5:6

Of course, this is not about how long we sleep. The apostle Paul speaks about sleep and drunkenness as images of dwelling in darkness, and he contrasts them with dwelling in the light - watchfulness and sobriety.

We do indeed love to relax - by sleep or by chatter over a little drink (or a glass!). And we can do it without any alcohol at all - simply by inwardly cutting ourselves off from all problems, our own and others'. We even know how to perceive Christian life as a refuge, a niche where one can hide from the difficulties of this world. We try to use the Good News as a dose of narcotic that makes life easier for us.

And there is another reason, sometimes even unconscious, for our desire to hide in the shade: the desire to put conscience to sleep or drown out its voice. "At night all cats are gray" - against a dark background our own blackness is not so noticeable. But the light reveals it both to us and to those around us.

Apparently this is why Paul calls us Christians to watch and be sober, to resist this relaxation, this desire to hide from the world and from God, and to be constantly directed toward prayer and works of love.