Scripture Focus: 1 Thessalonians 5.2 (49-51 AD)
5 You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.
Romans 13.11-14 (57-58 AD)
11 And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.
Ephesians 5.8-17 (60-62 AD)
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said:
“Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”
15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.
Reflection: Be Awake Be Light
By John Tillman
In college, I was not a heavy partier. I never drank. I was unlikely to be at rowdy, noisy, crowded bars or parties. However, I was often up all night playing spades, talking, watching films, playing computer games, or role-playing games, etc. Oh, yeah…and doing all-nighters to finish class assignments at the last minute.
We had shutters on our dorm room window that provided a cave-like darkness to sleep in, regardless of the time of day. One early morning as I was cranking the shutters closed on our dorm window to sleep because the sun was coming up, I realized I’d been doing this several days in a row. I mentioned to my roommate that we had gradually become nocturnal. We were awake when we should be asleep and asleep when we should be awake. We lived in the darkness.
When Paul wrote about darkness and light and being awake and asleep, he wasn’t talking about all-nighters. He repeatedly wrote about these metaphors and must have spoken about them frequently. This passage in 1 Thessalonians is echoed and further developed in Romans 13, and Ephesians 5.
Being awake and being in the light is good. Being asleep or drowsy and being in the darkness or behaving like we are in the darkness is bad.
In Christ, we are “of the light” but live in a world dominated by darkness. Darkness and light are different worlds, different realities, that overlap. How then should we live?
Be aware. When awake, we are wary of the dangers and temptations of darkness. Evil, sin, corruption, and wickedness surround us. We must stay vigilant to resist them.
Be active. Light is a weapon against the darkness, a sword that cuts through shadows. Systems that enable or conceal sin and corruption must be actively opposed and revealed using the light of truth.
Be bright. We must shine bright to wake others. When we bring light to those lost in darkness they can join the kingdom of light. When we shine, what we illuminate becomes part of the light. (Ephesians 5.13-14)
Be joyful. We await the coming of dawn not with dread but with joy. Those in the dark fear the exposure of their deeds. We rejoice that our sins are swallowed up and burned away by Christ’s light.
Don’t live in the darkness any longer. Be aware. Be active. Be bright. Be joyfully in the light.
Music: “In The Light” by Charlie Peacock with Sara Groves
Divine Hours Prayer: The Greeting
How great is your goodness, O Lord! Which you have laid up for those who fear you; which you have done in the sight of all. — Psalm 31.19
– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.
Today’s Readings
Jeremiah 20 (Listen 3:07)
1 Thessalonian 5 (Listen 2:37)
Read more about Inner Light of the Heart
The Holy Spirit is an inner light for surviving the darkness and helping others lost within it.
Read more about Readers’ Choice
Readers’ Choice starts soon. Tell us your favorite posts of the year via email, direct message, or the linked form and we will reshare them in September.
