In the nursery rhyme round "Frere Jacques" that many of us learned as children, we asked the question: "Are you sleeping, Are you sleeping? Brother John? Brother John?" We then chided Brother John with the refrain, "Morning bells are ringing. Morning bells are ringing. Ding, ding, dong. Ding, ding, dong." In other words: "It's time to wake-up, John, for morning has come and the bells are beckoning us to a new day."
We have all been on both sides of a wake up call. It can be so hard to get out of that comfortable, cozy bed when we know we could easily sleep for another hour or two. And then to have someone standing over us, barking at us like an insistent puppy to wake up and get up, is more than some of us can take. But it's equally difficult to be the one who has to roust another from a deep, comfortable sleep and into the challenges of a new day.
Paul wants the Thessalonians to avoid being rudely awakened and taken by surprise. He's telling them to always be ready for the Lord's return so that when Jesus comes, they will not be unprepared. Like a woman who goes into labor, he tells them, once the process starts there is no turning back.
Sleep patterns
It's interesting how our sleeping patterns go through cycles. As preschool children, we were often the first in our household to awake, especially on days like Saturday when the older members of the family might not have to get up for any particular reason. We went to bed as darkness fell and awakened at first light so as not
