We keep it simple and look at three ways to respond to this remarkable reading, a hymn of the ancient church, today: We are to contemplate what Christ has done, become a people who witness what Christ has done, and learn to live what Christ has done.
In the middle of the Covid-19 crisis (or maybe in the beginning of it…), we pause to be invited into the peace of God.
We look at the Magnificat – Mary’s prayer in Luke 1 as she meets with Elizabeth in a small Judean town.
We look at a rough passage that ultimately calls upon the church in Thessalonica to stand firm and hold tight to the traditions that they have been taught by Paul and his companions.
In the first chapter of this letter, Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy talk about how they must thank God for the growing love and faithfulness of the church in Thessalonica, and how they are confident that when Christ returns, their persecutors will be cleared out, and they will have a clear path to God.
At the end of this letter, with Paul prepared to die and Timothy his primary apprentice, the letter is focused on handing off the ministry from one who has finished the race to one who has a long time left to go. We find a call to look at our own vocations, where God is…