Advent Reflection

From Anglican Mainstream.

One gets the feeling that there is always seems trying to track us down. Curiously there is and he doesn’t need a cell phone. Unlike a cell phone, the reminders we get that God is calling us is right in Holy Writ. The lesson from the Epistle is a good reminder that we need to seek God’s grace in word and sacrament and be prepared for Christ’s coming.

Engage the meditation.

Why Read the Bible: To Learn About God’s Intentions for his Church

Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. Brothers and sisters, pray for us.

–1 Thessalonians 5:13b-25 (NIV)

From today’s passage, we get more clear guidance on God’s intentions for us and our relationship with fellow believers in the Church, although these lessons apply to any relationship, not just to those we have with our fellow believers. So what is the necessary ingredient for all that Paul writes about in terms of interpersonal relationships to happen?

Humility.

We cannot live in peace with each other if we always insist on having our own way, a sure and telltale sign of human pride. Notice too that Paul does not believe that peaceful living means to live and let live. No, he loved the Thessalonians enough to encourage them to encourage each other in love and that’s doable as long as all parties have the necessary humility. When we are humble, the person exhorting or warning another will remember that he is every bit as broken as the person he is warning, that he can stumble as easily as anyone else. The person receiving the warning will realize why he is being warned–because he is blessed enough to have someone love him enough to remind him to get up after stumbling and to keep his eyes on the Prize, and because he knows he is a broken person too. It is therefore quite possible to maintain peace amongst believers with this prerequisite attitude of humility. We will never have true peace, however, where human pride reigns supreme.

From this passage, we are also informed that God intends us to live as people of faith. That is why we can rejoice in all circumstances because we know the One who loves us and has claimed us. We know that our present circumstances are temporary and that God has promised to make everything turn out right for us. We have an eternity of good things waiting for us all because of God’s love for us in Christ!

Best of all, Paul reminds us that we don’t have to try to live faithful lives on our own, something that is bound to fail. No, we have God’s very Presence living in us in the form of the Holy Spirit. He is the One who will transform us from selfish, broken folks into humble and whole folks who act like Christ and who do not let the circumstances of life destroy us. Grief and sorrows there will be, but they will not have the last say. Not only will the Holy Spirit work within us, Paul also reminds us that the Spirit will work among us to help us grow together. For you see, we were created for relationships, not to live in isolation.

Finally, notice Paul’s holistic emphasis of body and soul. Too often we Christians get confused and think our souls are more important than our bodies, but this is patently false. After all, God has promised to raise our bodies up and transform them into new, resurrected ones, just like Jesus has. Consequently we are not to ignore our bodies, especially under the guise of being “spiritual.” This means that as believers we are to look out not only for the welfare of our own bodies but also for the welfare of others’ bodies. Thus the biblical emphasis on feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, giving drink to the thirsty, and providing shelter, etc. As Paul tells us elsewhere, our bodies are the temple in which the Holy Spirit lives (1 Corinthians 3:16).

If you are looking for meaning and purpose in life, try starting by taking Paul’s teachings here seriously. Invite Christ to come into your life and live with you to help you become the person he created you to be. You won’t be disappointed. He will transform you and help you have rich and meaningful relationships with others, the kind the world craves but doesn’t know how to achieve. How do we know this? Because as Paul tells us above, we have Christ’s very word on the matter!