Daily Liturgy and Scripture

The second coming of Christ has been the subject of a lot of speculation by many people. Even Paul himself thought that the second coming might be soon. The meat of this passage, though, is comfort. In the grand scheme, Christ is King. The savior we serve is more than just a nice guy, he is our strength.

Finding meaning in suffering is not always our first response. We might become depressed or despondent. Many believed that suffering was a sign of sin in the first century. Paul flips that idea on its head: God is with you in suffering, and this is going somewhere. God can use even this.

What distinguishes life in the church is what Paul encourages them to keep doing: showing love, caring for the less fortunate, and following the Spirit. The teachings of Jesus are central, but this is the way that life plays out.

There are a lot of perspectives on this verse about the afterlife, but this is the important kernel: the Kingdom inaugurated by Jesus on earth does not end here, it continues. Those who follow him aren't just building something here, they are part of a plan for eternity. This would have been a great comfort to those facing persecution in the first century, and should today as well.

There seems to be an order at work in this passage from Paul: God in the Holy Spirit moves in his people, the people, share what comes from God, and lives worth of God are the result. Not that we create our own salvation, but that our love for the one who has shown love to us is so great, it changes our normal responses.

The bond between believers in the early church must have been one of the primary reasons their numbers grew. Paul's warmth for the Thessalonians and the love they seem to show in return would have been magnetic. That's the fellowship that's possible when the Kingdom of Jesus is really being practiced.

Paul continues talking about the relationship he shares with the Thessalonians, and he doesn't claim all-star status. This is an apostle who models church life by paying his own way and serving the young church as one of them.

Paul seems pretty proud of the example of the Thessalonians. Their reputation has spread throughout the area, which was important in this early formation of the Church. The fledgeling movement needed good examples to look to, and this seems to be the people who filled that bill. The Thessalonians have corrected their theology (by turning away from false gods) and also achieved a high standard for showing love to one another. These would be the prime characteristics of the Church across the first century.

The passage from Jeremiah is a good setup today for the passage from Galatians: in the old covenant, Israel was responsible for bearing the image of God to the world, so disciplining them was a necessary part of preserving God's image. When Jesus came, the image of God came directly. The sacrifice that was once Israel's responsibility became God's own with Jesus.

The realization that Jesus was more than just a man is the beginning of the understanding of who Jesus fully is. With Epiphany, we see that Jesus brings something never before seen, and the meaning this has for the whole world is great.