Living in the Spirit
October 16, 2020
Scripture Reading:
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of people we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place where your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming. –1 Thessalonian 1:2-10
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I am ready to move on from the election. Maybe it is because I voted over two weeks ago. Perhaps it is because I spent a great deal of my career coordinating planning where I worked. The election matters. If you have not voted, do so as soon as possible to ensure that your vote will count. What is next also matters. The scripture above provides an excellent action step plan for all of us, striving as Christ’s followers to create a world ruled by love. Paul lists the things that the church at Thessalonica was doing that relate to attaining Christ’s vision. Here are they are in a slightly re-ordered form gleaned from this scripture:
- Inspired by the Holy Spirit
- Turned to God from idols
- Works of faith and labors of love
- Steadfastness of hope
- Imitators of the Lord
- Examples to all believers
The time between the election and the inauguration is 78 days with 11 Sundays. This period includes Thanksgiving, Advent, Christmas, New Years, and Martin Luther King’s Birthday. We have many opportunities to realign with God and seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Paul calls on us to turn from idols. I would invite us to broaden that call to a season of repentance, not only idol worship, but from all our sins that have become so entrenched in our culture, we do not see them as sins. Greed probably tops the this, but lust for power, self-righteousness, and that sense of privilege comes close behind. Filled with the Spirit accompanied by our souls’ renewal prepares us well for the reconciliation we need with our brothers and sisters in Christ. That relationship has been torn asunder over the past several months. We also must be reconciled with all of God’s children throughout the earth. Being imitators of Christ makes us examples to all believers and all other people.
Prayer: Lord, beginning now, lead us for these next 78 days through the process of becoming your imitators and examples to all.Amen.
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.