“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-24)
Paul wrote these words to the 1st century church at Thessalonica, but they are more than relevant to the Church of America enduring the chaos of the pandemic. That early church needed encouragement for they were experiencing persecution. They were living alongside of a pagan and exceedingly licentious and immoral people. These things may have made them feel as if the Lord were returning soon. How then should they live?
Paul exhorted the Thessalonians to excellent Christian behavior rather than wasting time in vain speculation about the Lord’s return and in pointless activity. He told them to pray at all times and to live in peace and righteousness. Good advice for us in pandemic chaos. If we cannot visit or see people face to face, we can converse and witness over the various media we have. If we cannot do that then certainly we can pray. Lives of unceasing prayer, like a running conversation with God, will comfort us in these difficult times. They assure us that the Lord is with us.
In the season of Advent we must take Paul’s counsel to heart. We focus a lot on the Coming of Christ, as a baby 2000 years ago. We spend a lot of time, effort and resources on that first Coming. Shouldn’t we spend as much if not more on preparing for the Second Coming? It is imminent and of vital importance. Yet many of us would rather prepare for Christmas as this is easier than preparing for Christ’s return. We judge ourselves to be poor evangelists, poor preachers of the Gospel, poor examples of righteousness. Yet the Holy Spirit will enable us to live holy lives free from evil as well as to carry on the work we are called to. He is faithful to His task and will accomplish God’s will in us as long as we do not quench the Spirit by failing to pray or by deliberately indulging the flesh. The best thing we can do to be ready for Christ’s return is live in righteousness and charity, always doing the work of the Lord and spreading the good news of forgiveness in Christ.