Advent Week 3 Day 16
But we must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth. For this purpose he called you through our proclamation of the good news, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by our letter.
1 Thessalonians 2:13-15
Given than I can’t make it through 4 weeks without waiting to break out the Christmas music, the last 2000 years of waiting are pretty incredible.
I appreciate that the Epistle writers have this constant sense of urgency…they think the end is coming soon.
We, however, are getting a little lax at waiting with any sense of urgency.
Sometimes I wonder if Paul and the other epistle writers would be bothered that their sense of “soon” was not a few years, but thousands.
But here’s something amazing…look at the thrill they had in the first fruits of faith, and at watching it multiply.
Could they ever have imagined the crazy-weedy growth that all this waiting has produced?
And wouldn’t they be delighted with it?