Rejoice and Pray

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
-- I Thessalonians 5:16-18

As I write this, we recently celebrated the birth of Jesus. But first we observed the annual Advent season, where we anxiously awaited that wonderful day when our Savior came down to earth to walk among us. Some of us may look at the weeks leading up to Christmas as a mere formality, another season of observance on the Christian calendar, simply a prelude to what is to come. We know how the story goes: how the angel appeared to Mary, and later to Joseph; how they traveled to Bethlehem for the census; how they could find no room at the inn and were forced to seek shelter in a lowly stable; how the heavenly Babe was born, wrapped in cloths, and laid in a cattle manger; how the shepherds and then the wise men visited and paid homage; how the angels sang. We know the story, and celebrate the joyous day each year.

One of the meanings of the word Advent (with a capital "A") is "the coming of Christ into the world", and that is why we observe the season of Advent. But there is another chapter of the story, and we know it as well although we have not yet celebrated it. For there will be one more Advent, one more time when Jesus Christ will come to earth and walk among us. The first Advent heralded the Messiah, come to offer mankind a path to salvation. This time He will come as our King. He will reward His faithful and punish evil. This second coming, this second Advent, is the one we look forward to with all that is within us. For it will usher in the thousand year reign of Christ the King, a millennium of true and lasting peace on earth. We long to see the face of Jesus; we feel we know Him from the witnesses of the Gospels. We truly anxiously await the second Advent.

Paul, in his letter to the Thessalonians, offers us instruction on what to do while we wait. In other writings, he admonished us, all of us, to be steadfast in our faith, and to grow our faith. He tells us to become even closer to Christ, to seek out the company of other believers and draw strength and support from them, to encourage others to know and believe in the one true God and his risen Son. Here he provides insight into a few activities we can participate in to gain a closer relationship with Jesus. While we await His coming, we should rejoice in Christ our Savior. We should pray to Him and His Father with every breath we take. We should give thanks to God for everything that He gives to us, for our Salvation, for His Son, for everything. Paul tells us this is what Jesus want us to do. And how would Paul know? Because Paul knew Jesus personally, he spent three years with Him, following Him, listening to Him, learning from Him. And Paul blessed us by recording everything he knew about Jesus, so that we can know Him as well. Through God's great grace through His servant Paul, we know the rest of the story, and we know what we must do while we wait to see the face of our Christ.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and in all things give thanks. For Christ is coming to earth again. Amen.