Thoughts for the Day

Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When they say, ‘There is peace and security’, then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labour pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. So then, let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us. Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

One of my family is a runner, on roads and fells. They go out whatever the weather, hot sun, pouring rain, or high winds and return very hot or very often very wet. Runners always look ahead, their eyes on the path ahead, but able to use peripheral vision to see the ground just in front of them. They certainly can't look back but must forge ahead whatever the terrain in order to complete the course.

Our reading is from the first letter of Paul to the Thessalonians, written by the Apostle when he was in Corinth in southern Greece around 50 CE (common era) to the Christian community that he had founded in Thessalonica in northern Greece. Paul wants them to stand firm against opposition, for as he says they are 'the children of light'. They are to be faithful and to keep awake, that is they are to keep their eyes open and be ever watchful. Paul reminds them that they are the children of light, whether living or dead, and will share in Christ's Resurrection when He comes again.

Today, as Christians we are not to get caught up in the mess and muddle of conspiracy theories about our world, like the runner we need to lift our eyes out of the mire and look ahead, keeping faith in the promises of our Lord Jesus Christ, and aiming to complete the course.

Father-God,
when our world seems to be
descending into chaos,
and when our news from
around the world
seems doom and gloom,
may we lift our eyes
and our hearts to You,
keeping faith with the promises
given to us by Your Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ,
Amen.