1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 (NRSV)
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Chapter 5Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. Verse 2For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. Verse 3When they say, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! Verse 4But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; Verse 5for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness.
Verse 6So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; Verse 7for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. Verse 8But 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. Verse 9For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, Verse 10who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him.
Verse 11Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.
Devotion
Long before I studied Lutheran theology, or some of the stories from Luther's table talk, the "prophetic" dire predictions of impending doom upset me. They often had the character of fear tactics used by bullies to upset their hearers—and they were successful! John 9:4 reminds us to do the work we are given to do all day long and to live by faith, rather than in fear. In a similar way, Paul's letter to the Thessalonians seeks to calm their fears about what the future will bring. His words are filled with anticipation of Christ's return. Paul speaks of God's promise of salvation in Christ that fills us with joy, not fear. So too, we wait in active anticipation and tend to our neighbors' needs with joy in our hearts.
Prayer
Dearest Father, calm our souls and give us patience to wait while doing justice in your world. Amen.