Advent Meditations- 11/30/09
Monday
November 30, 2009
“Imitators of the Lord”
Scripture- I Thessalonians 1:1-10
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.
2We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly 3remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, 5because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake.
6And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, 7so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. 9For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, 10and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.
Reflection-
The power and desire to be like others is primal in the human psyche. As a teenager, I was a self-imagined non-conformist. In reality this meant that I wanted to be like the different people. In practice I was as immersed and preoccupied with imitation as my peers, just in the negative. Some of this streak has remained. This Advent I don’t want to be like the people flocking to the malls and going into debt just to buy bits of plastic that no one will remember.
This year let’s become imitator’s of Jesus, now there is a unique personality! Instead of being shaped by the desires and fads of the masses, we could become defined by seeking the betterment of all people. Instead of seeking to be entertained or comforted, we could offer ourselves for the sake of healing the wounds left by broken promises and shattered dreams. Acts of love and kindness always fit, never go out of style, and last into the coming year.
Prayer-
God of the nations,
fill us with your spirit and take on our flesh.
Help us to live out the Gospel so completely,
that no one has to be told of your love.
Grant us the grace to be imitators of Christ and each other,
such that there will be nothing lacking in our faith or witness.
Come, Lord Jesus, Come. Amen.
