Monday Devotional: December 11, 2023

Bible Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 (NRSVUE)

¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ¹⁹ Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰ Do not despise prophecies, ²¹ but test everything; hold fast to what is good; ²² abstain from every form of evil. ²³ May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely, and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound[a] and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.

There are some challenging instructions in this letter from Paul to the Thessalonians: Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances. If Paul is telling us that we should always be happy, praying, and feeling grateful for everything that happens to us, then we all fall far short. We are human beings after all and life is hard.

Part of being human is experiencing a wide range of emotions. Any good therapist will tell us that feelings are neither good nor bad. They just are. What we are invited to do is notice them and make loving choices about how we act on them. As a pastor, I have learned never to judge people’s feelings. Allowing someone to express anger, cry through grief, or shiver with anxiety without judging them can help them heal.

So where does that leave us in the conversation with Paul? Is Paul telling us that we just need to grit our teeth and pretend to be happy all the time? Are we meant to be grateful when tragedy strikes? Do these teachings of Paul lead us to live in denial? No. Remember, Paul says that we are to be grateful to God in all circumstances, not for them. We can be sad and grateful at the same time. Could it be also that gratitude to God is a source of our healing?

Paul issues an invitation to an abiding trust in God, deeper than anything life throws our way. God is always with us. No matter what we are going through or feeling, we are held by God. We don’t have to fake it. We can be real with God and each other, knowing that underneath every circumstance is an unconditional love that will not let us go.

Prayer

Gracious God, thank you for always loving us. Thank you for the gift of emotions that can guide us and teach us. Help us trust that underneath all the waves of emotions and all the circumstances of life, your abiding presence is with us. We will never stop being grateful, Amen.

By Carol T. Calvin-Dillon, The Upper Room Disciplines 2023, page 414.

Join us for ADVENT BIBLE STUDY!

“Heaven and Earth: Advent and the Incarnation” by Will Willimon

Session 3: Light
Bible Readings: John 1:1-8, 19-28

Meeting Time:
Zoom Session every Monday at 6:00 pm. (Nov. 27 to Dec. 18)
In-person Session every Wednesday at 1:00 pm. (Nov. 29 to Dec. 20)
Conference Room, McGhee Building