THE CHEERFUL THESSALONIANS

It remains one of the hardest orders in the New Testament: Be happy, always happy. Give thanks in all circumstances. Even when imprisoned, widowed, or ill? Saint Paul is raising us up above the concerns of mortals. He wrote to the Thessalonians from Corinth in AD 51, barely 20 years after the resurrection. To Paul, nothing else mattered, save the surpassing joy of knowing Christ his saviour was risen. Paul’s life is a response to Christ’s invitation: Whosoever believes in me shall never die but have everlasting life. Paul laboured through imprisonment, torture and disgrace secure in the knowledge that life eternal was his.

Bowed down with our trials and tribulations it’s easy to overlook the cheerful brilliance of everyday life. In the simplest things we sense a divine joy. The smile of a child, a bride walking up the aisle, the laughter of two friends sipping coffee together in High Town. Christmas can be a tough time for those on their own, the recently widowed, and for all who struggle. Yet the greatest hope raises us above our grimy horizons. The baby in the manger calls us beyond all pain. God is restoring us to Zion not holding our failings against us.

We have a reason for our joy, which transcends the disappointments and heartache of every day life. We raise our eyes beyond a distorted reality and see again the one true star. We go on our way rejoicing, for we know we at the end shall life inherit.    Advent 2023