“What to do while waiting”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Sunday, November 13, 2022
2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 (Forward, p. 15) CEV p. 1242
Our author, the apostle Paul, doesn’t go into detail or explain the background to today’s passage, it is pretty certain from the context that the situation is such that certain people, confident that Jesus will return post haste, have decided to give up their gainful employment and just sit around in joyful anticipation of His coming. Interestingly, this response has taken place a number of times over the course of Christian history with hopeful, expectant believers giving up their homes and employment and heading to a secluded mountaintop or desert to wait it out.
But even when people do not resort to such an extreme measure as giving up everything, they can err, but albeit on a lesser scale. They can become so obsessed, so fixated on Jesus’ return, the dates thereof, and the signs and phenomenon that surrounds it, that they give up on normal living. Convinced that our world is ‘going to hell in a hand-basket’, they may give up on any efforts to contribute to its well-being or make it a better place. Or, being convinced that the time is short, they may devote themselves exclusively to evangelizing their families, friends and neighbours, emphasizing almost exclusively those peoples’ spiritual lives while totally neglecting every other avenue of their lives.
Paul, on the other hand, emphasizes something that is totally humdrum, totally mundane, namely working for a living. That is how we are to occupy whatever time remains. And, along with that, at least according to what Jesus says elsewhere (Matthew 24:45-51) we should continue in our responsibilities toward the rest of the church—and, I would argue, towards the rest of the world as well. So, as the apostle says, ‘we should not be weary in well-doing’, never tired of doing right. This is how we should occupy our waiting time, whatever time we have left. Amen.
Forward notes: “For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: Anyone unwilling to work should not eat. For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work” (verses 10-11).
“It’s easy for Americans (myself included) to read into today’s passage an endorsement of our inherited Puritan work ethic. It’s also easy to see in the verses a wink at a political opinion. But while both of those conversations can be relevant depending on the context, I prefer a broader reading. To me, the verses are about life!
“When fulfillment comes to us too easily, it sours. We become doubtful, anxious, and ungrateful. We come to expect empty pleasures that require nothing of us—and ultimately, fail to feed us. Life is best lived when we live all of it. The joyous moments are infinitely more joyful when we experience them as a result of (or in some cases, despite) effort and struggle. The kingdom of heaven comes at a price, not in monetary terms, but in suffering. But suffering can refine and strengthen, and, from it, beauty grows.”
MOVING FORWARD: “Read all of 2 Thessalonians (it’s short!). What is Paul saying to the people of Thessalonica and to us?”