Duncan Perry headshot

Duncan Perry

The clock flicked to midnight as I slinked toward the fabric calendar that hangs in my mama鈥檚 kitchen. Each day has a pocket that is just big enough to hold a small, stuffed Santa Claus which is attached to the calendar by a piece of red ribbon. Starting Dec. 1, Santa hops from pocket-to-pocket until Christmas Day. I have a current competition with my baby sister to see who can move Santa each morning鈥攁 competition I have held with different siblings for decades. As a kid, Santa鈥檚 daily hops seemed to take months. Christmas crawled through the calendar. This is why my childhood behavior often soured by mid-December.

Waiting is hard work. While waiting we find ourselves drifting out of the humdrum of daily life and living in alternate times and places. We distract ourselves with happy or haunted pasts, or dreams of better futures. We often miss God鈥檚 gift that the present truly is. If you have ever wrestled with what it looks like to wait well, the next book in our Bibles is for you. The Christian life is a matter of working and waiting, not to earn God鈥檚 favor, but because of His grace.

As we open our Bibles, we find Paul鈥檚 first letter to the Thessalonian believers, a response to Timothy鈥檚 report of their thriving faith following Paul鈥檚 departure (1 Thess. 3:6). These believers had received God鈥檚 grace to believe Jesus鈥檚 gospel. Paul wrote, 鈥淔or we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction,鈥 (1 Thess. 1:4 鈥 5a, ESV). Through believing the gospel, God鈥檚 grace changes how we live.

Paul encouraged the Thessalonians to, 鈥渨alk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory,鈥 (1 Thess. 2:12b, ESV), to live lives that please God by obeying His will. First, Paul wrote, 鈥淔or this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality鈥︹ (1 Thess. 4:3, ESV). Apparently, the Thessalonians believed that Jesus鈥檚 return was so near that they should stop working (1 Thess. 4:11; 5:14). Idleness鈥攂oth physically and spiritually鈥攊s a disaster for God鈥檚 people. God鈥檚 will for us is that we be holy鈥攕et apart from the world鈥檚 ways. We are not better in and of ourselves, but we are different, by God鈥檚 grace. The work of sexual purity while waiting on Jesus鈥檚 return is a difficult and worthy pursuit in a crumbling culture.

Second, Paul wrote to the Thessalonians to 鈥渞ejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you,鈥 (1 Thess. 5:16 鈥 18, ESV). These exhortations sound simple, but the Thessalonians were enduring persecution (1 Thess. 2:1 鈥 12). The weight of Paul鈥檚 encouragement to persist in these attitudes and actions may have felt heavy, impossible for broken sinners on their own. Yet, God鈥檚 grace equips us to accomplish His will.

Finally, Paul wrote to the Thessalonians concerning the Lord鈥檚 return, offering hope amid waited. The Thessalonians were concerned because some of their fellow believers had already died. Paul comforted them by explaining the rapture and the resurrection of believers鈥攔apture for believers still living, and resurrection for believers who had died. He wrote:

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words, (1 Thess. 4:16 鈥 18, ESV).

Are you struggling to wait this Christmas season, friend? My parents love to tell the story of an infamous childhood Christmas when I was so bad they took away nearly all my gifts and gave them back, one-per-day, if I could behave. I opened presents almost until my birthday at the end of January.

How we wait and why we wait define us as believers in Jesus. God calls us to wait and work in a manner worthy of the gospel until Jesus returns. This Christmas, may you receive the gift of salvation by trusting Jesus in your place at the cross and in the resurrection; may you find in Him, the grace that explains 鈥渉ow you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come,鈥 (1 Thess. 1:9 鈥 10, ESV). Merry Christmas.

Hannah Strong Oskin is the executive editor of MyHorry黑料社入口. Reach her at 843-488-7242 or hannah.oskin@myhorrynews.com. Follow her on X @HannahSOskin.

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