December 8, 2014- Morning People

December 8, 2014- Morning People
Stephanie Malcolm

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

With the birth of my son, this past year has meant a lot of early morning wakings. I am not what you would call a “morning person.” Most mornings I stumble around, until I am well into my first, sometimes second, cup of coffee. Often, I am not the most gracious or coherent person in the morning. My family is gracious and understands my difficulty and helps me in my journey to alertness.

This passage talks about the church as morning people. We have awoken before the rest of the world, before the sun has even risen. The church is called to be people of the light, while it is still dark. We are called to gentleness, truth, and hope. Yet, when we compare these verses to how the Church actually lives, we look a lot like I do when I wake up in the morning. We stumble around, mumbling and grumbling, as we wander around blindly, trying to wake up. Pastors fail us. Church members tear each other apart. We look around trying to find the light.

1 Thessalonians 5 calls us to “put on the breastplate of gentleness and truth” and “the hope of salvation.” We are called to speak truth to each other's failings, but also to remember the grace and love that has been shown us. Just like my family is patient with me in the morning, we are called to wake others with love, patience, and grace (and maybe a little coffee!). As we stumble around in the darkness trying to live like it is light, we are to not lose hope that the sun will come up and the Kingdom of God will come.

But since we belong to the day, let us be sober,
and put on the breastplate of faith and love,
and for a helmet the hope of salvation.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:8