Lord Jesus--As Paul was writing these lines the early church was going through a transition of sorts. There were those who had died. By this time the church in Jerusalem had seen many die in one way of another. They may have gone underground for the most part. It isn't clear, but there had been successive waves of persecution that had swept through the church. But Nero hadn't even come to power as Paul was writing this.Each wave of persecution had pushed the church to "go to grow". The church growth movement of the 1 century was in response to local persecution.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 (NASB)
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
Lord Jesus-- The losses must have accumulated as they went along. Grieving must have been a way of life at times. They keep their eyes fixed on a hope not in better living situations, but in the One who spoke the conditions into existence in the first place. The hope of these early Christians had feet to it with hiking boots on.My hope does not depend on the weather, or the time of year or the season of change in the world that surrounds me. It is a hope that is sure and lasting. The Kingdom has it's start in this world in your death and resurrection.
Let the hope that secures me today, Lord Jesus, be a hope that has feet and work boots on...ready for the hard work that your Kingdom come implies.
That's a good point. I think we often interpret our hope through the circumstances around us (elections, economies), and we forget that we do have something beyond it. The world can and might fall apart around us, and even though our responsibility to our neighbors does not change, we don't need to worry for ourselves.
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