Home > Advent Blog 2024

Call to Action

December 13, 2024

Isaiah 7:10-25| 2 Thessalonians 2:13-3:5| Luke 22:14-30

Today’s lessons certainly run the gamut, from Isaiah’s prophesying the birth of Jesus right through to the institution of the Lord’s Supper. Add in the Resurrection and you have Christianity in a nutshell! What jumps out at me, though, is the theme of living a Christian life. God, speaking through Isaiah, tries to coax Ahaz to behave better in the Old Testament lesson. And in today’s Gospel, Jesus recites the familiar words of our communion. Then he goes on to describe himself as a servant and tells the Apostles

…the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.

Nestled between these lessons is Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians. This is one of the earliest Christian communities which was suffering persecution and internal strife. It begins with Paul giving thanks for these brothers and sisters, and he reminds them that they are chosen by God to share the Gospel. Then he gets to the heart of the matter:

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word.

He asks for their prayers as he continues to travel and spread the word of the Lord and assures them again that

…we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will go on doing the things that we command. May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.

This is a powerful message at a time when things seem out of kilter, whether Thessalonica in 50 A.D. or the United States in 2024. We need to show by word and action that we live by Jesus’ commandments, loving God with all our hearts and loving our neighbors as ourselves. Our community at St. Luke’s and our faith give us the same hope and strength that the Thessalonians had to serve and to persevere. Our actions, large and small, matter. When we see a wrong we should strive to make it right. Let’s remember to always show others the same love that God shows us. He’s got our backs.

Mallory Walsh