1 Corinthians 1:3-9 -By grace Christians lack no spiritual gift as they wait for Christ’s
return. This section of Scripture was chosen for this “Second Coming” Sunday
because Paul refers to the return as the day of Christ. As the Christian waits
for that final event, the promise is given that we are sustained by Christ’s
grace and will be guiltless for Christ’s appearance. God is faithful in His
gifts and promises.
Paul teaches us to ‘wait.’ V.7 Christians are living between
the times of the first and second Advents. For some it is not easy to wait. We
do not have the patience to wait. Modern life is one wait after another –
waiting for a traffic light to change, for a salary increase, for a person to
write out a check and the check-out counter, for the line to move, for Black
Friday to come, for a vaccine to finally become public. In many cases as it is
with the Lord’s second coming it either wait or do without.
Can we last until the
‘end’? V.8 The end of the world may
be a long time off. Can we bear the pain of separation from loved ones? Can we
last through months and years of suffering? The promise is that Christ will
sustain us with his presence and grace down to the very end.
Paul assures us that
God is ‘faithful.’ V.9 That is good
to know when people are faithless. Whom can you count on today? Whose word is
reliable? We can trust God, for he can be trusted in his promises. You can
believe he is faithful in his promise to return, in his sustaining us during
trouble, and in his presenting us blameless to the Father.[1]
Tomorrow is
Thanksgiving. We thank God for a successful harvest and ask the Lord’s blessing
upon all those who bring food to our tables.
Collect
for the Harvest – Almighty God, Your
crown the fields with Your blessing and permit us to gather in the fruits of the
earth. As stewards of Your creation, may we receive Your gifts in humble
thankfulness and share Your bounty with those in need; through Jesus Christ our
Lord.[2]
A Prayer for
Agriculture – Almighty God, You blessed
the earth to make it fruitful, bringing forth in abundance whatever is needed
for the support of our lives. Prosper, we implore You, the work of farmers,
grant them seasonable weather that we may gather in the fruit of the earth and
thus proclaim Your goodness with thanksgiving. May we see by this noble
vocation that with Your help they feed the world. And cause all those who give
thanks over their food to treat those who produce it with both honor and
respect; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.[3]
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