In both the letters to the Thessalonians the appeal to faithful behavior rests in part on the expectation that the Day of the Lord is near, or very near. In most of our churches that expectation has faded or been reinterpreted. Are there ways in which we can still lay hold of the strong expectation of our letters, or ways in which we can seek to be faithful but with a different vision of Christian hope?
In this chapter, the author clearly instructs the Thessalonians how to discipline those who are slack in their responsibilities. Those who do not work should not eat. Is there still a place for strict church discipline in our congregations? If so, how might that work in ways that are faithful to the implications of the gospel?
How do we understand the injunctions against busybodies in a time when social media blur the distinction between the private and the public, between my business and yours?
The letter begins as it ends, with a hope for “grace” and “peace.” Can you think of concrete ways in which grace and peace might be manifest in your life or the life of your faith community?