Sun 8 Nov

We are approaching that time of year when people start sending Christmas Cards and their Annual Newsletter. They were originally sent so that people could catch up on what was happening with family and friends. You would find out about births and weddings and deaths, particularly if the senders lived a long way away. You could catch up on former school teachers who used to board with the farming families. Or former ministers who had become close because of the way they dealt with an illness or death in a family. Or for us it is an opportunity to catch up on friends who we went to Bible College with decades ago.

Such communication has declined and been replaced by faster means such as email and facebook and text messaging. Perhaps these days there is a different reason to send a Christmas Card. It is an opportunity to highlight the Christ behind the Christmas story.

But all such communication has at least one thing in mind – to see how people are standing firm during the challenges of life.

Standing firm was a particular challenge for the Apostle Paul. He had planted a church in Thessalonica, but had to leave the city rather quickly. Paul was deeply concerned for the church. He wanted to know whether the church was still going and standing firm in Christ amid the trials of life? Are there people you need to make contact with to see how you can encourage them to continue to stand firm?