Face to face
by Pastor Joshua Pfeiffer
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When … we were made orphans by being separated from you – in person, not in heart – we longed with great eagerness to see you face to face (1 Thessalonians 2:17).
During our COVID-influenced times, I’ve lost track of the number of people who told me that although they are very thankful for the technology we have, there simply is no substitute for being with those we love face to face. Many people have been unable to physically be with family and friends for extended periods and have realised they are missing something of immense significance in human life. I’ve also had interesting conversations with people about how different they’ve found face-to-face interaction with the wearing of masks and how much we rely on facial expressions in our communication and relationships.
In our verse today, the Apostle Paul writes to one of the early Christian communities he was instrumental in founding. He had been forced to be away from them, so he longed with great eagerness to see them face to face. It always amazes me how much warmth, love and affection comes through in the letters of the New Testament between the apostles and the early Christians. Sometimes Paul is thought of as somewhat hard, cold or overly intellectual, but surely, we could never hold on to this idea when we read these letters closely. There is a genuine network of love in the early church, which survived forced separations and prolonged absences and drove the early Christians to travel to each other and be together face to face.
I’m convinced this Christian impulse to be together face-to-face grows out of the incarnation – that is, God becoming a human being in Jesus Christ. God did not remain at a distance but has drawn near to us. Although God first spoke through the prophets and messengers, he has now finally spoken to us in his Son. The word became flesh. God has a face. As followers of Christ then, we do not live our Christian lives in isolation and only in a virtual world, but we gather together, face to face in the presence of God to receive his gracious service to us and encourage each other in the life of faith.
Heavenly Father, I thank you for the gift of Christian community and being with each other face to face. Help me never take this for granted, and increase my love for my brothers and sisters in Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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