I could see Paul writing this letter ( or email or FaceTime) right now amidst this pandemic. As we meet with our families and our church communities, we pretty much say the same thing: we know the hardships you are going through because we are going through them in the place where we live. And even with all this hardship, we are still being imitators of God’s churches of old. We may be suffering in a different way. Nevertheless, we are suffering. We feel your pain.

And isn’t that what we are doing now. I have many opportunities to parts of church and secular groups who are coming together virtually to pray for one another and to share with each other, whether sharing is the joy of a newborn in the family to the concerns of another person suffering with COVID-19. And this is what Paul says about those things visible and invisible who are blocking our ability to be in community with one another: “…they have constantly been filling up the measure of their sins; but God’s wrath has overtaken them at last.” It sounds a lot like an Easter message “Death, where is your sting?”

I hope we will not be weary enough of this pandemic, that we no longer have the strength to say to one another like Paul said to the Thessalonians: “Yes, you are our glory and joy!” May we always remember to say to others in which we are in contact: “It is a joy to be with you no matter what—whether we are masked or 6 feet apart or looking through a screen or anything else. It is a joy to be with you.