Ordinary Time 
Pause
God wants to be known. Across the ages since the beginning of creation, God has wanted to be made known in a real and personal way among humankind. Still today with us, God wants to be known.
In God’s great bigness and mighty justice, in swift glimpses we catch of Divine glory on display, in the life and witness of a community living their faith out loud, and in spite of all efforts to suppress the reality of God, God is made known.
How are you allowing God to be made known in your life today?
Listen
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.
We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake.
And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.
1 Thessalonians 1:1-7
Think
How does the gospel of Jesus Christ affect us? Will the grace of God really have implications for how we live this day?
These are straight up questions that force us to examine how we are followers of Christ. The Thessalonian church shows us how faith should really change who we are. The Apostle Paul writes, commending them for how their witness of being Christ followers is spreading through their region and beyond. These Thessalonians didn’t only receive the message of Christ, they fully allowed the power of the Holy Spirit to transform their lives. They were a different people than before.
I once had a student become a Christ follower in 10th grade. His conversion immediately changed his entire outlook on life. He was genuinely happier. Authentic kindness was a natural part of his demeanor. Other people noticed the change, too. This 10th grader allowed Jesus to become known in his life.
Jamie Mackey
Pray
God, become known in my life. Help me to choose you. Help me to look more like you. Amen.
Go
Go in the presence of God.
Go in the fullness of God.
Go in the reality of God.
Go in the love, grace, mercy, and truth of God.
Go with God made known in your life.
