This short letter addresses some of the challenges facing churches on the first century who were expecting Jesus to return in bodily form very soon. The fact that this had not happened was confusing to many followers (because of things Jesus himself had said) and had led to both a sense of abandonment within the community as well as derision from without. These internal and external pressures had distracted the followers who were enticed by by a variety of competing philosophies. We’ll explore the various distractions we face today, the apparent “foolishness” of faith in our own context and explore reasons for hope in dark times. We’ll also consider what Jesus meant when he talked about returning.

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