o come, thou day-spring, come and cheer

our spirits by thine own advent here

A sermon on 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

Passages like this one can be a little hard to bear…

In this excerpt from Paul’s letter to the church he founded in Thessalonica we hear him absolutely gush over these followers. And when you hear that, it’s hard not to reckon with our own shortcoming, the rough edges of our own history as a Christian community…

In these five sentences, we hear Paul just rave over these followers. We hear of Paul’s own longing to be reunited with them; we hear how he can’t stop praying for them, thanking God for them. 

You hear all this, and it serves to magnify our own failings.

You hear Paul write to these followers and it’s hard not to think that if Paul were going to write to us, it wouldn’t be so glowing. More than likely Paul would have more admonitions for us than praise…

The occasion for Paul’s effusive letter is his companion, Timothy, has just returned with a report from his visit to the church in Thessalonica. 

Paul had founded the church there. 

In that city every resident was a part of the cult of the emperor, the official religion of the empire. Yet when Paul went there, some heard Paul’s preaching and were convicted. Some heard Paul’s message and turned to Christ. 

Those Thessalonians made nothing less than a complete change in their lives. Rather than confessing their allegiance to the emperor, they confessed their allegiance to Jesus. Instead of saying the emperor was Lord, they said Jesus was Lord. Make no mistake, to do something like that, was absolutely radical.

Unfortunately, after not too long, Paul had to leave these new converts to start another church. Not only did Paul leave, though; he was delayed in returning them them. It seems Paul envisioned a kind of preaching circuit, among the congregations he founded. Along the way, though, he got held up…

Then, these new followers, faced some persecution. The Christians there, faced maltreatment due to their confession; their faith, not in the emperor, but Jesus. These followers were a threat to the status quo, they evoked the ire of the popular culture.

To top it all off, the fledgling converts got news of Paul’s own troubles. The members of the church Paul founded, heard how Paul was constantly having to defend his Gospel. They heard of Paul’s imprisonments. The Christians there, learned that their founder’s resume wasn’t exactly spotless…

Given all that; Paul couldn’t help but worry. Paul couldn’t help but worry maybe they had become embarrassed by him, that maybe they were rethinking their affiliation with him. Even worse, than that, Paul couldn’t help but worry their own trials were too much for them, that maybe the desire to just fit in was stronger than their allegiance to Jesus and they were rethinking their affiliation with Jesus. 

So when Paul could bear it no longer, he sent Timothy to the new church on his behalf; to check things out, to see how things were going.

Upon Timothy’s return, Paul heard unfortunately all the rumors were true. They had heard of Paul’s troubles, and they had faced some of their own. 

The thing, though; and what Paul could never have expected; was that in spite of all that, the members of First Lutheran in Thessalonica were not deterred! 

The news of Paul’s on hardships, hadn’t tempted them to sever their relation with him. The experience of their own distress, hadn’t tempted them to give up their faith, either!

They had persevered, and they continued to cherish their church-planter.

Upon hearing this news, Paul can’t help but rejoice. He can’t keep his delight bottled up for a moment longer. He has to write to these remarkable followers in Thessalonica.

Paul’s letter is full of wonder and praise. Paul can’t stop thanking God for these followers, he can’t stop saying how he’d like nothing other than to be back with them, to spend some time together.

And I don’t know about you, but that’s a little hard to hear…

We’re all so aware of the tawdry moments in our own history; the petty fights, how we turn on one another, they way the slightest struggle makes us go to pieces. 

We all know if Paul were to write a letter to us, we’d probably get an earful.

But while Paul spends most of his letter thanking God for these faithful followers, as he brings the letter to a close,, he prays that they would be strengthened.

For as well as things are going in Thessalonica, and things are going well, Paul knows they need more. Paul knows that there is too much at stake in following Jesus. He knows it is too hard for us to follow Jesus on our own. So he prays they would be strengthened. They need to be strengthened; strengthened by his return, strengthened by one another and the bond of love.

Paul longs to be reunited with these followers, not just to bask in the glow of how well things are going; but because Paul knows that in their separation, there’s a hole in their faith. “Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith,” Paul says.

When we’re apart, when we bicker, when we hold a grudge, when we choose to hurt each other by our presence or absence; our faith springs a leak. By ourselves, our faith lacks something, it is incomplete. 

We can’t do it on our own; it’s too hard, there’s too much at stake. We need each other for our faith to be strong and full.

• We all already know this, by the way. We all live with a hole in our faith by someone’s absence. 

Whether we like it or not, we need each other, and the bond that holds us together, love. 

• Admittedly, it sounds cliche to say aloud… 

After all, the Beatles wrote one of their most trite songs to such a notion, “all you need is love.” And we all know for ourselves, the Beatles were patently wrong. If you’re going to make it in this life, you’re going to need a whole heck of a lot more than love. 

Which is exactly why Paul writes to the Thessalonians in the first place. Paul begins his letter by noting how they turned from idols. Paul knows how hard such a change is, not just make, but to keep. It is hard to place, and then keep, your trust in God alone.

And we know that, too.
We know how seductive the pull of idolatry is. We know how tempting it is to think that our security is in success on the job, or what’s in your wallet, or our family history, or a million other places.
We know how easy it is to put our trust in some many places other than God. 

It’s hard to trust that God has changed the world. That God has done this, not with power or glory, but by loving the world so fiercely that he gave his only son to it and it’s savagery. It’s hard to trust that this thing God has done is enough, that nothing needs to be added to it.

And that, finally, is the scandal of Paul’s proclamation. That finally, is the promise the Thessalonians have remarkable held to; that God and God’s love is what we can actually rely on. 

In the end, the only prayer the Thessalonians have is in each other and their bond, love. 

And that’s true for us, too. 

The same thing the folks in Thessalonica needed, is the same thing we need; each other and the bond of love. Not the sentimental, inept love; but the love of God. The love which will suffer; suffer even death, and to refuse to let that stop it.

For as well as things are going at First Lutheran in Thessalonica, Paul knows they can’t do it on their own. They need each other, and the bond of love. 

Paul prays, not for more nickels or noses, but that God would strengthen them; truly strengthen them. Strengthen them in love for one another and for all - the very thing God used to overcome the world.

And believe it or not, because of this thing God has done, because of this thing we are getting ready for, each other and our love is the only prayer we have, too.