Meditation on 1 Thess. 5:12-24
Third Sunday in Advent
Dec. 14, 2014
Here's the video link to the entire service from yesterday morning complete with the bells:
https://vimeo.com/114597227
Here's the video link to the entire service from yesterday morning complete with the bells:
https://vimeo.com/114597227
But we appeal to you, brothers and
sisters, to respect those who labor among you, and have charge of you in
the Lord and admonish you; esteem them very highly in love because of their
work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, beloved, to
admonish the idlers, encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak, be patient
with all of them. See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to
do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray without
ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in
Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the gifts of the Spirit. Do not
despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is
good; abstain from every form of evil. May the God of peace himself
sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept
sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one
who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.
***
I met a lady this fall from Madrid while I was taking a class in
Marshall. We became friends. I learned about her culture and something about
her native Spain. She learned I was a
pastor in a country church and that I was studying Spanish to help minister
to people of another culture living in our midst.
We didn’t talk much about religion, though, until one day, in the last
week of the class, when she talked about being active in the Catholic Church
when she lived in Spain. Then, when she moved to Minnesota about 18 years ago,
she visited churches but didn’t find “church people” to be friendly. She
attended congregations of a variety of denominations, but none made her feel
truly welcome. Because she had been raised Catholic, she
joined a Catholic church, but stopped attending after members received
letters and phone calls seeking donations for a building project. My
friend was distressed to learn that a single mother with a handicapped child
was called and, in spite of their poverty and struggles, was pressured to give
money.
My friend asked, “Shouldn’t the church be
loving their neighbors and caring for the poor—instead of demanding that the
poor give them money?”
“Yes,” I answered.
“And isn’t the church supposed to be the people—and not the building?”
she went on, surprising me with her astute observation.
“Yes,” I said again. And I did not know what else to say, except that I
was sorry for what had happened.
But I
took seriously her criticism, as it was a warning to all congregations to be ready to welcome visitors as a witness to Christ’s welcome to all people and
to pursue loving relationships with one another. Even outsiders can tell when
members are not getting along! Her story may also be a lesson in how not to
conduct overzealous fundraising campaigns that forget that the Church is the
people—and not the building—and the Church is called, first and foremost, to
care for the needs of the people in its midst.
***
But, friends, this is the time of year when the world is looking very
closely at us! This is when our witness to the light and love of Christ is
especially important! Christmas can too easily become a blur of family get-togethers,
shopping and presents, parties and food—even for Christians. It’s too easy to
get distracted and forget what Christmas is really about— our present hope in
Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World, and our longing for His Kingdom to come.
1. Respect and love your leaders—those who labor among you. Not because
of the prestige of their position in the church but because of their service to
God and His people. This is a great time of year to say thank you to all of our
ruling elders and other workers in the church who give of their time, talents
and resources so that the ministry to this community may continue on.
2. Be at peace! Even visitors can tell if a church is at peace—or if people are
harboring grudges or saying bad things about each other behind their backs. As
much as it depends on you, make every effort to live in peace!
3. Admonish the idlers. This word translated “idlers” or “lazy”
originally described a soldier that had left the ranks. This phrase, then,
really means “warn the quitters.” Do you know people who have quit coming to
church and serving the Lord? This is a good time to encourage those who used to
be active in the church to become active once again. Say, “Hey, I have been
thinking of you. I miss you. Do you need a ride to church?”
4. Encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak, be patient with all
of them. The
“faint-hearted” is literally “those whose souls are small.” These are those who
are fearful. They are always fearing the worst will happen—the church won’t be
able to pay its bills, the young people won’t come, we won’t find enough people
to serve as leaders or as Sunday school teachers, and so forth. We don’t always
realize the source of these remarks is fear, a failure to trust in the Lord.
Those who are stronger in faith must help those who are weaker. And here is good
advice for relationships in the church—be patient with all.
5. Do not repay evil for evil. Does it surprise you that even in the Early
Church, Christians could be spiteful to one another and lash out when they felt
hurt, despite Christ’s command “to love one another, as I have loved you.” If you think someone has been unkind to you,
don’t seek revenge. Draw them back to the Lord with your kindness! And your
gentleness will be a witness to unbelievers.
6. Do good to one another and to all. When you repay evil for evil,
what usually happens? More evil. Stories of the evil deeds move swiftly through
a congregation and people start to take sides. Wouldn’t it be better if we
sought to do good to one another—and to all so that the community only hears of
our goodness and love?
7. Rejoice always. How is that possible, you might be
wondering, when you are grieving the loss of a loved one, living paycheck to
paycheck, suffering with illness or struggling with other trials? Remember,
this is Paul telling us to “rejoice”—the same Paul who told us we could be
content in all situations, the one who wrote while he was in jail, “Rejoice in
the Lord always, again I say rejoice!” Paul isn’t saying, “Pretend that you are
happy when you are not” or “lie about your true feelings.” He is saying that
amidst your trials and your pain, rejoice
in the Lord, the One who suffered and died for your sake and is with you in
all your suffering today. Rejoice in the hope you have in Him.
8. Pray without ceasing. Does this mean you should be a monk in a
monastery or a hermit in a cave? No. Paul means for us to live each day in this
world walking and talking with the Lord. Recognize and welcome His presence
with you, for the Spirit continually dwells within you and will guide you in
His ways if you trust in Him. You are
never alone! If you are intentionally walking with the Lord, acknowledging His presence
and power and casting your burdens on Him, then you will have His joy and peace!
And what a wonderful witness we will be if the world sees us as a people of
prayer, who walk with and dwell with God every day.
9. Give thanks in all circumstances. Does this mean I should thank God
for terrible things? No. God doesn’t want you to be insincere. He wants you to
be honest. Bring Him your troubles, sadness, disappointments, even your anger! But
He also wants you to remember that no matter the circumstances in your life,
you always have reason to give thanks—for His love, the sacrifice of His Son, the
hope we have in Him, and the wonderful things He has done!
10. “Don’t
quench the gifts of the Spirit. Don’t despise the words of the prophets.” Every
Christian has spiritual gifts! Paul is telling us to encourage one another to
use our gifts for the Lord! If we refuse to use the gifts God has given us, or
to allow someone else to use their God-given gifts, then we will quench the Spirit!
The passage ends with an exhortation to “test everything and hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form
of evil.” But of course, we can’t do
this without the Lord. Paul offers a blessing and assurance of God’s help:
“May
the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul
and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming our Lord Jesus Christ. The
one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.”
***
Brothers and sisters, especially at this time of year, remember
that the world is looking at the Church’s witness more closely than ever.
Remember my friend and her experiences that turned her off to the Church.
Welcome the stranger. Help those in need in your midst. Don’t complain that
other people aren’t giving enough or insist that others give more! Let each one
discern the Lord’s will for their own giving. Let each one seek to be generous,
for God is always generous with us!
And remember these three: Always: rejoice in the Lord; pray without
ceasing; give thanks in all circumstances
for this is the Will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
Live in peace. Walk in love! Don’t hold grudges! Don’t seek
revenge! Seek to be the Church Christ calls us to be—with God’s help.
For the One who calls us is faithful, and he will do this.
Let us pray.
Holy One, we thank you for your Word, that continues to guide
and shape our communities of faith today. Thank you for Your Son and the things you have
done! Thank you for being faithful to use us to accomplish your wonderful plans
for the salvation of the world, with all our flaws and weaknesses. Forgive us
for not always seeking to be who You want us to be—for becoming distracted or
falling into apathy or spiritual laziness. Give us courage and compassion to
welcome the stranger, to be generous in giving our time, talents and resources
to the Church, and to be kind to one another, never seeking to hurt others. Help
us to win unbelievers through our loving, gracious witness as we await the
celebration of our Savior’s birth and long for Your Son’s return to reign over
us. Stir us to use the gifts you have given us. And lead us to remember these three
essentials for our lives of faith—to always: rejoice, pray and give thanks! For
this is your will in Christ Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen.
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