October 16, 2011
Morning Prayers
Let us remember before God all who labor in the faith and love of Jesus Christ and all in every danger and need.
For this gathering, and for the people of God in every place.
Lord, have mercy.
For all peoples and their leaders, for candidates for public office, and for mercy and justice in the world.
Lord, have mercy.
For good weather, abundant fruits of the earth, and peaceful times.
Lord, have mercy.
For doctors, nurses, and hospital staff, and for all who work in healing others.
Lord, have mercy.
For the sick and the suffering, travelers and refugees, prisoners and their families, and the dying and dead.
Lord, have mercy.
For our city and those who live in it, and for our families, companions, and all those we love, and those for whom we pray in silence.
Lord, have mercy.
Loving and true God, who raised your Son from the dead, hear our prayers and make us imitators of Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.
2We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly 3remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
4For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, 5because 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.
6And 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,
7so that you became an example to all the believers in
“What Is Your Reputation?”
Many years ago whi8le I was serving as a hospital chaplain, Kate and I began looking for a Disciples congregation to join. In
We were told in particular to beware of two different congregations which had “bad reputations.”
One had been bearing this “bad” reputation based on something that had happened 79 years before. Can you imagine that? 79 years before, the elders moved the pastor’s belongings out to the street in the middle of the night--and people still remembered.
The other church had gotten its bad reputation only months before with a vote it had taken opposing the candidate for General Minister and President. The word of that vote got around pretty quickly, and within days, this church had a bad reputation.
And so, I ask you today, First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of
Before we can get to that answer, we need to look at our text for today.
The book before us, 1 Thessalonians, is an example of apocalyptic thought, though not apocalyptic literature. Apocalyptic literature would be the books of Daniel and Revelation, while this letter of 1 Thessalonians only suggests what is full blown in Revelation.
The Thessalonian letters are very much shaped by apocalyptic thought, in which it is held that there is a fundamental distinction between the forces of good and the forces of evil. They envision an “old” age ruled by the forces of evil, and a “new” age ruled by God. They envision an imminent judgment in which God will bring an end to all the evil forces.
Before that imminent judgment occurs, the followers of Jesus Christ must straddle the two ages or two worlds. They must exist in the old “evil” age, but live according to the spirit of God’s new world ways. This will bring about a clash between the old and the new that will result in persecution.
Thessalonica was a stronghold of idol worship. The cults of the Roman gods were the center of social networking in that city. You weren’t anybody if you didn’t “belong” to one of the Roman temples.
Alan Segal writes that “no truly committed Christian could maintain idol cult membership. Thus Christianity was subversive to the basic religious institutions of society.”
And so Paul writes to encourage continued faithfulness to an already faithful church. In many ways, it’s a simpler, plainer version of the book of Revelation.
Revelation, for all its bizarre imagery and numerology, has a very simply message: keep the faith, and everything is going to be alright.
And here in 1 Thessalonians, that’s exactly what Paul writes to the church suffering under persecution and disenfranchisement.
I want to lift up four points from this particular passage as it relates to the early church and to ours.
First: “We always give thanks to God…and mention you in our prayers constantly.”
It mattered to Paul and to the early church to pray for the churches--so much so that Paul makes note of it in his letter, offering both thanksgiving and petitions before God.
You need to know that your church leaders pray for you. Our Elders pray for this congregation and its members, and I give thanks every day that you have called me to be your pastor. My prayer is that all of you will also be in prayer for our church and seeking God’s direction for us.
Second: “…the gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit…”
When Paul preached at Thessalonica, it wasn’t just words that were heard, but an encounter with the risen Christ.
My prayer is that every Sunday in this place, we encounter the risen Lord--in song, in bread and wine, and in the love we have for each other. Remember, when we invite our neighbors to come to church, we’re not asking them to just occupy the pews, but rather inviting them to encounter Jesus Christ.
Third: “…in spite of persecution you received the word with joy…”
The Thessalonians were under fire from the culture around them and experienced estrangement from family and friends and even torture, and yet, they did not turn away from Jesus Christ--knowing that if they endured sufferings as Jesus suffered, they would share in his glory.
We live in difficult times, and our church is in a thorny place--though I could not call our situation persecution. Yet we are called to be joyful even in the midst of difficulty. We must continue to be joyful amongst ourselves and to the world around us. I wish more of you could see the joy that goes on with the Saturday Community Breakfast, as we put the gospel into concrete action. We need to translate that joy to inviting our friends and neighbors to encounter Christ in our worship.
Finally: “…you became an example to all…”
Here’s where the reputation part comes in. The church at Thessalonica was so amazing in their faith that the whole Mediterranean world knew of it. Their reputation of faith under pressure was so widely known, that Paul write they didn’t even have to speak of it.
And so, what is our reputation? How are we known to those around us? I can tell you this--the other Disciples churches in our
But what is our reputation in our community? What do people in
I’m not going to answer those questions. Instead, I’m going to ask, how would you respond?
Offering Invitation and Prayer
As one wise soul once said, “If we are to give unto God what is God’s and give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, there will not be much left for poor Caesar!” Everything is of God and belongs to God, so what we give now is a thankful response for blessings of creation.
God of Wisdom, we rejoice that you have provided us with numerous examples of generous giving. We obediently share this offering in full knowledge that all of our resources and assets are ultimately a gift from you. Help us to use them wisely and to share them generously. We pray in the name of your son, Jesus Christ, who gave his life, so we may live abundantly. Amen.
Benediction
Go in peace,
- and may God's love surround you and fill you;
- may the Spirits power support and guide you,
- and may the grace of Christ our Lord shine in all that you say and do,
both now and forevermore. Amen
