God’s peace be with you, friends.
Today’s worship service, in its entirety, may be viewed here:
If you’d prefer to listen only to the sermon, here it is:
Today’s sermon is based on 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.
2 We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 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. 6 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, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. 9 For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.
Beloved of God, grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus.
Labor of love.
Steadfastness of hope.
Chosen.
Inspired.
Known.
Joy.
Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians is the oldest book in the New Testament, written about 51 C.E. Nearly 2,000 years later, Paul’s effusive praise for the church in Thessalonica invites us to consider our own calling as the church today.
In spite of persecution, Paul writes, you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit.
In spite of persecution…
In spite of terrible loss…
In spite of grief and fear, regret and sorrow…
In spite of being tired…
In spite of not being able to gather as you wish you could…
In spite of COVID and all the changes and heartache it has brought…
…you, YOU, are inspired by the Holy Spirit to receive God’s word with joy.
You hear God’s call to love your neighbors and you show up to harvest the fields for the farmer battling cancer; you show up to the courthouse to vote your values.
You hear God’s promise of eternal life and you entrust your loved ones to God’s care and keeping–in the midst of profound grief you praise God.
You pray the prayer Jesus gave his disciples; you ask for God’s will to be done; you look for God’s kingdom to come.
You hum along to the hymns you know by heart, the songs that stir up hope in you.
This is the work of the Holy Spirit in you, the gathered people of God–united as one body, together even when you are apart.
You receive God’s word with joy. You welcome those who preach the word of God. You turn from those things that are not worthy of your trust; you serve the God who is living and true–the God who claimed you in the waters of baptism, the God who stirs up in you the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the God who calls you to a life of love.
You come alongside the ones with sorrowing spirits; you offer what you have to give; your presence is embodied testimony that God is there–in the breaking, in the weeping, in the anger and the fear. You don’t look away. You live the love you’ve known.
You offer assistance to those broken down in body, mind and spirit. You pray. You advocate. You listen. You bless.
You, church, serve a living and true God. Not a god who sits back and leaves us to figure it out on our own. Not a god who delights in our struggle. But the God who promises to rescue us, the God who has already defeated the grave, the God who lives so that we, too, might live.
You, church, live. You are seen by the God who created you. You are known by the God who formed you. You are chosen by the God who equips you with all that you need to keep on laboring in love.
I give thanks to God for all of you. I mention you in my prayers. I remember before God your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in Jesus.
Steadfastness of hope.
I’m fascinated with hope these days, because if there’s anything I’ve learned from 2020 it’s that I can’t manufacture hope on my own. I can’t will it into being. I can’t make myself feel it. But somehow, even when I can’t trust it, it’s there. It’s there not in me, but in us. It’s here in the church, the community of witnesses, the gathered people of God.
The Greek word for steadfastness is literally remaining under. We remain under hope. Not death. Not sin. Not anxiety and anger. Not division and decay. Hope. We remain under hope in Jesus–the one who suffered, died, and was raised to new life, our friend, our shepherd, our rescuer. We remain under hope.
Together, known and loved by God, we are steadfast in hope. All things, in heaven and on earth, belong to the God whose voice is contentment and whose presence is balm. Grace to you, church, and peace. These words are for you:
Thank you for your labor of love.
Thank you for your steadfastness of hope.
God has chosen you.
You are inspired by the Holy Spirit.
You are known and loved.
You receive God’s word with joy.
Thanks be to God! Amen.
thank you so much
You’re welcome, Carolyn. Peace…