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November 18, 2001 LECTIONARY
READINGS
"Excess and Discipline in the Spiritual Life" The church at Thessalonica was a remarkable community of faith. It was known for its faith and the mutual love of its members. In his first letter to them, Paul said that he was always thanking God for the fact that they were examples to the whole church in Greece because of their love and faith. Now at the very end of his second letter, he finds himself having to end up on a strong note of discipline. His words perhaps even sound a bit "off key" in a community where caring for one another and feeding those who are hungry is a dominant theme. In his teaching about the end of all things in Matthew 25, Jesus says, "Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food..." [Matt. 25:34-35] There it is. righteous people who do Jesus' bidding are going to feed the hungry. Now in our scripture reading, Paul is telling the Christian community at Thessalonica not to feed some people in their midst who are probably hungry. "There must be more to it than that," you are probably thinking. And indeed there is more. Our notion that, "Feeding the hungry is a righteous thing," can be a religious platitude. Religious platitudes can be a dangerous thing. They communicate a twisted distortion of spiritual truth. Have you ever heard someone describe a terrible thing that has happened to them and they are told, "Christian have to forgive." Or they said to themselves, "I know I have to forgive." The idea of forgiveness is ripped out of context and becomes a cover for avoiding social responsibility. Forgiveness is something we are bound to offer when someone asks to be released from a trespass against us. God forgives us our sin, but does not jam that forgiveness down our throats and let us off the hook for responsibility for our actions. Forgiveness is given by the mercy of God when we honestly seek it and vow to turn away from the sin. Or how about the old platitude, "Christians aren't supposed to get angry." Try squaring that with Jesus' driving the scam artists out of the temple with a whip as he threw over their money tables. Every authentic spiritual truth is born of a context and understanding the context is essential to understand truth. *** Here's the situation (context) Paul was addressing: The church at Thessalonica had absolutely wonderful potential. They were serious about their commitment to love each other and they were committed to their faith. They had a reputation that we would love to have for our church. Wouldn't it be great to hear someone say of our congregation, "Now there's a group of people that is an example of what a church should be!" The one vulnerable spot in the church was the way some people were behaving in light of an expectation that Christ was going to return any day - indeed at any moment. True enough, the return of Christ was a part of the teaching of the apostles, but some were taking this teaching beyond its place in Christian doctrine. There was an excess that would soon bring about pious platitudes that Paul would have to confront. It is important to understand that what happened in Thessalonica can happen in any church where a part of authentic truth is exploded to a place beyond its intention and excess results. In plain (and somewhat oversimplified) language - it's too much of a good thing. In Thessalonica, it resulted in excess against which the apostle Paul had to apply strong discipline. Imagine this scenario:
*** In all of this, Paul pulls no punches. There is a discipline that must be applied to the excess. His principles are timeless.
In short, Paul tells the church at Thessalonica to stay away from this group of people, don't feed them and stay the course in their own spiritual life, continuing to do what is right. They have an example of how to live the Christian life in the person of Paul and his associates who brought the good news to them in the very beginning. *** So what does all of this say to us? All of us have encountered people like the Thessalonian "busybodies." Many congregations have been troubled the "few" who claim to have the truth and "meddle" in the lives of others, pressing them to accept their "truth." One of the lessons for all of us is that we are to turn away from spiritual excess and follow the example of our leaders in the faith. There is a strong message to Christian leaders here. First of all, spiritual distortion must be confronted. Discipline in the Christian faith is for some communities a thing of the past. Discipline is at the core of discipleship. If there is no discipline in the Christian community, there is no true discipleship. Yet, that discipline is aimed, not at rejection, but redemption. In the two verses following our text, Paul tells the community not to count the fringe group as enemies, but as fellow believers. The purpose of avoiding the group is not to reject them permanently, but so that they will become ashamed of their behavior and be restored to the fellowship that is so well known for its faith and mutual love. The bottom line of Paul's letter to the church is a note of hope and encouragement. Short though it is, it is the one truth that stands above all else. No matter how the church may be shaken from time to time and no matter what challenge may come along, there is a peace that comes from God which can never be taken away.
There are many congregations in the Christian world that contain this assurance in their worship as the leader says to the congregation before the peace of God is exchanged: "The peace of the Lord be always with you." May that same peace of God give us hope and joy as we continue to live the life of faith. Reflection on the
Texts Throughout the biblical drama, there is anticipation and longing for the time when God will come to make right all that is wrong and restore all that is broken and heal all that is sick. This is not, however, limited to the bible. Have you ever had a time when you wished that there would be an end to wrongdoing, evil and corruption? Does it ever seem like the good die young, the bad live long and the way of the deceitful flourishes while the good guys struggle to survive? The coming day Malachi speaks of is "The Day of the Lord." It will be a day of righteousness, restoration and renewal. Right will conquer wrong, the fallen (especially the sovereignty of Israel) will be restored and the world will be renewed. There will be new life and joy in the hearts of the people of God. The Psalmist in our text from Psalms presents this as a day when the physical world itself will join in the celebration as even "the hills sing together for joy at the presence of the Lord." Won't it be wonderful when God shows up to crush all sin and sinners! Or will it? It will be wonderful if I am one of the good guys and someone else is the sinner. There is an assumption which runs through the bible and through most of us that "we" are the good guys and "they" are the bad guys. Judgment is for "them", but justice is for "us". The biblical message frequently turns the tables on those who take for granted the goodness and grace of the Lord. The "Day of the Lord" will catch many off guard. Malachi points to arrogance and "evildoing" and abhorrent to God. He warns the priests who do not honor God's name, judges who show partiality and corrupt the law, worshipers who come with their mouths and not with their hearts, teachers who teach contrary to God's ways. Amos said "Woe to you who long for the day of the Lord! Why do you long for the day of the Lord? That day will be darkness, not light." (5:18) Jesus shocks his hearers with the news that the temple will be destroyed. It is not the "house of Israel" but the "heart of Israel" God is looking for. And so it is with us. Malachi says, "...for you who revere my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in it's wings." Jesus said, "by endurance you will gain your souls." The coming of the Day of the Lord is a reality for each of us. Whether it comes generally to the entire world or personally when we "meet our maker" -- the reality of the Day of the Lord should help us to keep our focus on our relationship with the One who made us. [Notes from Last cycle] v.5 With verse 5, Luke begins his last discourse in Jesus' teaching ministry. (Cf. Matt. 24 and Mark 13 -- called the Olivet Discourse because unlike Luke they have Jesus on the Mt. of Olives when he spoke of the conclusion of "this age".) The keys to the entire discourse (verses 5-38) are warnings about future events and the strong encouragement to his followers to persevere. v.6 The temple, at this time, was regarded as one of the wonders of the world. It was unthinkable to the Jews that it should be destroyed. The temple was as enduring to the religious leaders as the God they worshiped. Witnesses against Jesus reported his words that he would "destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days". (Mk.14:58) v. 8 "led astray" = "planethete". To be deceived or led out of the way. The issue of false teaching and false messianic claims was a huge issue in the earliest church. Even by the time of Origen (died 254) messianic impostors had appeared. (Origen; Contra Celsum 7:9) v. 12 Luke's turn here to Jesus warning about the persecution which would fall upon the followers of Christ is engaged as soon as the apostles begin their ministry. Peter and John are summoned to appear before the Jewish Council (Acts 4) and Luke concludes his two part story (Luke-Acts) with Paul under house arrest. Paul literally testifies before kings and governors in Acts. Somewhere around AD 64 Christians in Rome endured terrible persecution under Nero. Indeed families and friends did act as accusers. v.19 The Lukan expression is stronger than the Mark and Matthew counterparts. (Matt. 10:22, Mark 13:13 -- "He who stands firm to the end will be saved") Some see perseverance in Luke's gospel as a major concern -- thus the significant difference in the expression here.
It is quite possible that the two letters to Thessalonica were written quite close together. They address many of the same themes and the second letter was written primarily to clear up a misconception that developed around the return of Christ. In the first letter, Paul urged the people to be watchful because the Day of the Lord would come like a thief in the night. (1 Thess. 5:2 and 5:6) Paul would not be the first preacher to have people miss the point entirely and he found himself doubling back to correct a misunderstanding. In any case the Thessalonian correspondence details one of the most exciting chapters in church history. Here is a picture of the very first thrust of Christianity to the wider world. Along with the accounts in Acts 16 and 17 - this is a lesson in the history of the earliest church. Worship Helps Call To Worship (Based on Psalm 98) Leader: Sing to the Lord a new song, Prayer of Dedication O gracious God, we bring our praise and thanksgiving, our gratitude and our gifts. You have blessed us with your steadfast love and renewed us in the image of Christ. Amen. Benediction Go from this place O people of the Lord, with love in your hearts, joy in your spirits and good news on your lips for the healing of the world. Amen.
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