YOU’VE GOT MAIL!
A sermon preached by
Rev. Dr. Randle R. (Rick) Mixon
First Baptist Church, Palo Alto, CA
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Text: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
If the New Testament had been arranged in chronological order, these words from First Thessalonians would be the first you read. Scholars generally agree that this letter is the earliest writing of all those collected to tell about Jesus, the Christ. If it is indeed true that the letters of Paul were among the earliest reflections on and teachings about the Christianity, it is not altogether surprising that some have considered Paul to be the father of the faith. To the degree that this is so and these are some of his earliest reflections and teachings, it is noteworthy that the faith is so thoroughly grounded in thanksgiving and so clearly focused on God.
The city of Thessalonica was an important port in the region of Macedonia. It was 100 miles from Philippi, the city we “visited” last Sunday. It was the Roman capital of the province and was situated on the main road that linked the western and eastern ends of the empire. As a port and a crossroads it was a broadly multicultural city, especially in its religious life. It was the center of two different Dionysian cults, a cult to Orpheus and other esoteric and mysterious practices, as well as emperor worship. Luke tells us there was also a Jewish synagogue there. It is not difficult to imagine the different ways in which the fledgling church would have been subject to criticism, ridicule and persecution on several fronts. Not only were the Christians operating outside the dominant culture of their city, they were also likely in conflict with those of the Jews who were not sympathetic to this Jesus movement within Judaism.
Though Luke tries to make the case that it was Jews who were the major persecutors of Paul and the church in Thessalonica, the letter itself indicates that the church was made up primarily of Gentile converts from paganism not from with the community of Jews and God-fearers. One commentator puts forth the interesting idea that this church was an association of male artisans who lived in the ancient equivalent of an apartment complex that housed their work space as well as their living quarters. Part of her argument is that Paul and his companions lived in this setting, practicing their various crafts and evangelizing the neighborhood. It is in this intimate setting of brothers living and working together that the Thessalonian church took root and grew (Linda McKinnish Bridges, Smyth and Helwys Bible Commentary, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, pp. 8-9.)
This little community no doubt came from disparate religious backgrounds but shared a common economically stressed position. Another commentator writes that Paul and company would have been in the city shortly after a time of famine that had created economic hardship throughout the region (John W. Bailey, Interpreter’s Bible, I and II Thessalonians: Introduction, p. 246.) Into this fertile mix, Paul and Silvanus and Timothy had brought something new and wonderful, the good news of Jesus Christ. This group found their lives transformed in the light of the gospel, as spoken and lived by Paul and the other evangelists with him.
After some months, Paul left Thessalonica. We don’t for certain know why. Luke says he was driven out by some disgruntled Jews, though Paul himself does not recount that story. What does seem clear is that, now living and working in Corinth, Paul is deeply concerned about the “new church start” in Thessalonica. He sends Timothy to check on them and Timothy returns with an apparently glowing report. Still, as with anyone learning a new way of doing things, a new way of being in the world, there were slips and miscommunications, some confusion and misunderstanding. So, Paul writes a letter to his friends, the brothers in Thessalonica, to encourage them and to straighten a few things out for these new disciples.
Remember last week we talked about the letter to the church in Philippi, about how in that letter Paul engaged in exhortation, straightening out the congregation and encouraging them to live their lives focused on whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, pleasing, commendable, anything excellent and anything worthy of praise? Something of the same thing is going on in this letter to the Thessalonians. It is interesting that the longer Paul worked at spreading the gospel, the more authoritative and chiding he became in his letters to the churches he planted. But here, in his early days, we get a kinder, gentler Paul.
In the first place the letter, is not exactly from Paul. Even if Paul is the lead writer or thinker behind the letter, it is from Paul, Silvanus and Timothy. For me, it is exciting and satisfying to see that Paul, at least in the beginning of his ministry, worked as part of a team. There is an affirmation of this team work in the letter as there is an affirmation with the close knit community that they bring into being in Thessalonica. There is clearly love and affection among these workers for the gospel and the people who hear and embrace the good news.
Last week I also mentioned Daniel Pryfogle and what I have learned from him and others about “Appreciative Inquiry.” It seems to me that in this first chapter of the letter to the Thessalonian Christians, in this prayer of Thanksgiving, Paul is once again practicing something like Appreciative Inquiry. In Appreciative Inquiry, one does not begin with the problem, does not focus on what is wrong, does not begin with criticism; instead, one shapes the conversation by asking what is right here, what is working, what is of value in the current situation on which we can build? In this practice the people in the relationship or organization are also affirmed and appreciated, respected and valued for who they are and what they do and what they bring to the conversation. From an appreciative beginning much can be accomplished when time and energy are not wasted analyzing and critiquing what didn’t work and why, who’s to blame and how best to defend one’s self against attack.
There may indeed be some problems and concerns, some questions and anxieties in the Thessalonian church, which Paul will get to eventually, but he rightly begins his letter in appreciation. As he greets his friends and followers with the peace and grace of God, he also expresses his gratitude for them. Right away, he lists three characteristics of their church, which he wants to affirm. He lifts up their “work of faith,” their “labor of love” and their “steadfastness in hope.” These characteristics are not just concepts for Paul or for the new Christians in Thessalonica. They are important practices - life work, really – faith love, hope. Paul will use this essential grouping more than once in his witness and his writing.
To begin with, Paul admires the way these people work at their faith. For them to say that they believe in Jesus Christ means making daily choices about how they live their lives and how openly they share their faith. It is work; it does not come easily or cheaply. They live in a hostile and potentially persecutory environment in which they can suffer dire consequences for their faith. The daily decisions they make shape their lives and their relationships to their environment, their community and their God. (Though we do not often face overt hostility or persecution for our faith, we do live in an environment that is frequently jaded, indifferent and ridiculing of the faith we practice.) Paul commends the Thessalonians for the ways in which they stand for their faith, witness to their faith, practice their faith, live their faith, even in the face of hostility.
Then Paul lauds his friends and followers for their labor of love. This is no cheap or sentimental love. This is love that forgives, that turns the other cheek, that always seeks to include, that reaches out to embrace everyone, including enemies. This is the kind of love that draws us out of the ease of just hanging out with the folk we like and challenges us to find ways to love whom and what in God’s creation we have mistakenly labeled as unlovable. Paul commends them for the ways they keep laboring to grasp, to learn, to live this kind of love, which is ultimately life-transforming and world-healing.
Finally, Paul celebrates the way these people are steadfast in hope. They have plenty of reasons to despair, to give in or give up. There are social and cultural and economic lures and pressures all around them. After all, they’re only human. Cutting a corner here, badmouthing someone there, a little idol worship now and then, just in case…none of these would hurt to hedge the bet they’d made on this Jesus Christ, right? The word they heard was about some sort of redemption from their struggles, poverty, oppression; some sort of new life in realm of God. Wasn’t it supposed to happen soon? It hadn’t, though. How were they supposed to hold on to their hope? How could they hold out for the promises of God’s reign? Yet somehow, in spite of all trials and temptations, they did. They remained steadfast in their hope that all would be well and all would be well. Paul praises them for the ways in which they fill their lives with hope for a new order that will – in fact, is – transforming them and their world.
Paul shares with them his awareness that the gospel has not come to them just as words “but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.” The gospel is a living, life-changing phenomenon for these Thessalonians, not just a set of somewhat interesting, mildly appealing, non-irritating ideas that you can take or leave without consequence. Signing on for discipleship meant something significant for these folk. It was the challenge of radical change in their lives, sometimes a matter of being rejected by one’s family or community, sometimes even an issue of life or death.
Did it make any difference? Well, Paul called this little group of struggling artisans, this fledgling congregation, this small company of pilgrims and seekers, “an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.” In fact, the good news has sounded from them like a trumpet or thunder rolling and was widely known among the emerging church everywhere. Wow! Who would have thunk it?
What has this to do with the First Baptist Church of Palo Alto, California? Well, it seems that this congregation knows something of about the work of faith, the labor of love and the steadfastness of hope, even in the sense the Thessalonians knew these things. Throughout the history of this congregation, prophets and preacher and practitioners of Christianity have been here and worked here in what began as a remote outpost and has become a center of civilized culture, affluence and intellectual endeavor. They brought the gospel to this place in challenging, life-changing ways. Many here have engaged in the work of faith – both to find it and to practice it; many have been caught up in the labor of love – giving themselves generously to neighbors in need and sincerely seeking ways to make peace with enemies, while bringing justice for all; many have stood steadfast in hope of a better world, of the healing of the nations and the restoration of the earth, hope of the coming reign of God. I’m sure the witness has never been perfect. Maybe it wasn’t as it could have been, but there has been a community gathered here for a good long while bearing witness to the good news of Jesus Christ. I am also sure that the bearing of faithful witness has brought this congregation into conflict with the prevailing culture, with the dominant social order, with popular political agendas. The prophets and preachers and practitioners who have come – and gone – helped to shape this community and have left their marks, as will we. Still, it is the work of faith, the labor of love and the steadfastness of hope among the people who comprise this congregation that makes the community what it is.
We are the church of Jesus Christ on this corner of North California and Bryant in Palo Alto, California. It is we who, with the power of the Holy Spirit, ask our questions, hone our convictions, practice our priorities and bear witness to the coming reign of God in and from this place. We do it by welcoming and affirming all kinds of folk, by feeding the hungry, by advocating for social, economic and political justice, by working for peace, by opening our doors and our hearts to the wider world. In some ways, it is not enough; it can never be enough until God’s reign is fully realized on earth as it is in heaven. So you understand that it is not just about proclaiming the Word as words, but it’s about being imitators, fully following Jesus, who gave all to bring God’s reign to fullness. It’s about receiving the Word with joy in the Holy Spirit, even in the face of apathy, ridicule or persecution. It’s about letting the Word – God’s Word – sound forth from this corner like a trumpet blast or thunder. It’s about living as if God’s realm were real, even while we wait for it to arrive fully. It’s about serving a living and true God. It’s about our work of faith, our labor of love and the steadfastness of our hope. Amen.