Advent 3 - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

(1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 ESV)

The Community Created by the Gospel

I have an old friend, a couple Julie and I used to socialize with.  We would go to parties and gatherings together – I am sure you have heard the expression that someone could just light up a room.  That was him. He would show up at a party and the whole room would change.  There were smiles, laughs, hearty hand shakes, every head was turned to see what he was going to say or what he was going to do and all of a sudden there was new life at the party.  The whole event became just that much more fun because he had arrived and because  he warmed up the room.  Perhaps you have known someone like that.

It’s kind of a  funny thing, the way one person can make so much of a difference in a room.  The way one person can change the whole tone or direction or energy of a group.  Whether it is a positive outlook and friendly disposition or a positive and confident energy, one person can have a huge impact.  Leaders can do that for an organization or business, players or coaches can do that for a sports team, my friend could do that at a party.  

Dear friends, in a way, Jesus does that with His Church. 

You get that sense about him, at times, as you read the Gospels.  He was the kind of person who other people were drawn to.  People heard about him and came looking for him.  And he took care of them.  After all, Jesus was some who cared about people.  He loved people.  He loved each person, each individual, their life, who they were and the things that they had gone through. He cared about them.  He understood them.  He took time for them.  He genuinely wanted to help them.  Not just people, mind you, but each person.  One at a time.  Not one size fits all.  But with Matthew by the tax booth, Bartholomew under the fig tree, the woman at the well and her five  husbands, Mary Magdalene and her seven demons.  He found them one at a time and he called them one at a time.  The world needs more of that, wouldn’t you say?  The world is full of people who are alone, and sad, and don’t belong to any one or anything, who don’t belong anywhere,  Jesus found those people and he gave them a home.  He was a friend  to them.  He showed them what it means to be a friend.  And Jesus changed them, one at a time, and each of those individuals added up to a crowd, and before you knew it, Jesus changed had changed the tone, the outlook, the intention of a crowd of people. 

Now, my friend could change people, he could warm up a crowd so that everyone had a good time.  His personality was just suited to that.  With Jesus, it’s not the same thing.  Jesus isn’t just positive energy or inspiration.  Jesus turns people into new people.  He makes them different people.  He loves them.  He cures them of whatever has injured them.  He changes direction and outlook and intent and will.  People become brand new.  Having been loved, they love.  Having been honored, they honor.  Having been served, they serve.  No longer defensive, no longer out for themselves.  But open and loving and caring and generous and merciful.  Jesus makes people that way.

In light of this understanding of Jesus, consider again what Paul writes to the Christians in Thessalonica.  Keep in mind that he is writing to people, each one of them had been personally drawn in and affected and changed by Jesus and the Good News, the Gospel that he brings. 

Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.

We have a real tendency to read these passages like they are rules, like they are requirements or some kind of an organizational charter or constitution.  Or commitment that people make.  I suppose they are, but that’s not why we do them.  They are important things.  They do have a profound effect on the way that we treat others and the way that we interact with others.  They have an effect on how we set our priorities and the things that we do with our time.  But these are not rules that we obey because we have to, or because we have made some sort of a commitment to do them.  These are reminders for Christians, Jesus loves you.  Jesus died for you.  Jesus has cured you of your hurt and your pain and your grief and your sadness. Jesus has given to you a new hope for a new life.  You are loved.  Don’t forget that.  Having been loved, having received love respond in love.  Having been filled, go fill others.  These are things that you can do. 

Be at peace and don’t fight and argue with one another.

Look out for each other so that where someone stumbles and fall you can help him up again - if people get idle in their exercise of faith, give them a push, if someone is wavering or weak, give encouragement – always with patience. 

The last thing we would ever do is look for revenge, to get back at someone who did you wrong, instead look for an opportunity to love them and to do something good and kind for them

Always be rejoicing,

Pray a lot.

Give thanks to God for everything (and that includes even the things you might not be happy about)

And don’t break the commandments – it grieves the Holy Spirit and stifles your faith.

Listen to your preachers and test what they have to say. 

And where there is evil and wickedness, stay away from it.

The thing that governs all of this is love.  God’s love for us, our love for Him and then our love for each other.  The goal is different, the end result is different.  The whole thing runs on love.

Consider the environment in an office building, the people you might encounter or work together with.  Consider how things might be different in a business environment – how might things be different?  Why do people go to a business?  Why do they go to work?  To make money.  To get something.  To achieve something.  Have they come there to help you, to help somebody else?  Or have they come because they want something or need something for themselves? 

The business world is often characterized as cut throat – step on whomever you have to step on to get ahead.  Ethics and morality can take a back seat.  Give the appearance of social concern because it’s good for marketing and public relations.  Corporations behave that way.  Often the employees do as well.  Then again, so do the customers.  Reports of Black Friday mayhem bear that out. 

Out in the world, it’s “every man for himself”.  In the Church things are different.

And the thing that makes all the difference is Jesus.

Let’s review that list from the Apostle Paul one more time.

Be at peace with one another,

Admonish, encourage, help,

Don’t look for revenge, instead do good to everyone

Rejoice always,

Pray a lot,

Give thanks for everything,

Don’t quench the spirit,

Don’t despise preaching,

Stay away from every evil thing

This list is a list that is only possible, that can only happen with love; love that comes to each of us, speaks directly to each of us, changes each of us and makes each of us new.

God saw and understood everything that undoes our peace, our love, and our joy.  It is sin that does this, that comes between us and him, between you and your neighbor. The problem is sin.

But God in his love for us does not and did not leave us to suffer in that sin.  He instead, at great cost and pain and grief to himself sent his only son as the payment and the punishment and the satisfaction for all of that sin and guilt.  He made it his own to make sure that he could give to us everything he wants us to have.   

So that His good kingdom could be everywhere and we could be a part of it.

It’s kind of like that party goer who lights up a room.  Everyone is standing off in a corner, doing their own thing, plotting, brooding, planning and scheming and then comes Jesus.  He comes with His Word and he sees your plots and your schemes and your dark thoughts.  He hardly needs to even say the word and you know.  It’s all wrong.  But he knows.  He understands. He feels the things that have hurt you.  He can help with the things that scare you.  He can undo the things that are threatening to harm you.  And so you look at him.  You see him.  You love him.  He loves you.  And so nothing else matters.  And Jesus does that same thing, not just with you, not just for you, but for everyone.  He extends his love to every person and suddenly, instead of a crowd of wallflowers, instead of a brood of brooders, we are a brood of brothers… and sisters.  We have been drawn to Jesus and HE has drawn us to each other.  Our hurts, they don’t matter so much anymore, our grief – it has been replaced with hope.  Our sadness, it has been replaced with Joy.  Why?  Because of Jesus. 

And before you know it, we have become a community and a family where we show love and honor to our leaders and are at peace with each other.  We look out for those who have stumbled, we pick up those who are about to stumble, we are patient and caring and generous and open with each other.  And most of all (and this is what ties it all together) we are all focused on Christ.  We have gathered together around his word.  WE have been joined together with the body and blood he has placed in our mouth.  We are overjoyed to work together as we serve him and he serves us and as we serve each other.

We are a community of faith.  There are so many things that draw people in and keep people together, what draws and gathers and unites us is Jesus.  Jesus in His Word, Jesus in his sacraments.  Jesus.