Daily Liturgy and Scripture

Today we remember two of the most important people in Church history: Peter and Paul. Theirs wasn’t a perfectly harmonious relationship, as Paul once opposed Peter to his face for a mistake. Here at the end of Peter’s letters, though, we see a harmony between the two, as Peter’s letter affirms Paul’s place as a fellow teacher and apostle of Christ.

In Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians, it's great to see that, since he encouraged them to love one another at the end of the last letter, they appear to have succeeded in doing so. But they also haven't stopped being persecuted. Paul doesn't seem to be too concerned about the persecution stopping, though. What he prays and hopes for them is that they will be able to live a life worthy of their call, even in the midst of suffering. 

How do we treat those who aren’t as spiritually mature as we are? A good first step might be to avoid labeling ourselves as “more spiritually mature.” Beyond that, Paul has some pretty good advice: Encourage. Take tender care. Be patient with everyone. Since the Thessalonians are an all-star church, there were probably a few who everyone looked to as superstars. Paul wants to bring them back to the example of Jesus: the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve. That includes serving one another in the church regardless of status.

This passage from 1 Thessalonians is probably one of the most divisive in modern Church history. The idea of Christ bringing his Church to be with him has sparked many books, tons of sermons, and even some movies. Remember, though, that Paul faced religious folks who didn’t even think resurrection was possible. He faced others who thought followers of Jesus were blasphemers. This church receiving this letter faced persecution. In the face of that, it might be possible that assuring them that all that they suffered wasn’t for nothing: Christ was their assurance, and nothing could remove that from them. Even death.

Why do bodies matter so much? In God becoming man and living among us, he took on a body. He still had a body after the resurrection. In this passage to the Thessalonians, even a faithful church that has endured persecution needs to be reminded that bodies matter. Not just our own, but those of others. If we reduce ourselves to only spirit, we are missing the point that bodies are part of God’s redeeming work as well. If we reduce others to ONLY their bodies, then we are failing to love the whole person as God does.

As we remember the birth of John the Baptist six months before Jesus, we also remember the important role John played in the ministry of Jesus. Is there any greater compliment than what Herod said, that Jesus must be “John the Baptist, raised from the dead”? This shows how strong both of their messages were and how similar must have been their challenge.

Both the readings from Judges and the letter to the Thessalonians have common characters: those who go against the flow of their communities to follow God. Gideon cuts down the tools of idol worshipers (which shouldn’t have been there in the first place!) and incurs the wrath of his countrymen, while the Thessalonians are commended by Paul for enduring despite persecution. Certainly, that has been a common theme of the faithful since Jesus started his ministry. John Stott summed it up well in his book Life in Christ: “If we Christians compromised less, we would undoubtedly suffer more.”

Paul’s tone to the Thessalonian church is very different than the Galatian church. Where the Galatian church was struggling to hold their young faith in the face of false teachers, the Thessalonian church were exemplary. So much so that the spoken Gospel was almost unnecessary, as the Thessalonian church's reputation did its own preaching. What a great compliment. There are probably a lot of ministers in the world today who which they had churches like this, it must be a joy to live in a community so devoted to the cause of Christ.

It’s interesting that Paul, one of the pillars of the church, seems determined to help this little church stand even without him. Wouldn’t it be easier to just swing his influence, declare his apostleship, and draw a line that he demanded they not cross? But that’s not what he’s doing. Even with rogue evangelists trying to derail what he has built, he ends this letter by encouraging them to bear each other’s burdens, not worry about being part of some populist movement, and be transformed.

In Paul’s struggle to bring his young church back to Christ, he has one indispensable weapon on his side: the Spirit. Beyond teaching his church that Christ is all they need, he has the Holy Spirit with them at all times to help them discern the correct path. The popular list of the fruits of the Spirit are in this passage, and for good reason: you can tell if a person is filled with the Spirit, because the Spirit's truth will appear in their lives.