That's What She Said

Like siblings, like a wetnurse/mother, like a father, like orphans. Paul packs this chapter with familial metaphors to describe the closeness and affection he feels for the church, and they for each other. He emphasizes the necessity of holding each other close while we wait for God to act on our behalf. But he also acknowledges the pain of separation, attributing it to “Satan” because it is a powerful adversary to the faith, hope, and love of chapter 1. 

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“In spite of persecution, you received the word with joy.” 1 Thessalonians is the earliest Christian writing, predating the gospels and all the other epistles of the New Testament. Paul here narrates the little church’s story back to the church, giving thanks for how the gospel took root among them, and recalling how they settled in to wait. They waited as we do: for the culmination of all the gospel’s promises. While they waited, they were persecuted. We’ll talk about the nature of their persecution and ours, and why we keep waiting after all this time.

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Healthy spiritual leaders get the job done but not alone. The African proverb, “It’s takes a Village to raise a child,” also has implications for spiritual leadership. It takes a village to carry out the plans and purposes of God. Whether you’re a pastor, lay person, ministry leader or member, you need other people partnering with you to accomplish and carry out the ministry mission. Nehemiah knew it too. He understood his role not as a solopreneur but a leader in need of a community to collaborators for the common good. 

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Healthy spiritual leaders are that way because they have been through the fire. They have gained wisdom from their mistakes, pitfalls, and personal insecurities. One of major the mistakes spiritual leaders make is underestimating opposition. All too often spiritual leaders assume those they’ve been called or hired to lead are willing going to follow their leadership. Not so. There will be opposition. Nehemiah had opposition, haters who didn’t want he or his people to rebuild, to flourish. Nehemiah also shows us a way forward. He demonstrates how to handle haters. 

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While Nehemiah was doing it scared, he became brave in the process. His bravery gave him the courage to ask for more…what he needed to help his people rebuild. Spiritual leaders are often scared as well. Yet, healthy spiritual leaders learn to manage their fear and anxiety in ways that are life giving both for themselves and the people they lead. 

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A Leader’s compassion for the people makes her vulnerable among the people. C.S. Lewis suggests, “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken…”

Nehemiah’s heart was broken when he heard of the plight of his people Israel. And, he wasn’t shy or reserved about expressing his heartbreak. In fact, it was written all over his face. Nehemiah teaches us that vulnerability “is not weakness; it’s our greatest measure of courage.”

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Transfiguration. Mustard seed faith. Jesus the sent, Jesus the sending – it does not require pilgrimage to get to where he is, or where he’s been. He’s prepared to travel, to come down from the mountain, even as we tend to prioritize a static place for his presence. When we’ve been told to stay at home, away from the BRB where we gather, can we believe that Jesus still comes to us?

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Who do you say that I am? Keys to the kingdom. Passion prediction. Jesus is radically invitational, allowing us to assess his messianic project – to an extent. He shares power in his ministry, but won’t bend on the necessity of his move to the margins. Jesus the crucified isn’t something his followers want, but he’s insistent.

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Contention with the VRPs; holiness and hypocrisy. Jesus’s potty humor, combined with his willingness to push the buttons of the VRPs (they just need to calm down, ya know?) at every turn, makes us very happy. We wish he knew from microbes and would make his disciples wash their hands, though. 

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Walking on the water. We can pretend that we know how the world works – surface tension of water, for example, won’t hold an upright human on the soles of their feet. But Jesus knows different, and he’s asking us to believe him when he says the world works according to God’s own rules, not anybody else’s. Also, livestreaming services is hard work, and doesn’t always work out perfectly.

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: [email protected]. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76140.