How, Then, Shall We Live?
Sermon
Sermons On The Second Readings
Series II, Cycle A
I saw on America's Funniest Videos recently a little girl, about five or six years old, in a soft, sweet voice telling her mother how pretty she is. With childlike innocence, she follows the compliment in the same soothing voice by adding, "but you're fat." The mother looks a little surprised and hurt at that remark. The little girl reads her mother's body language and quickly qualifies the remark by saying, "But you're not too fat." Our children in their honesty do have a way of setting us straight, don't they?
Another woman was dieting and complaining to her grown daughter that, although she had worked hard to lose twenty pounds, she had not lost it in the right places. Her daughter replied, "Mom, don't be too hard on yourself. After all, we both know that you have an hourglass figure. It's just that the hour is getting late."
Paul and the Thessalonians also believed that the hour was getting late. They had expected Christ to return during their lifetimes to gather them all into his new kingdom. The Thessalonians were especially concerned about their loved ones who had died recently and what would become of them. We do like to be "in the know."
Paul reminds the people that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. Where is their hope? Paul begins by saying that he should not have to spend time writing to the Thessalonians about the "times and the seasons" (1 Thessalonians 5:1). Nobody knows the time of God, the God who comes among us like a thief in the night. Thieves do not normally call ahead to announce their impending visit. Instead, they strike without warning when we are unprepared or have neglected to take proper precautions.
A few years ago, a burglar broke into a home in Gilroy, California. He proceeded to hang new curtains, make the bed, dump the trash, wash the dishes, stack the scattered newspapers neatly, fold and put away the ironing board, and drop dirty clothes into the hamper. He took nothing other than the old curtains he had replaced, and they were no great loss. His new window additions were much more attractive.
After the housework was finished, the burglar left the homeowner a note that read, "Dear Sir: I hope you don't mind. I cleaned your house. Don't worry. I won't take anything because my father is a Duke in Spain. Don't worry. I'll clean your house for as long as you live here." It was signed "Prince Eddie." Police later discovered that this so-called burglar was a developmentally disabled boy who lived in the neighborhood.
The boy had noticed that the flowers outside were not being watered and the lawn was neglected and thought that maybe the inside of the home might also need attention. If the homeowner had known this would happen, he would not have had such a messy house. When Christ returns, he will also come when we least expect him. Christ came the first time to show us how to order our lives. When he comes again, it will be to see if we have done what he taught us.
Guests do drop by sometimes when we are not expecting them. If we had been expecting visitors, we would have been ready. Both we and our house would be looking much better. Instead, we have to invite our guests into a home where piles of clutter are visible on the furniture, apologizing profusely for the mess. We haven't taken time to sort out things and put them in their proper places. We are wearing our oldest, faded, shapeless sweats with a rip at the neck, and our hair is uncombed. And, we were relaxing, oh so comfortably, when there was work to be done.
Ben Austin had long been a history buff, and after retirement, he enjoyed spending his free time as a guide at the Museum of American History. He began to portray historical figures at the museum while guiding school children through the exhibits. Shopping on-line, Ben had acquired a few period costumes, complete with white wigs. He delved into the lives of these figures, sharing their trials, tribulations, and achievements with the visiting students. Benjamin Franklin was Ben's favorite character, possibly because they shared the same first name.
One morning, Ben was guiding a group of first graders when one small girl asked Benjamin Franklin how he could live so long. She remarked that Ben must be very, very old indeed. Searching for a quick explanation, Ben explained that he had died long ago and had come back to earth just for the purpose of helping girls and boys to learn about life in the olden days. The girl then asked if he had come from heaven, and Ben replied, "Yes. I have come especially for your school class."
Ben was totally unprepared for the next question as that young girl asked, "Did you see my mommy up there in heaven?" Ben was at a loss for words as it dawned on him that her mother had died. He told her, "Yes. I saw your mother. I think she is probably the most beautiful of any of the angels in heaven. I'm sure she wants you to know how very much she loves you."
Ben told the little girl a story of resurrection. We all need a resurrection story; to hear it again and again. We have a sure and certain hope in God's promise that because Jesus lives, we, too, shall live. Our work on earth includes sharing the endless joy of our dwelling place that awaits us in heaven. Jesus Christ became one of us that we might know his presence in life and his comfort in death.
A young man in confirmation class remarked, "I wonder if any of us really wants Christ to return during our lifetime. It sounds like the end of time is going to be a really bad scene." Other confirmands nodded in agreement. Another shared, "If we have to go through a time of terrible tribulation, I don't think I will make it. I'm not very brave." These young people did not need to be afraid, and neither do you.
Paul pronounces good news for us, that nothing shall separate us. Not life or death, not angels or rulers, not things present or things to come, or powers or height or depth or anything else in all creation. Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).
How, then, shall we live? We Christians don't know what the future holds. We don't know if there will be peace in Iraq in our time. We don't know if God has chosen the "right person" for us to marry. That is not what is really meant by Christian hope for the future. When Christ returns, salvation will be finalized. We will be delivered from all suffering, pain, toil, and tears.
Relationships are certainly important in our lives. For those who have known genuine love, the most glorious word in all our vocabulary is the word together. Many times those who love are separated. They may be separated by illness, when one spouse is confined to a hospital or nursing home. War or other circumstances beyond their control may separate them from loved ones. Children go off to college and then to far-flung places of employment.
As we were buried with Christ in baptism, we will be raised with Christ in glory. Salvation is all about what God is doing in Jesus Christ. "Knock, knock." "Who's there?" "It's Jesus, the merciful one, the gatherer, the one who brings not fear, but salvation."1
Jesus will not say, "Well, I see that you have on your finest clothes, and you have combed your hair. The house looks good, too. There are no dirty dishes in the sink or piles of paper on the desk."
Instead, Jesus will ask, "Have you given food to those who were hungry? Have you led the thirsty to my living water? Have you welcomed the strangers and clothed the naked? Have you cared for the sick and lonely? Have you visited the prisoners?"
What will your answer be? "Well, Lord, I really meant to get around to it. But there are so many other things going on in my life right now. There are so many people in need and so little time. I don't know where to begin, but I'll see what I can do. Two thousand years is really not a long enough time, but I'll get busy right now, and you check back later."
God has called us out of darkness and into God's wonderful light. Paul assures the Thessalonians and us that God has chosen us "for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth" (2 Thessalonians 2:13). The word of God is the good news that salvation has already been accomplished. We are called to spread the good news to those who don't know it. There is no time for sitting around merely waiting for the end to come, as some of the Thessalonians were doing.
Hope is a powerful force in our lives. It changes the way we respond to others and to life's crises. When a loved one dies, our Christian hope injects a different quality into our grieving process. Our grief is appropriate, but it is tempered by the knowledge that even death has been conquered by Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
____________
1. David Schnasa Jacobsen, Preaching in the New Creation: The Promise of New Testament Apocalyptic Texts (Louisville, Westminster John Knox Press, 1999), p. 47.
Another woman was dieting and complaining to her grown daughter that, although she had worked hard to lose twenty pounds, she had not lost it in the right places. Her daughter replied, "Mom, don't be too hard on yourself. After all, we both know that you have an hourglass figure. It's just that the hour is getting late."
Paul and the Thessalonians also believed that the hour was getting late. They had expected Christ to return during their lifetimes to gather them all into his new kingdom. The Thessalonians were especially concerned about their loved ones who had died recently and what would become of them. We do like to be "in the know."
Paul reminds the people that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. Where is their hope? Paul begins by saying that he should not have to spend time writing to the Thessalonians about the "times and the seasons" (1 Thessalonians 5:1). Nobody knows the time of God, the God who comes among us like a thief in the night. Thieves do not normally call ahead to announce their impending visit. Instead, they strike without warning when we are unprepared or have neglected to take proper precautions.
A few years ago, a burglar broke into a home in Gilroy, California. He proceeded to hang new curtains, make the bed, dump the trash, wash the dishes, stack the scattered newspapers neatly, fold and put away the ironing board, and drop dirty clothes into the hamper. He took nothing other than the old curtains he had replaced, and they were no great loss. His new window additions were much more attractive.
After the housework was finished, the burglar left the homeowner a note that read, "Dear Sir: I hope you don't mind. I cleaned your house. Don't worry. I won't take anything because my father is a Duke in Spain. Don't worry. I'll clean your house for as long as you live here." It was signed "Prince Eddie." Police later discovered that this so-called burglar was a developmentally disabled boy who lived in the neighborhood.
The boy had noticed that the flowers outside were not being watered and the lawn was neglected and thought that maybe the inside of the home might also need attention. If the homeowner had known this would happen, he would not have had such a messy house. When Christ returns, he will also come when we least expect him. Christ came the first time to show us how to order our lives. When he comes again, it will be to see if we have done what he taught us.
Guests do drop by sometimes when we are not expecting them. If we had been expecting visitors, we would have been ready. Both we and our house would be looking much better. Instead, we have to invite our guests into a home where piles of clutter are visible on the furniture, apologizing profusely for the mess. We haven't taken time to sort out things and put them in their proper places. We are wearing our oldest, faded, shapeless sweats with a rip at the neck, and our hair is uncombed. And, we were relaxing, oh so comfortably, when there was work to be done.
Ben Austin had long been a history buff, and after retirement, he enjoyed spending his free time as a guide at the Museum of American History. He began to portray historical figures at the museum while guiding school children through the exhibits. Shopping on-line, Ben had acquired a few period costumes, complete with white wigs. He delved into the lives of these figures, sharing their trials, tribulations, and achievements with the visiting students. Benjamin Franklin was Ben's favorite character, possibly because they shared the same first name.
One morning, Ben was guiding a group of first graders when one small girl asked Benjamin Franklin how he could live so long. She remarked that Ben must be very, very old indeed. Searching for a quick explanation, Ben explained that he had died long ago and had come back to earth just for the purpose of helping girls and boys to learn about life in the olden days. The girl then asked if he had come from heaven, and Ben replied, "Yes. I have come especially for your school class."
Ben was totally unprepared for the next question as that young girl asked, "Did you see my mommy up there in heaven?" Ben was at a loss for words as it dawned on him that her mother had died. He told her, "Yes. I saw your mother. I think she is probably the most beautiful of any of the angels in heaven. I'm sure she wants you to know how very much she loves you."
Ben told the little girl a story of resurrection. We all need a resurrection story; to hear it again and again. We have a sure and certain hope in God's promise that because Jesus lives, we, too, shall live. Our work on earth includes sharing the endless joy of our dwelling place that awaits us in heaven. Jesus Christ became one of us that we might know his presence in life and his comfort in death.
A young man in confirmation class remarked, "I wonder if any of us really wants Christ to return during our lifetime. It sounds like the end of time is going to be a really bad scene." Other confirmands nodded in agreement. Another shared, "If we have to go through a time of terrible tribulation, I don't think I will make it. I'm not very brave." These young people did not need to be afraid, and neither do you.
Paul pronounces good news for us, that nothing shall separate us. Not life or death, not angels or rulers, not things present or things to come, or powers or height or depth or anything else in all creation. Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).
How, then, shall we live? We Christians don't know what the future holds. We don't know if there will be peace in Iraq in our time. We don't know if God has chosen the "right person" for us to marry. That is not what is really meant by Christian hope for the future. When Christ returns, salvation will be finalized. We will be delivered from all suffering, pain, toil, and tears.
Relationships are certainly important in our lives. For those who have known genuine love, the most glorious word in all our vocabulary is the word together. Many times those who love are separated. They may be separated by illness, when one spouse is confined to a hospital or nursing home. War or other circumstances beyond their control may separate them from loved ones. Children go off to college and then to far-flung places of employment.
As we were buried with Christ in baptism, we will be raised with Christ in glory. Salvation is all about what God is doing in Jesus Christ. "Knock, knock." "Who's there?" "It's Jesus, the merciful one, the gatherer, the one who brings not fear, but salvation."1
Jesus will not say, "Well, I see that you have on your finest clothes, and you have combed your hair. The house looks good, too. There are no dirty dishes in the sink or piles of paper on the desk."
Instead, Jesus will ask, "Have you given food to those who were hungry? Have you led the thirsty to my living water? Have you welcomed the strangers and clothed the naked? Have you cared for the sick and lonely? Have you visited the prisoners?"
What will your answer be? "Well, Lord, I really meant to get around to it. But there are so many other things going on in my life right now. There are so many people in need and so little time. I don't know where to begin, but I'll see what I can do. Two thousand years is really not a long enough time, but I'll get busy right now, and you check back later."
God has called us out of darkness and into God's wonderful light. Paul assures the Thessalonians and us that God has chosen us "for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth" (2 Thessalonians 2:13). The word of God is the good news that salvation has already been accomplished. We are called to spread the good news to those who don't know it. There is no time for sitting around merely waiting for the end to come, as some of the Thessalonians were doing.
Hope is a powerful force in our lives. It changes the way we respond to others and to life's crises. When a loved one dies, our Christian hope injects a different quality into our grieving process. Our grief is appropriate, but it is tempered by the knowledge that even death has been conquered by Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
____________
1. David Schnasa Jacobsen, Preaching in the New Creation: The Promise of New Testament Apocalyptic Texts (Louisville, Westminster John Knox Press, 1999), p. 47.
