Good Monday to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Goodbyes are rarely easy, are they? This is ‘goodbye’ season, have you noticed? Tears are shed at graduations, as good friends realize their ‘after graduation paths’ will take them in different directions, far from each other. Tears are shed at weddings, as newlyweds will be leaving home and sometimes moving far away from family. Tears will soon be shed as freshmen College students or new military recruits are sent off by their families to pursue their dreams.
We’ve been with the apostle Paul as he is writing his first letter to friends who heard the Gospel of Jesus from Paul in the town of Thessalonica, Macedonia. Paul was only able to be in that town three weeks before a great opposition rose up against him and his new friends urged him to leave for his own safety. (Acts 17:1-10) Now, Paul has received a good report from Timothy who had stayed behind in Thessalonica, continuing to teach the truths about Jesus to these new Christians. In response, Paul has been writing a wonderful letter of encouragement.
But as much as Paul would like to take the letter back to Thessalonica himself, he knows it might bring a renewal of persecution against those Christians, so he knows he’ll need to send the letter with someone else. I think that brings great sadness to Paul’s heart and maybe some tears as he grieves that opposition to the Gospel is keeping him separated from these dear people.
Paul begins his closing comments for the letter: “May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it.” (1 Thess. 5:23,24) Oh how Paul wished the violent opposition to Jesus would dissipate and those who love Jesus and worship God in Spirit and in truth could live at peace with those who reject Jesus. Because Paul remembered all too well that He was the leader of the opposition in Jerusalem against Christians, I think his deep desire for God’s peace to reign in every town was an unusually personal desire. Paul remembered how he had abused and threatened and mistreated followers of Jesus, and oh, how Paul wished all those who abuse Christians could experience the life transformation he had experienced.
Paul also had a deep passion for God’s people to live both in peace and in purity, holiness, so that nothing in their lives would bring dishonor to Holy God. And can you also see in Paul’s words that he is greatly confident in the power of God to be faithful and to accomplish His purposes in Thessalonica?
When Paul speaks of God’s faithfulness, what do you think Paul is referring to? I think Paul is celebrating that God will always be faithful to His own character because God never changes. (Mal. 3:7) Also, God will be faithful to His truth, His Word, because God’s truth applies through all time in all places. God will be faithful to His Promises which He has made. And God will always be faithful to His people. Do you agree with that my friends?
Paul continued with his final few verses: “Brothers and sisters, pray for us. Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss. I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters.” (1 Thess. 5:25-27) Once again do you see Paul’s use of the pronouns ‘brothers and sisters’, reminding them that Jesus unites them together in the family of God, and therefore no matter their differences they should be unified as God’s family by the Holy Spirit of God working God’s love deeply in each other.
And what’s this matter of a ‘holy kiss’? I’m sure you’ve noticed there is a wide array of different ways people greet each other depending on the societies in which they live and what they’ve learned from family. In many parts of Asia, people bow in respect and hold their hands together in a prayer motion indicating peace and good will to the person they are greeting. In Italy and France and other European countries, people approach each other as friends, placing their faces next to each other and kissing the air as an expression of affection and closeness and well wishing. In other parts of the world, they shake hands or give big bear hugs. In Macedonia and Greece, the middle eastern ‘kiss’ was similar to what I described in France. But Judas had used that as the identifying sign in his betrayal of Jesus, so here Paul wants to be sure that as Christians greet each other that customary social kiss takes on a holy implication as people do so with integrity, without any bitterness or anger or discord, but celebrating they are all part of God’s family.
We understand Paul’s request that they pray for Paul, because Paul was under constant pressure and opposition as the Gospel of Jesus was unwanted by many different groups of people who had great influence in first century society. The Jewish leaders rejected Jesus as Messiah. The Greek philosophers rejected Paul’s claim that ONLY Jesus was God’s provided pathway to God. All but Christians rejected the claim of Jesus that He is God the Son.
Roman authorities opposed Paul thinking he might be the cause of disturbances which threatened the pace of the empire. Yes, Paul desperately needed the prayer support of Christians. And do you also see Paul wanted this letter, that he was writing, to be shared with all Christians in Thessalonica and any others who may travel through from other cities. In fact over time, scribes copied Paul’s letters and took them to other towns and cities and eventually they were assembled together into our Bible for all people in all places of all generations and all languages!
Finally, Paul closed his letter with these words: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” (1 Thess. 5:28) While Paul was overwhelmed with many of God’s great attributes, God’s GRACE… the kindness and love which God lavishes upon us, a human race that has rejected God so often. Paul simply could not fully comprehend nor communicate adequately the amazing Grace of God that he lived in every day. Paul longed for all other Christians, everywhere, to live in constant gratitude to God for the Grace that God faithfully pours out in abundance, continually to His people.
As you may know there’s one word that the people of Israel use which summarizes the abundant grace and peace of God and that word is ‘Shalom’! Paul ends his letter, and I end my comments today with that one word, sent out to all of you around the world, ‘Shalom’!
May the peace and grace of God be upon you in abundance! And here’s a song to help us celebrate that amazing grace that I hope you bask in each day!
Today’s Scripture is 1 Thess. 5:23-28.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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