World Communion Sunday

Today is another special day in the church calendar. On this Sunday, we celebrate World Communion Sunday. The main point of this day is to remember that we have brothers and sisters in Christ all over the world. However, just saying this does not give all the important details regarding this fact. Yes, we have brothers and sisters who follow Christ from many different countries, but some of them have a harder time living out their faith than others. There are parts of the world where the Gospel message still hasn’t been reached. There are parts of the world where the Gospel is stifled and those who dare share their beliefs are persecuted in ways that we only see in movies. That is way hearing the testimony from the Gideons like we heard last week is important. It was also a great Sunday when we got to hear of the work that missionaries Doug and Pom Olsen are doing in Thailand. These testimonies help us in two ways. The first is that we get a close up look at how the Gospel is spread in these different cultures. We also are given ways we can support these mission efforts and build a strong connection with Christians around the world. We have the Operation Christmas Child Shoe-box program starting now which is another way we here can share the Gospel all around the world.

It is so important for us to do these things now more than ever. Truth be told, things are only going to get harder for us in our efforts of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ and He loving grace. The passage we are going to read today tells us why this is and what we need to do today to share God’s love.

Pray and Read 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

1 Thessalonians 5:1–11 NRSV

Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When they say, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.

Putting this text in to context reminds us that Paul is writing to a church in Thessalonica. As a matter of fact, these two letters are recorded as being the earliest letters written in the life of the early church. This letter is dated around 51 AD, which means that Christ death, resurrection and ascension had only happened around twenty years earlier. Twenty years seemed long enough, so now the believers in The Way were asking, “When is He coming back?” Here we are two-thousand years later still asking that question. So Paul reminds even us of two things. One, Jesus said that He would come like a thief in the night. Two, watch for the signs, which is something else Jesus told us.

Yet, another thing that Paul reminds us that the Jesus never left us in the dark. When we watch the signs, we can tell that we are indeed very close to the end of Satan’s reign on Earth. As a matter of fact, within the past year, “peace and security have been declared in the Holy Lands, and even the Jews are patiently waiting the coming of the Messiah. They have prepared the cafes, and preparing peace treaties around the Temple Mount are happening. The Pope is working to bring some peace between all three Abrahamic religions. False prophets from the days well before the birth of Jesus would promise peace and security. Many leaders throughout time have promised peace for their people in times of conflict and war. It seems kind of concerning to me when there is a large group of world leaders signing accords promising to follow one set of rules for their people so that we can all live in some sort of blind control that simulates peace and security. I believe that is where we are headed.

Don’t let that scare you. We all need to wake up to the truth. Beloved, this is good news! This world will fail, but Jesus will forever be victorious. We do not follow this world blindly for our eyes have been opened to the Light! We do not belong to this world filled with its false declaration of peace. We live in the Light of Eternal Salvation.

Instead, we must prepare for battle. Our battle is not against powerful world leaders, or persons with evil intent. Our battle is with the forces of darkness. Yet, we have the weapons of Light. We have faith in Jesus, the love of God and hope of this worlds redemption. If we follow the Holy Spirit, we will see victory.

It feels good to know that you are on the winning side, doesn’t it? How many more are living in darkness though? How many more are blind to the Truth of Salvation from the destruction of this world? Remember what I said in the beginning. We have many brothers and sisters in Christ. However, some of their armor is a little more battle worn than ours. No one fights alone. We all should be praying together and for one another. We should all be sharing the Gospel in whatever ways we can. We should all be watching for the signs of the times. We all need to wake up to the need of God’s grace for all people. The time of war is shortening, but we still must fight on for the sake of Salvation. So let us band together now and pray for our brothers and sisters who are fighting tougher battles. Let us pray that if we are ever faced with persecution, we will have strength from the Holy Spirit to overcome.

In the Name of God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.