First Sunday in Advent

Grace to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I trust you all had a good Thanksgiving. Tanya and I had a nice quiet day, which was quite refreshing.

One thing that I noticed on Thanksgiving, and all weekend for that matter, is my email “inbox” was blowing up with “black-Friday” announcements: — Sales of 25% and even as high as 50%. Retailers are anxious to recoup, I suppose, some of their losses during the pandemic.

Tanya went to work Friday and I went to the Harley-Davidson dealer to use the generous gift-card you all gave in honor of Pastor Appreciation month. Your demonstration of love allowed me to make the purchase I genuinely need. In fact, there was even enough to cover the installation costs. I give thanks to God for you all, and for your continual demonstration of love, in so many ways.

And speaking of love, note St. Paul specific prayerful petitions for a congregation of believers in Thessalonica. He loves them because they are new brothers/sisters in the faith, and after being with them three weeks.

Acts 17 records what happened: “Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women” (Ac 17:4). But, other Jews were jealous and started a riot.

As a result, Paul and Silas were forced to move on to Berea, where Jewish agitators from Thessalonica followed and interrupted Paul’s work again. So, Paul went on to Athens.

So now, I want you to get into a time machine with me and go back in time.

Before cell phones and text messages.

Before landlines and mail that could bring you a letter in a couple of days.

Go back to the days when you didn’t have mailboxes or telephones or even the internet.

If you wanted to find out something about someone else living in a different town, you had to travel there yourself or send someone to find out for you.

It could take days, weeks, or even months before you heard back. You just had to wait and wait and wait—and go on with life while you waited.

(I).

The apostle Paul had waited for Timothy to bring word of their well-being. Paul was there before, for only three Sabbaths before Satan stirred up a riot and Paul was run out of town. Acts 17 talks about it. But Paul knew the people in that church were suffering from persecution. They were being pressured to give up their faith. And Paul longed to know what was happening to them. So he sent Timothy to find out. And then, he went back to work. And he waited.

Then one day, Paul catches sight of Timothy. I can just picture him dropping what he was doing and hurrying down the street to hear the news. He’s so happy to see Timothy is safe and gives him a hug. Then, “What’s the news? What’s happening to the believers at Thessalonica? Are they still together?” Timothy would have a big smile on his face and say, “Yes, they’re standing strong in the faith. They haven’t given up on Jesus. They long to see you and learn more from you. It’s good, Paul. Lots of good news in Thessalonica.”

And Paul is so thankful. Can’t you see him offering up a prayer of thanksgiving? “Yes, Lord, thank you for what you have done. Thank you for keeping these believers in the faith. Thank you for this joyous news. Thank you, Lord!” He simply can’t thank God enough for the great good news Timothy has brought about the Church in Thessalonica.

But then, Timothy fills him in on what else is going on in that church. ”But not all is good, Paul. Some things are lacking in the way they’re living out their lives of faith — they still need to be taught,”

And so Paul gets busy writing a letter to them. Right in the middle of the letter, he breaks out in prayer. He prays that he can come and see them soon. He prays that these believers will abound and increase in love. He prays that they will be found holy and blameless on the Last Day when Jesus comes back.

God answered part of that prayer as Paul did get to see them again. And God will answer another part of that prayer on the Last Day, when Jesus returns and those who remained faithful to Jesus will be blameless and holy before God. But what about that part of the prayer where Paul asks that the Thessalonians increase and abound in love? What was lacking in this congregation that Paul would offer up that prayer to God?

We can’t say for sure, but right after this prayer, Paul encourages the people there to please God more and more by not falling into sexual immorality. He encourages them to please God by keeping this gift honorable and pure. Then he urges them to love more and more by the way they do their work so that others will respect them. Finally, he teaches them about what will happen to those who die before Jesus comes back.

(II).

Now, let us shift gears and I want you to imagine what report Timothy would bring back about Christ Lutheran Church. Picture Paul saying, “Now, Timothy, this time go to that congregation in Chippewa Falls Wisconsin and find out about the believers there.” Time passes. Timothy visits. He comes back to Paul. The greeting is warm, and again there’s a big hug between the two of them. Then: “What did you find out?”

“Oh, Paul, so much to be thankful for. Jesus is at work in this congregation. I was at a worship service, and I heard them confess that they believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. You should have heard it, Paul.

Almost everyone there heard what wonderful things Jesus had done for them.

The day I was there, they heard about Jesus humbling Himself for them, about His riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. They heard about the cry that went up about Jesus as the King who comes in the name of the Lord.

They confessed Jesus further humiliation when He was beaten and crucified for them. Jesus on the cross was proclaimed. They trust that Jesus was resurrected from the dead for their final day resurrection, when they will be presented blameless before God; that Jesus’ righteousness is given to them as a gift. It was fantastic, Paul. Jesus is present in that congregation and people believe.

“What’s more, Paul, they have a beautiful facility where they meet, with breathtakingl stained-glass windows that tell the story of our salvation; you can see crosses and pictures of Jesus. You should see it, Paul.

During the week dozens of children come to the church building and go to school there — Christ Lutheran School. They learn so much—math and English, science and music, history and the Bible. But best of all, the teachers are committed to showing the children the love of Jesus and teaching them how to be his disciples. You’d be so pleased, Paul.

“They also have people who show the love that comes from that faith in Jesus. For example, they have two trees — they call them Christmas trees, but that’s a story for another day. At any rate, they bring gifts and place them under one tree to be given to needy children. The other tree is for hats, mittens, and gloves, because it’s very cold there. Those people at Christ Lutheran Church are so generous to those in need.

When someone gets sick or dies, so much support and comfort is given through the people. They love one another and show it in so many ways. They pray for one another. It’s just wonderful to see the care they have for each other and the community in which they live. It’s good, Paul, at Christ Lutheran Church.”

And Paul would give thanks. Can’t you see him offering up a prayer of thanksgiving? “Yes, Lord, thank you for what you have done. Thank you for keeping these believers in the faith. Thank you, Lord, for this joyous news. Thank you, Lord!” He simply can’t thank God enough for the good news he’s received about the church in Chippewa Falls.

But then Timothy would tell him that amid all the good things at Christ Lutheran Church, not all is good there.

“Paul, you need to know that the people there are still lacking in faith and have difficulty living out their faith.

During the worship services, I saw empty seats. Some of the members don’t attend the services regularly. People are missing out on worshiping Jesus.

There is a situation—they call it a pandemic— where many people are getting sick, and a some have even died. It has caused many people to be afraid, so much so that some are staying away from the worship service and are even skipping the Lord’s Supper altogether!

They are afraid to get sick, and many are so afraid of pain and death.

The community they live in struggles, too. So much has gone wrong when it comes to God’s gift of sexuality.

People don’t get along, and they resort to violence. The people are afraid of what the future holds for them.

They’ve stopped teaching the truth of creation in their public schools. In fact, some of their schools are teaching something called “critical race theory”, teaching that they should be ashamed of the color of their skin.

It’s even okay to murder your baby if you don’t want it.

“With all this going on, so many are just struggling to keep Jesus in their everyday lives.

They’re getting ready to celebrate Jesus’ birth in a season they call Advent. It’s supposed to be a time to reflect on what our Lord came to do in Bethlehem and the cross, while looking forward to what He is coming to do on the Last Day.

Paul, you would be amazed with all the Bible study opportunities and an extra service on Wednesday evenings they have, with so few who participate. Our Lord has blessed them with so much.

But the people are so busy with shopping, parties, decorations, and traveling—added to the usual errands, work, sports, TV, video games, smart-phone activities—that they lose sight of Jesus.

It gets so hard for them to catch their breath and spend time with Jesus. I could go on Paul, but not all is good.”

And then Paul would sit down and write us a letter. And in that letter would be a prayer. He would pray that our love would increase and abound more and more.

And how would that prayer be answered? Just like it was with the Thessalonians. It’s answered as we resist what the world embraces that is against Almighty God, and when we stop being anxious about the things of this life and start clinging to Jesus.

It’s answered when we work honestly and in such a way that people will respect us for the jobs we do, when we do our work in the calling God has given us to do.

If a teacher, to teach well.

If a police officer, to enforce the law fairly.

If a retail clerk, to treat people with respect.

If an office worker, to work diligently.

If retired, to volunteer joyfully.

If a cleaning service, to make sure you didn’t miss any spots.

If a business owner, to care for the workers and customers.

Paul’s prayer is answered when we honor God with our work so that others may see what we do as being done in Jesus’ name.

And that prayer about abounding in love is answered when we hold fast to the one true faith until Jesus returns.

(III).

We are holy in Jesus. We are blameless in his forgiveness. Paul’s prayer is answered when we’re looking forward to that day of Jesus return, when we’ll join all the saints, including those at Thessalonica, in the new creation He is prepared for us.

I can imagine Paul putting down his pen and offering up a prayer for Christ Lutheran Church. “I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son and my Savior. Thank you, Lord, for the people of Chippewa Falls. Thank you for the faith you have given them. Thank you for forgiving their sins and shortcomings through the cross of Christ. Thank you that they are holding on to Jesus when so many pressures are trying to pull them away. How can I ever thank you enough for this congregation?

I pray that you send your Holy Spirit into their lives that their love abounds all the more. I pray that they would see that Jesus’ future coming is inseparably linked to His present coming among them in the Word and Sacraments. Help them to see that the means of grace remain the only means to that most blessed end.”

Then Paul would go back to work, and so do we. We go back to work and to our lives, seeking to abound and increase more and more in love for one another and for the people who are struggling in this world.

For the day is coming when we will appear holy and blameless before God because of Jesus and his dying love for us.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.