The courage to love!

Sermon prepared for Sunday, October 23rd, 2011

Text: Acts 17:1-9; 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8

Two weeks ago I preached on the parable of the Great Wedding Banquet. In that parable, a great number of people decided that they had better things to do than to join the host at his party. I suggested that even today many people would rather not attend God's party. Why? Because they know the kind of God that we worship. They know that he invites the strangest of folks to his parties – the lame, the broken, the sinners, the outcasts and the poor. I ended my sermon on a lighter note, expressing thanks to God that he would invite strange folks to his banquet – because that means you and I can fit in. Yes, that's right, we're strange... but that'sok. "Strange" is the new cool! Just look at what the younger generations are wearing these days? If God invites the lame, the leper, and the blind... then I think our strange attire will be no problem. It's as if God doesn't worry too much about what we wear or look like on the outside.

This morning we're going to probe a little deeper. What does it mean to be invited to this table? What does it look like for Christians to live in anticipation of the coming Kingdom? Our scripture texts are about the group of Jesus followers in the city of Thessalonika. Paul and his ministry team sent this letter to the Thessalonians in approximately the year 50AD; about twenty years after Jesus ascended to heaven. In his letter to them, we sense Paul's passion, his care, and his love for these sisters and brothers in Christ. Paul was a man with courage, and a willingness to face death and persecution for sharing his love of Jesus; he was willing to die for his allegiance to the real King.

I will briefly sketch some of the historical details aqbout this city. First of all, Thessalonika was a major centre in the Greek world. And when the Roman Empire took over, this city was quickly rewarded with independance. This happened about forty years before Jesus was born. The city was allowed to exist as a free city state. This goes to show that the Romans respected the citizens of Thessalonika.

A few years after Jesus' death, the Roman Emperor Gaius Caligula ruled the Roman Empire for about four years. He was pretty full of himself. He demanded that people worship him as a God. In the last year of his life, Caligula made plans to set up a statue of himself in the temple in Jerusalem. Of course, the Jews were upset about this. But instead of carrying out his plan, Caligula was assasinated before he could pull of this horrible stunt.

During his years of rule, Christian faith experienced persecution and intimidation. Allegiance to the Roman Emperor was expected, and that allegiance required a willingness to worship and sacrifice to the Emperor and the Empire. This was part of the accusations brought against Jason and the other Christians in Thessalonika – namely, they were accused of treason, of having another King – his name was Jesus, not Caligula! This should give us reason to pause the next time we're tempted to judge someone for being unpatriotic – most of our earlier Christian brothers and sisters were persecuted for this.

This was also Paul's experience of persection when he first met-up with the folks in this city. His preaching had a great effect, and he persuaded some Jews and many Greeks to become followers of Jesus. When a person became a Christian, it was both a spiritual and a political transformation. When a person become a follower of Jesus, they switched allegiances; they're primary community was no longer the Roman world, but the Church. They worshipped Jesus as King – and this set them on a collision course with Caligula and the Roman establishment.

In the book of Acts we can read about this collision – about the challenges they faced. In his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul mentions these difficult moments. He also mentions the courage they had in proclaiming the gospel, despite the persecutions. Preparing for this sermon was exciting, because it was great to see how the history in Acts lines up with what we read about in Paul's letter.

If we scan over the story about the Thessalonian church, in the book of Acts, and if we examine this first letter to the Church in that city, we see a number of themes emerging. What kind of community do we find in Thessalonika? They were persecuted for their allegiance to Jesus. With Caligula's request – that people worship the Emperor – Christians were put in a tight spot. Christians wanted to respect the rulers of Rome, but sometimes rulers ask citizens to do things that Christians just can't agree to, because of their allegiance to Jesus. In Paul's time, it meant that Christians refused to worship Caesar. When does our allegiance to Jesus cause us to disobey our government today?

Another thing these Thessalonians struggled with is how to understand death in light of the gospel of resurrection. Since Jesus was raised from the dead, and we believe that death itself was put to death on that first Easter... then what to we make of this reality we live in, where we're still going to funerals all the time? The early Christian church struggled with this question; some claimed that the resurrection had already happened, and others claimed that there wouldn't be an actual physical resurrection – just a spiritual one to a mystical heaven. Nowadays we often avoid this issue altogether by just talking about heaven – but for Paul and the early Church, this presented a real problem. Have we given up on the good news of resurrection? Do we believe that we will be raised? How might that inform the way we live our lives in the face of all kinds of fear?

The Church in Thessalonika was made up of mostly Greeks, but there were some Jews that accepted that Jesus was their Messiah. The Jewish community has always had a presence in the city of Thessalonika, even up to this day. During the Nazi Halocaust, most of them were shipped off to a different place and killed; but a few survived and there is still a Jewish community there. But, as we read in Acts, it was mostly the Greeks that responded to Paul's message about Jesus. And it was some of the unconvinced Jews in the synagogue that stirred up a conflict for Paul and his fellow workers. But despite this persecution, Paul spoke to the people about Jesus – and the result was that the Spirit founded a Church in that city... and there has been a Christian witness in that city ever since.

After Paul and his fellow workers left Thessalonika, some rumours spread around that Paul had been lying to the community, tricking them about Jesus, and that he had been ripping them off financially. In the passage we heard earlier, Paul was defending himself against these accusations. He spoke of their time together, and how he courageously preached about Jesus, in spite of great opposition – or, as the Greek suggests, they preached the gospel right in the thick of the conflict, in the midst of great persecution. With the Jews against Paul, and with Caligula's officials breathing down his neck, Paul took courage and preached the gospel.

Without any persecution around us, here in southern Manitoba, you'd think all we'd hear is the gospel proclaimed and preached, lived and embodied 24/7... but what do I hear? What do you hear? What do you hear people speak about boldly and with courage? Sure, we have Christian radio, but what about the words on your lips? Or the conversations around town? What do you get most passionate about? Thoughts and opinions about hockey? Views about how our culture's going to pot? About the foolishness or the wisdom of the OccupyWallStreet movement? People are really bold about sharing their beliefs about all kinds of things. Are we courageously proclaiming the good news about Jesus? Are we boldly embodying the peace we have with God through Christ?

Paul writes that he and his fellow workers spoke up, with courage and boldness, about Jesus and God's good news. Can you think of someone, right now, who stands out to you as someone who speaks about the good news quite openly, with 'courage'? I just finished a book by one of my new favorite Christian authors, a young Mennonite scholar named Tripp York. He just wrote a book in which he interviews many Christians and non-Christians about their thoughts on Jesus and the Devil... and by non-Christians... I mean the strangest sort, including people claiming to be witches, satansists, wiccans, and even some Unitarian Universalists... The interviews he has with these folks are fascinating... and quite humorous. I admire the guy. In these chats, Tripp has a sharp sense of humor and a profound boldness in talking with these people about Jesus and the Devil. I imagine that it took a lot of courage for him to call up the local Pagan Club... "Hey, would you like to do an interview with a Christian theologian about Jesus and the Devil?"

Who are the courageous people you're thinking of? Why do you think they're as bold as they are? When do you find it easiest to speak about your faith to a neighbour or a stranger? I think it's when we face a challenging situation that we have the most courage. I think it's when there is a lot on the line that we step out most boldly. I could be wrong on this, but it seems to me that Christians step-up to the plate in creative and courageous ways when they face great challenges or even persecution. That's why I sometimes wonder if our faith, here in North America, is under an even more severe attack than anywhere else. Why? Our faith is waited on, hand and foot. We even get tax deductions for supporting the ministries of our church. The challenges and persecutions we face are few and far between; and so, our faith can become like a couch potato that never has to run a marathon.

But I don't think it's too late for us... not at all. It's not too late for us to meet some challenges... to face some persecution to prod us to be courageous. That's a good thing right? I think that if we take our cues from Paul and his relationship with the Christians in Thessalonika, we may find some opportunities to take courage. We might just face situations that will require boldness and endurance.

What was Paul's relationship like with the Thessalonian Christians? He loved them. He cared for them deeply. He says that he cared for them like a nurse would take care of a child, like a mother nursing her infant. What if this kind of love would fill our hearts for one another? What if it would spill-over, and fill the streets of Gretna, and the farmer's fields?

Paul says that he loved them so much that preaching the gospel to them wasn't enough, he even gave of his own self to them. What does that mean? Is this what it means to live out the love of Christ? To speak the good news, but to go even further than words? Isn't that what Jesus himself did when he came among us? Didn't he pour out his own self to those he met? He didn't just talk to people about the Kingdom of God. He wept with Mary and Martha when he came to Lazarus' tomb. He touched a man's eyes, to heal his blindness. He ate with Zacchaeus and his love turned that man's life around. Jesus sat with a woman at the well and told her about His Living Water.

Is that Living Water spilling over the edges in your life? This mornign I want us to take away two key points from Paul's message to the Thessalonians. First of all, we have important news to tell people – news about Jesus, that he died for our sins, and that God raised him from the dead and has given him the highest title – Jesus is Lord and Messiah. We need to share this news, this freedom, this promise. Talk about it. Cultivate some courage in our life and tell others about Jesus. Invite them to know him. You know what nickname they gave Paul? "Spermalogos" a sower of words... he just couldn't keep quiet about Jesus. Will we love our neighbours enough to tell them about God's redemption?

The second thing I want us to take away from Paul's message is that our love keeps growing. Our love for others fills up our hearts. I'm so glad to see many of you are growing in your love for others. Almost every week I come across another one of you conspiring, in some way, to express Christ's love to a neighbour... sometimes even an enemy. I see your love is growing and growing. Some of you are visiting the lonely and the shut-ins. Some of you are helping their neighbours with their chores, raking their leaves. Some of you spend time volunteering at the MCC stores in Altona. Praise be to God! The next step is for that love to make us burst! I'm serious. Paul writes that his love for the people swelled up, like the profound love a mother has when nursing her infant. This love in us is headed for a tsunami. It's to the point where talking about the gospel isn't even enough.

The love that you and I are a part of, in God's Kingdom, is a love that spills over; it gives of its very self. We give ourself away to our neighbours. Pour yourself out to others in love! Spill over your affections and your kindness to your neighbours! Do it without holding back. Make it a party. Invite others to join you. I know, this kind of boldness and courage is hard... especially when we're as comfortable as we are, here in southern Manitoba. We've got it made. It's easy just to sit back, coast, and warm a pew on Sunday mornings, and that's it. But I know your heart is itching for so much more. I know that the Kingdom of God has you in complete thrall. Jump out of the boat, with Peter, and join the revolution that took over the city of Thessalonika; a revolution that's still inspiring the folks in that city today. Share your faith, tell others of the gospel, and give of your very self – no holds barred.

This is what we're celebrating this morning. The party that God will throw at the end of time is already calling your name... Like a concert, where the doors open way ahead of time; the doors to God's party are open. Come on in, join the feast. The meal is about to begin, and we can have a great time now already, sharing our love, our kindness, and radical hospitality with everyone we meet. Let the world see who it is we belong to, by how we love one another. Amen!