1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.2 We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy from the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. 9 For they report about us what kind of welcome we had among you and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.
1 Thessalonians is the earliest of the letters we have of Paul to the early Christian communities, instructing them how to live in their new faith. It is still applicable for us today. 1 Thessalonians was written about 50 A.D., only a couple of decades after Christ’s resurrection and way before Mark, the earliest gospel, was written down. So, this was essential instructions about what the assembly of new believers should be like.
The first thing that stands out to me is prayer: thanks to God and for his fellow believers (v.2). Paul writes of “always” and “constantly”. A couple of weeks ago in Pastor’s Forum, we talked of an ancient monks’ community in Greece and discussed how one can pray constantly. I think it has to do with having a mindset which has God and others present in our thoughts, rather than concerns about oneself. Something that I need to strive for. I don’t think one can ever pray too much. Paul also describes the Thessalonian Christians’:
1) Work of faith – What about “faith is a gift of God, not a result of works”? I think Paul is referring to the results of their faith from God which was known in the whole area.
2) Labor of love – What would Living Lord be like if all of our words, actions and decisions were done with love as the motivator?
3) Steadfastness of hope – This is what got the early Christians through the persecutions in the early days of the church. God’s promises of always being with us and eternal life, even today, give us hope to face today’s sufferings.
Dear Lord, helps us by your Spirit, to be the kind of church in our community that is known for its faith, love and hope. Amen
Linda Giesen linda.giesen37@gmail.com
Prayer concern: Peace in the world.
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Living Lord Lutheran Church
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