Sermon: Thankful But Worried

December 3, 2000

Thankful But Worried

A sermon by Rev. Dr. John K. Luoma

It seems to me that the Apostle Paul is just about the most thankful person in the Bible. Read through his letters sometime and take note of the number of times that he says that he is thankful. It is no different in the letter we read today-the letter to the congregation he began at Thessalonica. He says, "How can we thank God enough for you...?" (1 Thess 3:9) Paul is extremely thankful because his young congregation has stood strong in the face of hardship and persecution, and he tells them that he longs to be with them and see them face to face

Like the Apostle Paul I think we are called to be thankful. That's the duty of a Christian. We are to be observant of all the faithful people around us and all their faithful actions so that we can give thanks. Are you thankful for your congregation? I know I am. Here are just a few of the things I am thankful for.

1. I'm thankful for our catechism program. When I started here, catechism was a problem area. Few people wanted to be involved in it. It was seen as the pastor's ministry. And it was basically an intellectual enterprise. Now it's the ministry of the whole church. Fourteen adults work with twenty-seven young people imparting not just the teachings of the church but teaching them how to be the church, i.e. teaching them how to support each other and serve others.

2. I'm thankful for our youth program. It has expanded magnificently over the last seven years. And again the desire is to teach the kids how to be the church, how to support each other and how to serve others.

3. And I'm grateful for the spiritual renewal that has taken place. I am grateful that we are a congregation made up of people who want to grow in their relationship to Jesus Christ. I'm grateful for Via de Cristo movement, and for all the people who have had their faith renewed and strengthened through these weekends. I'm grateful for our prayer ministry and the growth that has taken place there and the number of people who have grown in the life of prayer. And I'm grateful for our healing ministry and a congregation that realizes that the Christian faith isn't simply about the forgiveness of sins. It is about the healing that can take place in every aspect of our lives with the power of Jesus.

4. And I'm grateful that we are a congregation that is committed to growth and that has been willing to staff for growth. We expect to grow, and we have been willing to take risks and do the things that make for growth. In 1993 our average Sunday worship attendance was 231. Last year it was 339. That means we have 108 more people at worship on Sunday morning than we did seven years ago. All this is due to a congregation that is committed to bringing people to Jesus Christ and is willing to provide the space and programs that make for growth.

5. There are so many other wonderful things that we could talk about. We could talk about generous giving to ministries beyond our congregation. Do you know that our benevolence giving has increased 40% in the last seven years? Last year we gave $48,000 to ministries outside our congregation! And we could talk about many other ways we have extended ourselves over the last few years: things like participating in the building of Habitat homes and the Y Bridge Ministry to the homeless.

I can easily say, along with the Apostle Paul, "How can I thank God enough for you?" I remember a man who visited here a few years ago who one day came and visited me in my office. He said, "The presence of the Holy Spirit among you is so thick you could cut it with a knife." And that is true. <br><br> But then after this wonderful word of thanks Paul says something very strange. Did you catch it? There is something that is worrying Paul. He says that he longs to come and see them, because there is something lacking in their faith. (1 Thess. 3:10) What is lacking? What is he worried about? You have to skip all the way to the end of the letter to find out. They had concerns about the Day of the Lord, the last day when the Lord Jesus Christ would return.

You see, they strongly believed that the Lord Jesus Christ would return in their lifetime. When some of their loved ones died and the Lord hadn't returned, they worried. They were worried about the fate of their loved ones. And so the Apostle Paul assures them by teaching them once again about the resurrection and telling them that when the Lord comes their loved ones will first be raised and they will then join Christ together. (1 Thess. 4:13-18)

Well, we don't have exactly the same problem as they did, but doesn't it touch you that they had such a deep concern for the relationship of their loved ones to Jesus Christ? They knew that it was the only thing that mattered. If that relationship is not in place nothing else matters. Is that an issue that worries you? It should. It worries me. Do we care about the ultimate fate of our loved ones? We should, because Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul make it crystal clear that there is going to be a judgment and the only thing that will matter on that day is our relationship to Jesus Christ. I have said this many times before: Each of us has a circle of influence and in that circle each of us is a missionary. And it may well be that we are the only missionary our loved ones will ever receive. Are we taking that seriously?

I can remember as a teenage being terribly troubled by this. My parents didn't go to church. There was no prayer or Bible reading in my home. I really had no idea as to where my parents stood. I prayed and prayed for them. I even made a visit to my pastor to enlist his help. I remember reading the words of the Apostle Paul where he says that he is willing to be cut off from God if it would result in the salvation of his people. And I remember saying to God that I would be willing to do that if it would result in the salvation of my parents.

Parents, I hope you will never put your children in that situation. I hope you will never give them evidence that Jesus Christ is not of supreme importance to you. Because if you do, you are going to create tremendous heartache. Young people, I hope you will never give such evidence to your parenst because you will put them through immense pain.

And not only are the Thessolonians troubled over the relationship of their loved ones to Jesus Christ, they are troubled about when Jesus will return. Paul doesn't answer that question just as Jesus himself did not answer it. But Paul does tell them how it will happen and how they need to live as they await the coming of the Lord. He says that Jesus will come like a thief in the night. He will come when people least expect him. And how should we live as people who know this? The answer may surprise a lot of Lutherans since we so often misinterpret the whole idea of grace. So often we interpret grace to mean that since Jesus has done it all, I am off the hook. I can pretty much lead my life as I please. Not so! In chapter 3 verse 13 Paul tells us exactly the style of life we should be living. It should be our goal to be holy and blameless. So while we can say that we are not saved by works, we can say that we are saved for good works. Our goal should be to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect.

Then, in chapter 5 Paul tells us exactly what our life should look like as we strive to be holy and blameless. There are nearly twenty items on the list, and it is an important list to ponder as we move toward Christmas when we celebrate the first coming of Christ and look forward to his return. I encourage you to read the whole list, but listen as I read some of them to you: Be careful not to become addicted to the things of this world! Put on the whole armor of God (faith, hope and love) because the Devil would love to destroy us! Encourage one another! Admonish one another to godly behavior! Rejoice always! Pray constantly! Give thanks in all circumstances! Do not quench the Spirit! Hold fast to what is good! Abstain from every sort of evil!

As I approach Christmas this is my condition: I am so thankful for your faith and commitment! But I am also a little bit worried. It is so easy for a congregation to become self satisfied when you have been as successful as we have. It is so easy to stop taking risks for Jesus when things get comfortable. It is so easy to forget that lots of people do not know the joy of a relationship to Jesus Christ. Worse yet it is so easy to forget that many may be eternally separated from Christ because we choose not to challenge ourselves and reach out to others.

It is a high calling we are given, and one we need to do our very best to fulfill. We are called to be holy and blameless. Our God is a God of grace and that means that God deserves our very best.

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