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Advent 1 Lesson: Jeremiah 33:14-16
November 29, 2009 Psalm 25:1-9
The Rev. Karen Evans Epistle: 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
St. James’ Church, Marietta Holy Gospel: Luke 21:25-36
I speak to you in the Name of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
There is something about Advent that makes me remember the year that Bill was in Vietnam in the Army. It was an interesting and difficult year and yet, when I reflect on it, it was a year of tremendous growth and learning. I thought about it again this week when I read the passage from 1 Thessalonians.
Bill went to Vietnam in May after we had been married less than a year and a half, at a point when we were still learning a lot about each other. We had been living in Maryland while I commuted to Washington and Bill commuted to Baltimore. When he left on deployment, I moved home with my family.
We were fortunate. Bill was stationed in a settlement for most of his time there, so we could write letters and even send audio tapes and pictures to each other. It was a time when, in spite of the problems with being apart, we were able to explore and talk about things we had not discussed before. In fact, in some ways it was easier to talk about some things from half a world away than when we were in the same room.
That is the first thing I thought of in reading 1 Thessalonians. It is the oldest or first letter of Paul’s that we have. Paul was separated from the Thessalonians after only three weeks of preaching and teaching. Opposition to his message forced him to flee in the middle of the night for Beroea and Athens. He sent Timothy, who must have been less threatening, to them and then wrote to them after he had Timothy’s report.
His letter is full of affection and encouragement. But it is also a time for him to discuss important topics of concern to him and to them, such as what happens to members of the community who die before Jesus returns.
One of the things that happened to me while Bill was away was that after a few months I began to be afraid. It took the form of being anxious every time I left work, that when I arrived home there would be an army car waiting with officers there to tell me that Bill had been killed.
It was particularly difficult because when men and women went to Vietnam they did not go as part of a unit, but as individuals. Therefore, there was no real support system for their families. I knew no one else whose husband or wife was in the military, let alone deployed.
Paul also deals with anxiety and fear in the Letter to the Thessalonians. Just prior to today’s passage, Paul says, “For this reason, brothers and sisters, during all our distress and persecution we have been encouraged about you through your faith.” That is one of the main things for which Paul gives thanks as our passage begins.
You will notice that Paul does not seek to avoid persecution and distress. For him, they are part of his call to proclaim the Gospel. Nor does he expect the Thessalonians to avoid them. What makes it bearable is neither Paul nor the Thessalonian’s need to deal with these things alone. Paul’s prayer for them is that the Lord will make them “increase and abound in love” for each other, just as he abounds in love for them. That love, built on the faith he taught him, leads to thanksgiving for their life together in Jesus Christ.
Going back to the year Bill was away, after a couple of months of being afraid, I decided to go to a nearby church on my lunch hour and pray for Bill. When I got there, they were having a solemn, high requiem mass for those who had been killed in the war. (For those of you who are new to the church, that is as formal a memorial service as you can have.) I almost panicked. Was God trying to tell me something? I decided God was – that all my worrying would not make one bit of difference. From that point on, I lived in hope that Bill would make it back alive.
That is the final thing that Paul writes to the Thessalonians in our passage: “And may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.” The hope for a second coming was part of the belief system of the early church. It had to do with giving hope to people who were suffering from persecution and adversity. It is all about hope in the Resurrection.
Advent, as a season of the church year, is a time of preparation, not for Christmas so much, as for Christ’s second coming. What I hear in the lesson is that it is about the community of faith – strengthening it and building it up to sustain us in the long haul.
I imagine that most of you know by now that I will be retiring at the end of December. I made a request at the Annual Meeting and I will repeat it now. I would like a gift from you – a gift appropriate to Advent, but that continues far beyond the season. That gift is for you to work, pray and give for the building up of the church; to love and support each other; and to live in hope. Amen.
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