Suspense and Joy – 1 Thessalonians 3

A text – 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

⁹ How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you? ¹⁰ Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith.

¹¹ Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. ¹² And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you. ¹³ 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.

A reflection:

Paul came to Thessaloniki right after he had been imprisoned in Phillipi. Thessaloniki is now and always was a bustling port city in the northern Aegean Sea, right across the bay from Mt Olympus. It was a place Rome held tightly because it also sat right on the Egnatian way, a road armies and traders used to cross from Europe into Asia. It was a place Alexander the Great had used as his main port (and named it for his sister). It was full of ancient and contemporary gods and goddesses and lots of customs from lots of cultures. When Paul preached there, his message of turning one’s back on all these attractive customs and gods to worship the Son of the one true God of Israel found a mixed audience. His message landed very deeply with some and caused great anger in others. Paul escaped the city by night and fled to the nearby town of Berea.

No wonder he was praying worried prayers for the Thessalonians. No wonder he was concerned about whether they were living a life of faith in Jesus, leaving behind other traditions. He sent Timothy to them, to find out what was happening, and Timothy reported back that these new believers were indeed keeping the faith. You can hear Paul’s joy in the letter (probably the very earliest letter of Paul in the Scriptures). He had fared badly in their midst, but the Holy Spirit had planted his words, and he was elated to hear about the resulting growth.

In Advent, we practice mindful waiting. Planting under adverse conditions can be another cause for waiting. We don’t know how the thing we planted will take root and grow. We wait and wait through rough conditions just to see a glimpse that our work has not been in vain. And the joy that we feel, seeing good growth sprouting from unknown conditions brings us to rejoicing. This Advent as we wait for the coming of Jesus once again, let us pray earnestly, like Paul, for good growth and God’s abundance, signs that the Holy Trinity is ever and always at work to bring about the Kingdom of God, even now.

A prayer:

Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for Paul, his trials and travels and work on your behalf, bringing the story of a God who gives his life to break into our lives and show us love. Thank you for sending us Paul’s stories across the years to help us carry our own loads and continue the work you give us to do. Help us to remember that good harvests do come from good planting. Amen.