Dear Friends in Christ,
Do you know what a paradigm is? If you are up on current thoughts and trends in the business world, or, to bring it even closer to home, if you were in attendance at one of the presentations made in connection with our congregation’s participation in the Parish Planning process, you may recognize the term…
But in the event you don’t, I’ll tell you. A "paradigm" is really just a $64 word for "model" or "example." It’s a term often used today in the context of change. For instance, as we enter a new millennium and as we become more sophisticated with technology and communication, business leaders and corporate managers are being warned that they will need to create new "paradigms" in order to accomplish their objectives. In other words, what worked in the 20th century may not necessarily be the best fit as we enter the 21st. And so we see companies and industries shifting "paradigms" in the way they go about their business…
Our text for today contains a paradigm of sorts. And even though it is 19.5 centuries old, it really can’t be improved upon. It needs no changing or shifting. It was a model back then and it remains a model today. Therefore, on the basis of our text let’s spend the next several minutes contemplating the Apostle Paul’s divinely inspired
PARADIGM ON PRAYER
Because
We begin with the opening words of this epistle… Paul, Silas and Timothy; To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you. Paul opens with a standard introduction for the times and then goes on to send the Thessalonian believers his greeting. He wishes them grace and peace. Grace calls to mind the undeserved love of God that was theirs as Christians; peace signifies the state of heart and mind that comes only to those who understand grace…
That having been said, Paul immediately informs them about the content of his own personal prayer life. What Paul prayed about had to do with the Thessalonians’ response to the Gospel. He was profoundly thankful that they had (first) come to faith, (second) remained in the faith, and (third) exhibited their faith before a watching world. In order to understand these words of thanksgiving by Paul, we really have to know something about the background of this church. Let me fill you in.
Thessalonica was (and still is) a very important Greek city. At Paul’s time it was especially important since it served as the capital city of the Greek province of Macedonia. It was strategically located on the main road that connected Rome with the east and also boasted a good natural harbor on the Aegean Sea. One historian makes the remark that Thessalonica "narrowly escaped being made the capital of the world." The point is that this was no backwoods town. This was a vibrant, active, cosmopolitan city.
And along with that upscale, cosmopolitan atmosphere came all its accompanying vices and evils and worldliness and wickedness…
In the Book of Acts we’re told that during his second missionary journey Paul only spent a short time in Thessalonica. Three weeks to be exact. After that the locals made so much trouble for Paul that he had to flee for his life. But despite being with them for that brief period of time, the Holy Spirit worked mightily through the Gospel Paul preached – and a young Christian church was founded.
It was some months later that Paul wrote to this church (at this time he was doing mission work in the city of Corinth). Given the Thessalonians’ background, the prevalence of temptations around them, and the fact that they were now beginning to feel persecution because of their faith, we might expect this to be a rather shaky assembly of believers. Using Jesus’ parable of the Sower and the Seed, we might think this church to be like the seed that grew up quickly, but just as quickly died out because of the cares and difficulties of the world…
But that was not the case. The Gospel took root and bore fruit. What Paul remembered and what he is grateful for is how these believers distinguished themselves in their faith, their love, and their hope – all of which were connected to their relationship with Jesus Christ. And that forms the basis for his prayer of thanksgiving… "We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ."
If we change the word order around a little bit, the three things Paul thanked God for in the Thessalonians was that 1) their faith produced work, 2) their love prompted labor, and 3) their hope inspired endurance.
If you think of it, what Paul saw in those Christians and what he thanked God for is so comprehensive that it pretty well summarizes the entire Christian life, doesn’t it. Is not every Christian a believer, a lover, and a hoper? Couldn’t we say that the triad of faith, love and hope is pretty much a paradigm of the qualities that we as believers want to see in ever-increasing measure in our lives? And so we can make the transition that the things Paul was thankful for in the Thessalonians are the very same things that we ought to be praying for.
In other words, besides being purely informational about how spiritually well grounded the Thessalonians were, our text also provides us with a paradigm of what we should be praying for… Specifically that our faith will produce works; our love will prompt labor; and that our hope will inspire endurance… And all those things will happen as we attach ourselves to the same thing the Thessalonians did: Jesus Christ. Let’s talk about this in the time we have left…
But before we do that, let’s all spend just a moment taking inventory of our prayer life. What are the things that we pray for? What is the nature of the requests that we regularly bring before the Throne of Grace? As we think about that, let’s now take a look at what our text suggests for us.
Let us first of all pray that our faith will show itself in works. In other words, let us pray that we do not somehow compartmentalize our faith, but that the Lord will give us the strength and courage to have it on display at all times and in all places. In the home… on the job… during recreation… with friends, relatives and co-workers who themselves may or may not be Christians. Let us pray that we might simply fulfill Jesus’ desire for us outlined in His Sermon on the Mount where He said: "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."
Ever met someone whose faith so clearly produced works that it couldn’t be missed? I’m not talking just about those faithful Christians whom the Lord has blessed with wealth and who have in turn returned goodly portions to Him for His work. Those fruits of faith are blessings from God and are often evident to lots of people. I have in mind people who by the way they talk or their genuinely humble demeanor or their willingness to help or serve without recognition quietly and silently go about their business. But their actions set themselves apart from the rest of the world. I know some of them. And so do you. They are models for a faith that produces works… And to do that more and more, to produce fruits of faith to the glory of God, ought to be high on our personal prayer list.
The second thing we can pray for is that our love will labor. Both the word "love" and the word "labor" need some definition. We are talking about Christian love here as opposed to the world’s concept of love. Whereas the world sees love purely as an emotion or a feeling, God in His Word defines love as an action. In other words, it is something that we do. Think of the great love chapter of the Bible, 1 Corinthians 13. Love is patient, love is kind, it is not self-seeking, etc. Patience, kindness, selflessness, etc., are things that we practice; things that we do.
But because we carry around a selfish sinful nature and because we live in a world that tells us always to put ourselves and our interests first, practicing love the way we should doesn’t always happen. It doesn’t always come naturally. In fact, sometimes it takes effort, exertion… labor. That’s what’s behind the word here. Labor = strenuous work. And loving others in the Christian sense is something that we have to work at…
Can it be achieved? Yes, with God’s help it can, because we have both a model of love and a motivation for love in Jesus Christ. There on a lonely hill outside of Jerusalem we see Him suffering and dying on a cross. He isn’t there because of what He’s done; he’s there because of what we’ve done. As Isaiah the Prophet put it in those well-known words: "He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." With His pronouncement to the world that "it is finished" and with that final gasp for breath before closing His eyes in death the world is witness to the greatest act of love that has ever been known.
And because He loved us, we can love others. Because He forgave us, we can forgive others. Because we aren’t finished products and because we still carry around the baggage of our sinful nature, it often takes labor. But with God’s help, it can be done. Consequently having the will and the energy and the resolve to labor at love is another petition that we need to daily add to our prayer list…
Finally, let us pray that our hope will inspire us to endure. If you read through the entire book of 1 Thessalonians you will find that Paul had some grave concerns as to whether these young Christians would remain in the faith. They quickly went through trials and persecution because of their newfound allegiance to Jesus Christ as Savior, and Paul was troubled by the possibilities of what might happen. Read 3:5-7
Question: What is it that allowed them – "inspired" them – to endure? Answer: The sure hope of salvation and the sure knowledge that they were loved, protected and cared for by their Heavenly Father.
What is it that allows us – inspires us – to endure the trials and difficulties and the ups and downs in our lives? The same thing. The sure hope of our eternal salvation. The sure hope that we are dearly loved children of God to whom Romans 8:28 directly applies. The sure hope that we are taken care of… that our Lord does not slumber or sleep but knows us and all our needs intimately… the knowledge of God’s promise that not a single hair falls from our head without our Heavenly Father’s permission. Therefore let us also pray that through Word and sacrament, through Bible study and reading, through devotion and meditation God will increase the sure hope we have in Him and His Word, and along with that the ability to endure whatever He allows to come into our lives…
Let me bring our thoughts to a close by sharing with you an article I recently read in a Christian periodical. The author was telling about how cellular phone companies are always looking for new and high places to put their antenna apparatus, especially inside urban areas. The problem they run into is that no one wants to let them put up unsightly towers in backyards or green spaces, so they’re trying new angles. And one of those angles is approaching churches to see if, for a yearly fee, they’ll let them rig things up in their steeples.
The author then makes the application that when it comes to the truly important communication of the Gospel, the people below the steeple are the ones who should be doing the transmitting. And he refers to active Christians as Steeple People…
The Thessalonians were Steeple People. Paul knew that and he thanked God for them. And in thanking God for what He had worked in them, he provided us with a paradigm for our own prayers. Therefore, sometime before we go to bed tonight let us ask God for the following blessings… 1) A faith that increasingly shows itself in works, 2) A love that doesn’t give up but labors in carrying out what God desires… and 3) The sure hope of eternal salvation and present security that inspires us to endure in this life, come what may. May God grant it. Amen.