Alive in Christ
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; Philippians 4:10-20
Rev. Patricia Barth
Stewardship Sunday, November 13, 2005
In Paul's letter to the saints at Thessalonika, we are allowed a glimpse into one of the earliest Christian documents ever written. This may be Paul's first letter, written perhaps as early as the year 43 of the Common Era; around a decade after the death of Jesus and a good 25 years or more before the earliest gospel, the Gospel of Mark.
That's very long ago in our terms, of course, but still, I think it's interesting to see the parallels between that church and ours. Thessalonika was a large, busy seaport city in northern Greece. Like the Washington metropolitan area, it was an important capital city; a port and a crossroads to which many people were drawn. Like Takoma Park, Thessalonika was diverse in population and pluralistic in religious faith—besides Christianity and Judaism, the city was a center for the worship of Greek and Egyptian gods and goddesses.
Because Jesus' death was so recent, many of the Thessalonians' questions for Paul concerned the second coming of Christ. While we at Takoma Park may not ponder the end times as much as our fundamentalist sisters and brothers, Paul's advice to the Thessalonians is just as applicable to us here today as it was to them.
The bottom line is this: Christ died for us so that we can live with him. Whether we are alive when he comes again, or have passed on, when he comes again, we will live with him. As Paul phrased it in another letter: "Whether I live or whether I die, I am the Lord's."
We are alive in Christ. Now and always; from our birth and baptism; in our death and beyond; Jesus lives; and so do we, in him.
What does it mean to be alive in Christ?
Paul draws sharp contrasts: clear-cut distinctions of light and dark, sober and drunk; awake and asleep; day and night; peace and destruction. We don’t usually like to think of life in such stark terms of black and white; we’re far more comfortable in shades of grey. But Paul's images are actually much more useful; more inspiring; because of their clarity. Grayscale just isn't very exciting! We are drawn to the light as we are drawn to God's goodness and truth; as we are inspired by the beauty God has created in the world.
Paul reminds us: "Be awake!" Awake to the beauty that surrounds us everyday! Be aware of the loving relationships we take for granted in our lives. Live each day to the fullest, because it may be our last on earth. Be aware of the divine spark in each person that we meet. Awake to the Christian community, encourage and build up the sisters and brothers around you who keep you on the sacred path! Most importantly, let's wake up to the presence of God in our lives. The great God who created the earth wants to have a personal relationship with each one of you! Isn't that amazing? Don't sleep through it in a blur of work, chores and TV shows!
Paul tells us, "Be Sober!" Of course he is saying the obvious, Life is short! Don't squander it in a haze of alcohol or drugs. But we all know that addiction comes in many forms, some we don't even recognize as dependency. Different habits can cloud our judgment and obscure our thinking. The principal one that springs to my mind is fear. There are many fears to which the human animal is subject, but I'd like to only touch briefly on three: fear of danger; fear of loss of independence; and fear of scarcity.
Our nation is in the grip of fear of terrorism. I think of this as the fear of danger for lack of a better word - at root it's a fear of death, but I think it encompasses more than death - it's injury, violence, suffering, disruption of our normal routines - a big landscape of fear. It was no different in ancient Thessalonika. The Romans always feared the uncivilized tribes that were their eventual downfall, as well as the stubborn and resistant peoples like the Jews. The Thessalonians put their trust in the Pax Romana, the Roman peace - which did bring peace to Roman citizens, but death to nations and cultures which got in their way. Paul reminds the Thessalonians that there is no peace or security in the Roman Empire; but instead, sudden destruction! Paul invites us, too, to cast aside our fear of terrorism, and trust only in God. Only God gives true peace and security.
Linked to our fear of terrorism is our fear of losing our independence. You hear it all the time on the news—after 9/11, people made it a point to carry on life as usual, because to limit our freedoms and our choices would be to allow the terrorists to win. Americans value their independence more than any other nation; we value the individual and individual choice very highly. And nowhere is there more sense of independence than in Takoma Park! (I can say that since I'm from Takoma Park!) And one of the choices we like to have the most is deciding how to spend our income.
Closely related to the fear of the loss of choice is our fear of scarcity. You’ve heard the saying; when looking at a partial glass of water, some people say it is a glass half full; others call it a glass half empty. The water level is the same in both cases; it's all in how your perceive it; whether you have a sense of optimism or not. It's the same thing for scarcity. You can look at life with a sense of freedom; of abundance; knowing that there is enough to go around, or you can let the fear of scarcity take over your life.
Unfortunately, most of us seem to function based on a fear of scarcity. Have you seen this bumper sticker? "Whoever dies with the most toys wins!"
There's an ancient story about how to catch a monkey—if you put rice inside a coconut, with a hole that a monkey's paw will slip inside empty, but too small for him to draw out a fist full of rice, then he will struggle and struggle to get away with that rice. The monkey loses his life rather than release his grasp. Sound familiar?
Our fears are like an addiction. They seem to offer some comfort, a feeling that we are in control: safe and independent and agents of choice. But it's all an illusion. We can't take freedom of choice or money with us when we die. And we're all going to die sometime, so safety is an illusion, too. Fear is an addiction that clouds our judgment and takes away our joy.
Paul invites us leave all that behind, and to live as children of the light, alive in Christ. Only then are we truly safe, truly secure, and totally free. When Christ is the measure of our days, fear has no place to creep in. When we live in Christ, we don't worry about what to do with our money, we let it go! Money can be so sticky, just like that rice in the coconut; we want to clutch it and hang on to it, and never let it go. But when we put on Christ's armor of love and faith, things don’t stick to us anymore. We give it away! We give to the church and find we have plenty left over to pay bills and have fun, and even to give to more charities.
Jesus invites us to live each day to the fullest - Jesus says, "Do not be anxious about anything." Fear doesn't have the last word in God’s world. True contentment, peace and security are only found in God - nowhere else. Give generously of yourselves - not just your material wealth, your tithes and offerings, but yourself as well, your souls and minds and bodies; and God will meet all your needs, according to the glorious riches in Jesus Christ.
We can do all things, through Jesus Christ, who strengthens us. Amen.
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