Claimed, gathered and sent

  This is the sermon I preached Sunday at St. Timothy Lutheran Church . The text was 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24. Today, the third Sunday of Advent, is Joy Sunday. Our celebration of our Lord’s birth is right around the corner, and there is much to rejoice about. Today’s epistle reading begins with the words, “Rejoice always” (v. 16). The verbs are all plural. Paul is not addressing individuals, but the community of faith. This is a church that has experienced much persecution, and yet Paul writes,  “Rejoice always” (v. 16). Really??? Rejoice is but the first of three quick, staccato-like commands to be done “always, without ceasing... [and] in all circumstances” (vv. 16–18). The command is to rejoice not only when things are good, but when they are bad as well. Paul says to pray always; that is the only way to be joyful in times of trial. This conversation grows out of a relationship with God and God’s people. To pray always is to cultivate “the habit of gratitude [so] that being...

This is the sermon I preached at St. Timothy and St. Mark Lutheran churches. The text was 1Thessalonians 5:16-24. Today is the third Sunday of Advent, also known as gaudete or rejoice Sunday. We are near the end of our advent pilgrimage and that much closer to the celebration of our Lord’s birth and so there is much to rejoice about. Today’s epistle   reading begins with the words, “Rejoice always” (v. 16). The more I looked at this reading, the more I noticed a whole lot of “dos” and “don’ts.” In fact, the chorus of the 1970 song, “Signs,” by the Five Man Electric Band came to mind:   “Sign, sign, everywhere a sign Blockin’ out the scenery, breakin’ my mind Do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the sign?” The first four verses are filled with the “Do this, don’t do that[s].” It seems like Paul is laying down rules for the Thessalonians and for us, what we Lutherans would refer to as law. The verbs in this passage are all plural. Paul is not a...