Sermon Tone Analysis

Trouble in the World

New Year’s Resolutions

Tensions: living in the now vs the then

Two communities pitted against each other (Jews and early Christians)

focus on coming of Christ not cross (will do vs has done)

Calling Jesus the political leader.

The Christian community was determined to take the power from humans and hand it to Jesus.

Trouble in the Text

The Judeans and the Thessalonians were so very different and yet had so very much in common.

The people have been violating their covenantal relationship with God, and the subsequent Babylonian control would serve as punishment for their infidelity.

The complete sacking of Jerusalem, however, is more horrific and absolute than the people might have imagined.

The destruction is so severe that God’s voice, through the prophet, also wails in lamentation.

The Thessalonians were mis-focused.

They thought Jesus was returning during their lifetime.

We don’t always get what we expect at the end of our waiting.

Grace in the Text

community

Indeed, the incompleteness of their faith is a reason for rejoicing.

“For what thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God; Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith?” (1 Thess.

3:9–10 KJV).

The fact that Paul can give thanks for a faith that is to come reveals, for our time, the ambiguity of Advent.

This ambiguity is evident in our seasonal celebrations focused on an event that happened more than 2,000 years ago, while the message of Advent is focused on a reality that is yet to come.

Part of the reason for this ambiguity is that we tend to view Advent through the lens of Good Friday and Easter.

Hope of Jesus’ coming for both.

Grace in the World

Advent.

Advent is how we declare that we are a different sort of community.

Instead of hemming and hawing about how terrible the world is, what if we looked with hope at the things that are right?

Hope in the Darkness

May the peace of our Lord Christ go with you. . .

wherever he may send you.

Paul issues a blessing to the people in the letter we read this morning.

It acknowledges that things get hairy sometimes.

May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm.

But it expresses the alive, anticipatory hope that Jesus is up to something incredible and has great adventures prepared for each of us.

May he bring you home rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you.

And it reminds us how important it is to gather together to share our stories of God’s work in the world.

May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you.1 Paul prays first that apostle and church might see one another again soon.

Paul issues a blessing to the people in the letter we read this morning.

He prays that he will see them again.

Just as we do each week.

Every week, I sing the same blessing at the end of the service.

I love it because it shares the hope that I have for you all as you go out into your weeks.

May the peace of our Lord Christ go with you. . .

wherever he may send you.

It acknowledges that things get hairy sometimes.

May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm.

But it expresses the alive, anticipatory hope that Jesus is up to something incredible and has great adventures prepared for each of us.

May he bring you home rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you.

And it reminds us how important it is to gather together to share our stories of God’s work in the world.

May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

Our whole epistle passage this morning is a bit of a benediction in ways – it’s a transition that Paul is helping this new church move through from being a brand new little church into a full blown Christian community.

This little church is not handling transition well.

It seems they had misunderstood Paul when he told them Jesus was coming back.

They thought it meant Jesus was coming back. . .

really really soon. . . in their lifetimes soon.

And when members of the community started dying, they started losing their hope.

Old Testament Reading

Epistle Reading

Epistle Reading

that those who have died in this waiting time they find themselves stu

ck in are not gone forever.

Sermon“Worship Fully” Rev. Charissa Howe

They will be reunited one day.

At the beginning of the service, I said a few words about why we do what we do at the start of our community worship time.

There is also a pattern we follow at the end of the service.

At the very end of the section we refer to as the “response to the word”, I say what is called the benediction.

This is a two part thing.

First I give a “charge.”

That’s where I say “go forth and do this thing that the scripture told us to do today.”

Then I give a “blessing” – a prayer over you the community as you go back out into the world we transitioned out of at the beginning of the service.

It’s a transition time – we’re moving from one part of existence to another.

Our wholeepistle passage this morning is a bit of a benediction in ways – it’s a transition that Paul is helping this new church move through from being a brand new little church into a full blown Christian community.

This little church is not handling transition well.

It seems they had misunderstood Paul when he told them Jesus was coming back.

They thought it meant Jesus was coming back. . .

really really soon. . . in their lifetimes soon.

And when members of the community started dying, they started losing their hope.

It can be hard to figure out how to fully embrace the in between time tha

When they started losing their hope, they got stuck.

t Advent offers to

It is hope that moves a Christian community forward.

That’s why we start off the church year with Advent – the season of hope.

Faith, hope, and love are often put together as the main points of Christianity and that is because in faith we are given hope and hope spurs us forward into love and mature faith as individuals and as a church.

Christians.

We

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It is the love of the community for one another and the world around them that Paul says is a sign of their mature faith – something he prays earnestly for them to find.

And he reminds them that those who have died in this waiting time they find themselves stuck in are not gone forever.

They will be reunited one day.

re still a month away from the secular new year when we g

It can be hard to figure out how to fully embrace the in between time that Advent offers to Christians.

We’re still a month away from the secular new year when we get to spend weeks trying to write the correct year on every check we write, and the world outside these walls seems to want to charge us straight on through this season to get to Christmas morning and all the presents and cookies.

My friend Terry and I have been running buddies and workout accountability partners for years.

I love her, but Terry is notorious for coming up with long run routes that manage to go straight through parades.

If there is a parade within 10 miles of downtown on a given Saturday, we’ll crash it together.

We’ve been mocked by drunk college kids on St. Patrick’s day, nearly run over by large horses and floats we didn’t expect, and have seen just about every high school marching band in the county performing downtown.

et to spend weeks trying

to write the correct year on every check we write, and the world ou

A few years ago, we were wet and whiny and miserable about 4 miles into our run when we heard the music and realized that once again, we were only about a block away from a parade route.