I'm preaching at Benefield this Sunday and when I saw the readings I though uh ho! Then I did a little dance as a read a commentary as I realised it talked about about Christ’s coming, His Advent, although in our everyday lives to think about Advent seems a little early. However in church lectionary terms perhaps not, it's six weeks.
In Thessalonians we are placed in a timeline when they were literally waiting for Christ’s return which they thought was imminent, they expected it and were preparing for it in faithfulness. They were a people ready and waiting for the Lord to come for them. Paul has written to thank them, encouraging them and praising them for ‘keeping at it’ and clarified any misconceptions. They had in some sense had their backs against the wall as they were being persecuted. Living in this part of Greece, with Mount Olympus looming from across the water and not very far away it was a people living in the shadow of idols. Being in close quarters with those of different beliefs, these young Christian Thessalonians were surrounded and literally loomed over by gods and worship of quite a different kind. Today idols come in all shapes and sizes and I realised this week that one of them was worry. My parents and my Dad in particular used to say 'don't worry worry, till worry worries you. Those of you who know me well know 'I'm the last person to worry...NOT! I could get a medal for worrying! I have many white hairs and virtual medals for worrying. All worry has done has given me more white hairs! Keeping faith is hard at the best to times, but when the going gets tough it seems all the more harder, and this week especially I speak from experience when I say I get that because when things happen outside of your own perceived ‘control’, placing fear, worry and distress in God’s hands is a very big act of letting go. Letting go and letting God, well you just have to do it because He has got you! No matter the outcome HE loves, and holds and has got YOU!
For me this week it was a good lesson, because I have had a fright and I have received love and prayer in abundance and it was a real lesson in letting go and letting God hold me yet again. I am thankful and I am grateful, relieved at a good outcome and I am humbled by it; for I know that He would give me strength to endure. In that waiting room I prayed for strength for myself and for those in there with me. We were segregated and physically alone but His presences was with us today. I don't know their outcomes but I wonder if you would add them to your prayers this week that strength, healing and love is sent to all those who fear?
Paul had feared and Paul had already encountered his own experience of realising it was better to ‘let go and let God’ rather than try and go it alone. He recognised the stalwartness of the Thessalonians and gave praise where praise was due. This is echoed in the other reading from Matthew 22.15-22 where Jesus talked about “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Again that made me think.
When writing sermons we were always told don’t try and weave all the readings and psalms into one sermon as almost that way madness lies. Well when I looked at the readings I thought, He might let me get away with it? Because these readings this week really do dovetail and it is another instance of how great He is and why we should not stint in dishing out praise, recognising the sacrifice and taking encouragement where He encourages us to keep on at it. In particular with Psalm 96; did you know how many hymns and praise songs are attributed to this Psalm. Literally hundreds, in fact I couldn’t count them! However one of my favourites is 'Oh Worship the Lord in the Beauty of Holiness', one of the hymns appropriate for Advent to Epiphany and it is such a beautiful psalm and well who wouldn’t want to sing about it. I just wish we could right now, but that doesn’t stop us from going to our music platforms and having a search feast on all the different versions of praise song out there. Perhaps you have a favourite, perhaps you might find a new one to you. Perhaps that might be your challenge this week, to find and Sing a New Song to praise the Lord, but perhaps not out loud but in full song in your heart as like those early Christians we are having to take precautions at the moment and keep ourselves and others safe.
I have found a couple but at the moment this is my favourite one...
Psalm 96 performed by the band the Sons of Korah, an Australian Christian band which I shall be adding to my watch list along with Shane and Shane another Christian song band.
There is an extra track this time psalm 19b and it is stunning, just right to listen to in contemplation and praise...
Ohhh and not forgetting this one....
https://youtu.be/wckLsA8DUzc Psalm 16
and maybe this one...
https://youtu.be/WjxbcCQtvv4 Psalm 139
Peace be with you friends.
(It's not Mount Olympus, I didn't ever get there, so this will have to do!)
Caroline :)
For an extended version of the sermon you are welcome to read the attached notes.
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