Our service began with a familiar psalm , Psalm 121 “My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” There are many authorities and rulers in this world. We are in an election season which makes it even more apparent what impact human authorities can have on our life. But there is a limit to what role human authority can have on us. In time all those in authority over us will come and go. The LORD reigns forever.
Temporal rulers cannot save us. Even as we are governed by human authorities, we see the LORD’s hand in protecting us through the imperfect rule of government, “He will not let your foot be moved; he who keep you will not slumber.” Our Lord is protecting us so that we keep our sights on our future in God’s kingdom.
The kingdom of the left, which the church understands to be all secular rulers and authorities, rules through coercion, consequences, through cause and effect uses of the law. If you do not pay your taxes there are consequences, if you break the law there are consequences.
This is the only way it could work. The Federalist papers in American History talked about how if men were angels no government would be necessary. Rule and authority in government is only needed because people want to break the rules, serve only themselves, often at the expense of others.
The Right hand kingdom or the kingdom of the church does not move us by coercion. We may talk as Christians about what is wrong to do and that we should follow God’s law, but we never force or pressure people to follow God’s Word. We know that the law does not move people to faith.
Unfortunately some churches have tried this use of the law to coerce people into believing. In my role as a professional counselor I have talked to several people who say that because they felt forced to follow God’s Word, they no longer choose to believe. We do not need the law to motivate us as Christians, because when it comes to our motivation, it is through love.
Christ has taken care of everything. We are moved to care for others because of the gospel. Coercion and punishment gets results, for a time. But the power of the Holy Spirit has the power to work results of faith in our lives, results that are eternally secure.
We heard in our Epistle reading: “But your faith has gone out everywhere.” The Thessalonians willingly and eagerly turned from idols to serve the living God. They were not forced to do this by laws that said they must be Christians, they chose this path of righteousness all by themselves.
What a beautiful contrast, the difference between the ways of the world and the law and the ways of God! The example of God’s saints has tremendous power.
When I was a seminary student I took an Amtrak train to visit Kirksville where I went to college, to preach for the first time at the LCMS congregation there. A man nearby in the train asking me what I was reading through, and a conversation started about preaching.
I remember he told me he attended a Baptist church and he was familiar with the LCMS, telling me he lived in St. Louis and enjoyed listening to KFUO the radio station the Lutheran church broadcasts locally there. He told me he believed the congregation members have just as much responsibility if not more for what they get out of sermons.
As in, the hearers should be listening actively for how God’s Word applies to their lives, to the point where focusing more on God’s Word through the course of the week will make for a more fruitful experience of listening to a sermon. I find this attitude helpful for me when I listen to sermons. This conclusion fits with what the scripture teaches. Certainly, the Holy Spirit works an active part in working repentance and renewal as we sit in church and hear God’s Word proclaimed to us.
Perhaps this is the same with our experience of left hand kingdom authorities who have power over us. There are plenty of things we can find objectionable about governing authorities- including the fact that they may not be believers. Yet the scripture teaches us that these authorities are placed in our life to protect us, and embody God’s care and provision over us.
Does our government allow us the freedom to practice our faith? Does our government provide the security we need in order to live lives of routine and purpose in our daily life? Does our government give us the freedom to be able to speak up for the defenseless or the unborn? Or does the government put us in positions where to cooperate with the government is to oppose God’s Word, such as when laws require companies to pay for insurance coverage of abortions?
Does the government offer the freedom to communicate our Savior’s love to the world, or does it seek to curb what we can say about the gospel, such as if the preaching of God’s Word should be classified as hate speech as some in government positions have argued?
Our Epistle reading from 1Thessalonians provides a view of God’s people making the most of the circumstances where they are ready and willing to live lives worthy of the gospel regardless of the circumstances of how they were received by governing authorities. They were living as St. Paul celebrates- a well integrated life.
A well integrated life- what would that be? Integration… all the different aspects of one’s life are in harmony, working together, fitting together and not one contradicting the other. Family, beliefs, values, work identity, friendships, role models in life, favorite music and movies and novels.
We know what it looks like when someone’s life is very compartmentalized and fractured. The actor who is one person on the screen and in interviews, but an entirely different person with family. Or the high school teacher who talks to youth about driving safety every Friday afternoon, but then gets a DUI over the weekend.
When people have a certain character and consistent reputation and presence no matter where they are and who is watching or not watching- we know it when we see it. It is something to be desired.
A well integrated faith in life is a great gift of God! It is such a great gift it can even preach a sermon loud and clear to those around us.
As Lutherans we often talk about our faith in terms of: Law and Gospel. Faith and works. What God has done for us through Jesus, and what we do in response to God’s action, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to love God and serve each other. These are all vital foundations to our identity as Christians.
But it is also important that we not only think in terms of these distinctions, but that we embody in how we live our lives the relationship between God’s love for us and our response.
In our Epistle reading from 1Thessalonians the Apostle Paul begins the letter with a great statement of thanksgiving. A thanksgiving that depicts the beautiful integration of all things of God’s kingdom. “We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith, your labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Paul recognizes the integration of work initiated by faith, labor sparked by love, and endurance brought to life by hope in our Savior Jesus. Paul celebrates work, labor, and steadfastness and sees how these results are grounded in faith, in love, in hope- and in our identity as people who are loved and chosen by God.
In our life as Christians our identity as baptized children of God does not only provide us assurance of our salvation, but it also provides a platform for the Holy Spirit to work in our lives in amazing ways. The Holy Spirit sparks specific actions grounded in faith.
Throughout this text Paul continues to pour out prayers of thanksgiving for these Thessalonians who are living out their faith in all of these ways. They are demonstrating what it means to serve the true and living God. Paul talks about how these Christians imitated him and other Church leaders, even imitated God through severe suffering.
“And you became imitators of us and the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit.” Even in suffering they welcomed the gospel with the joy of the Holy Spirit!
In verses 7 and 8 Paul notes how they had become models of faith for other believers near and far. “Not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything.”
St. Paul had nothing left to say. How often did that happen? Paul witnessed how the Holy Spirit worked in the hearts of these people who had once worshiped idols, and now they have been called to faith! Now they live equipped by the Holy Spirit as well integrated Christians. There was nothing left to say, just his heart welling up with thanksgiving.
As we hear God’s Word written in 1 Thessalonians, as we listen to the work of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life questions may come to mind about your own faith. How is your faith doing lately? How integrated is your faith in Jesus as Savior with your day to day life? Is your faith and your daily life experiences distant enough where you feel disconnected? Are there specific areas where there are gaps between your faith and your daily life? In your relationships? When you are playing a competitive game or sport? When you have free time to watch tv or surf the internet? Who if anyone are you imitating?
How do you respond when things get challenging? Or when your life isn’t the way you want it to be? How do you respond when faults or fears, or dysfunctions, temptations or addictions grab a hold of you? Do you look at yourself and think you are not the model of faith that others will follow and talk about?
As we reflect on these verses and questions, all of us know where we stand. We are sinners in need of a Savior. We have failed God in our thoughts words and deeds. We have not loved God with our whole heart, we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have not lived the well integrated life of faith.
But this is exactly where Jesus meets us. He meets us with his perfect life- where life and faith are perfectly woven together. He meets us with his innocent death. He meets us with his blood shed on the cross. He meets us with his powerful resurrection.
He meets us in the waters of Holy Baptism, and as he meets us He exchanges his perfectly integrated faith with our imperfection. He covers up our imperfection, sends it to the background of our identity so that we can instead live in His forgiveness, His love, His endurance in our lives. No matter what ruling authorities we have in our lives, our calling from the Lord is the same, our purpose in sharing His love is the same.
We have been blessed richly by our Lord to be in a position to serve Him with faith and life working together, a well integrated life in Christ. May the Lord grant this united purpose in our lives. Amen.