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2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17
1 As
to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him,
we beg you, brothers and sisters, 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or
alarmed, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as though from us, to the
effect that the day of the Lord is already here. 3 Let no one deceive you in
any way; for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the
lawless one is revealed, the one destined for destruction. 4 He opposes and
exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes
his seat in the temple of God, declaring himself to be God. 5 Do you not
remember that I told you these things when I was still with you?
13
But we must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters beloved by
the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits for salvation through
sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth. 14 For this
purpose he called you through our proclamation of the good news, so that you
may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers and
sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us,
either by word of mouth or by our letter.
16
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and
through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, 17 comfort your hearts and
strengthen them in every good work and word.
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The
last three years serving as one of your pastors have been both the best and
worst years of ministry for me.
Now
before any of you are offended or perhaps flattered, just remember these have
been my only years of ministry. So I really do mean that; it’s been the best
and the worst. And honestly, it’s been mostly great, so yes, you can all be a
little flattered. I’m flattered.
I
started serving at Sunnyside Presbyterian Church on September 1, 2016.
And after
that first week, I thought everything was peaceful and calm and it was
wonderful and great and ministry looked to be easy and exciting and I thought
to myself that this would be like riding a bike… and that I could ride this
bike.
And
then, maybe it was a week or two after that, Jamie, the former senior pastor
here, fell down a flight of stairs, did some major damage to his knee, and was
out of the office for the next month or so. Do you all remember that?
So
here I was, a novice pastor, not even ordained yet, thrown into the deep end of
ministry. Sink or swim; let’s do this.
Because
Jamie was out due to his injury, Susan and I had to cover his planned sermons,
as well as a few other responsibilities. The first sermon I was assigned to was
on Jamie’s preplanned topic of faithfulness and money. I even made a joke in
that sermon saying “hazing in the church is equivalent to making the new pastor
preach on money.” Maybe it’s almost fitting that my last sermon at Sunnyside is
also on the day we end our stewardship campaign. But today we’re not going to
talk about money… but also real quick, seriously, stewardship is important, so
please get those pledges in. That’s all I’m going to say on that. Stewardship
committee, I’ll leave the rest to you in your minute for mission.
Anyway,
following former head pastor Jamie’s serious fall and during my first couple of
weeks at Sunnyside, I learned right away that ministry was maybe not as
peaceful or calm as I first thought and that maybe it wouldn’t be as wonderful
and great all the time and that actually it wouldn’t be so easy… but hey, at
least it was still exciting! I learned that ministry wouldn’t be like riding a bike.
I learned that ministry is like learning to ride a bike. Because right away I
experienced moments where there were bumps and bruises and where it felt like I
fell. But eventually it would get easier, right? Everything should become more
stable and balanced and steady, right?
Of
course not, because then I learned that ministry is like learning how to ride a
bike where each time you step on the pedal, something else changes. Like one
day in ministry, it’s learning how to ride the bike with the tires flat. And
then the next week in ministry, it’s learning how to ride the bike blindfolded.
And then in the next month, it’s learning to ride with no handlebars and then
soon its learning how to ride on loose gravel and then it’s something else and
then something else and then something else. So then of course there were more
bumps and more bruises and more falls.
But
I also learned that in ministry, it wasn’t me alone learning how to ride this
ever-changing bike. You were too. As a community, we were learning how to ride
this bike together. Because that first month with Jamie down and out, you all
had to learn how to let me be one of your pastors. So when I started up on this
path learning how to do ministry, so did you. We started learning how to ride
this ministerial metaphorical bike together, and we’ve been learning every day
since, each day with its own unexpected challenges and changes. Because you too
experienced and felt the bumps and the bruises and the falls.
As I
said, ministry is like learning how to ride a bike that some days resembles a
bike and other days something else altogether, and yet we learning it as a
community, as one body.
This
has been true this past year. This has been true since September 2016. It’s
been true since 2014. It was true since 1997. It’s been true since Sunnyside
started in 1870 and it’s been true long before that.
Ministry
was like learning to ride a bike long before bikes were invited. The church learning
how to do ministry is a thing dating back to when the church first started.
Take
for example, the church in Thessalonica. In Paul’s second letter to the
Thessalonians, which may have been written by Paul or an author imitating Paul
but for the sake of this sermon, we’ll say Paul – In Paul’s second letter to
the Thessalonians, we see a community that is afflicted by staleness and unrest.
This
early church community became stale because they were still. They have been
waiting for the coming of the Lord, something that promised to them as their
church was founded; as the Church was founded. And they were waiting, as it was
told to them, because they thought the coming of the Lord would happen in their
lifetime. So they just kind of sat there, did nothing, proclaimed no good news,
did no good works, did nothing. They just… waited. If ministry is like learning
how to ride a bike, then the Thessalonians refused to even pick up their bike.
It’s kind of just sitting off to the side. They thought to themselves: Why
learn how to ride a bike or why learn how to do ministry, when the Lord is
coming. So they don’t even try. They just… wait.
But
then all of a sudden, they are told that before the Lord comes, someone who
imitates the Lord but is not the Lord would come instead. And the Thessalonians
are so out of practice of knowing what to do in times of unrest, that they
become shaken and alarmed. After all, they put their bike, their will to do
ministry, off to the side. They thought they had no need to stay active and
alert in their faith. And because they are so out of touch with their faith,
rumors start flying. Emotions and fears are magnified. Things are heated and
tense. Speculations rise, and therefore so does deception. And it becomes so
intense, that all of our sudden, this community of faith is falling apart
because they are simply scared and worried as they are not connected enough
with their faith and trust in God.
So
Paul, seeing this community tear itself apart, writes them this letter. In
their fear and in their speculations, Paul tells them to cease and desist. To
stop. Right now. It’s not a question or a request. It is a full command to them
using his authority as an apostle of Christ. Here in this moment, Paul commands
the Thessalonians to stop worrying, to stop speculating, to stop spreading
rumors, to stop the deception, to stop unintentionally destroying themselves
because they can’t help but let their fear or their anger or their sadness get
the best of themselves. Paul commands
them to go pick up their bike and learn to do ministry as a community once
more.
And so
Paul then tells them how they can do this.
Paul
writes that if they as a community are reminded of the positive and
foundational power of the message of the Gospel, then there
will be no place for rumors or fear to occupy any capacity of the spirit or
mind. To be reminded of this, all they need to do is look inward and see where
the holy works of God have lived and continues to live within themselves and
their community.
He
reminds them their very salvation that was gifted to them is not just a matter
of hope in a future coming but rather something already displayed in any moment
of faith or trust or holiness. To experience any of these things as a community
is a sure sign that the Spirit of God is present among them and working for
their good.
How
will the Thessalonians be given the will to get back on the path to ministry? Paul
tells them they will need to turn to God and be reminded of what God has been
done and what good can be done. They must remember what they have experienced
as a community and what they will continue to experience as a community. It is
then, that as a body of Christ, that in any future moments of bumps or bruises
or falls, they will be able to comfort one another in hope and faithfulness
because they have before and they will again. And above all else, God has
promised to do the same; that God too will be a source of eternal comfort and
good hope. With this promise, the Thessalonians can stand firm and hold fast…
and get back to learning how to ride that infamous bike metaphor we’ve been
talking about this entire time.
Friends,
is that also not true for us, right here and right now? It has been true in our
past, and I believe it will be true in our future.
In
times of transitions, here in the church and in our own lives, it seems like we
are given two great grand options. In times of transition, we can either be
still and stale and be filled with fear and unrest… or we can place our hope
and trust in God because we know with faith what good God has done in our
lives.
So
yeah, today is a day of transition. For all of us. For many reasons. Yes, in a
few shorts moments, I will no longer be one of your pastors. That’s going to be
a moment of transition. But that’s not the only moment here. That’s not the
only moment of transition that we are experiencing as a church and definitely
not the only moment of transition in our own personal lives. We all have
something. I know we do. I know you know what transitions you’re currently
experiencing, and what fear or unrest that may be causing you.
Let
us return to this bike metaphor one more time. Think of the moment you or
someone you love learned how to ride a bike. You or they might have been a
young child. Think of that child. This child, whether it is you or someone you
love, is determined. Maybe they have already experienced riding a bike with
training wheels and that was fun and all… but this is going to be so much
better. With excitement but perhaps a little nervousness, they grab the bike.
They push off, they pedal, maybe there’s some assistance from someone they
trust, and then they go. They go as far as they can. And maybe, just maybe,
they experience that bump or that bruise and they fall to the ground. As we
fall to the ground. And for a moment, it all seems impossible as we lay there,
the bike now fallen beside us. But yet we try again. Now with tears or scraped
knees, we try again. We stand up and we remember why we want to do this,
because this will be better than what we have already experienced. We plant our
feet on the ground, we hold our heads high, and we grab our bikes and try
again. And we push off once more.
We’ve
had our time to worry. But today is no longer going to continue to be that day.
Today we will remember what good God has done in our lives. Today we will be
comforted and strengthened by this good.
But
speaking of this transition in our relationship with one another. Three years
ago, we were given the gift and the responsibility to be in covenant with one
another. I was new to ministry; young in age; unknown to Sunnyside, South Bend,
and Indiana; and yet God brought us together. And for me, that moment was good.
And it has been good. Even when it wasn’t so great, it was good… because God
did this for us, and what God does is good.
And
now God is doing something else… and we’re all being given new gifts and
responsibilities. But still our relationship was good; our memories are good.
So I am comforted; I am strengthened, and I am ready. And may you be comforted,
may you be strengthened, you are ready.
Through
salvation and grace, hope and strength; glory and faithfulness; good works and
holy words; through all of this, we will plant our feet on the ground and hold
our heads high. We have work to do. We have ministry to do. Thanks be to God.
Amen.
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