ADVENT SUNDAY GOSPEL AND EPISTLE

Matthew 24:36-44 (NRSV)

The Necessity for Watchfulness:

36 ‘But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son,^* but only the Father. ³⁷For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, ³⁹and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. ⁴⁰Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. ⁴¹Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. ⁴²Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day^* your Lord is coming. ⁴³But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.

My text this evening is written in Matthew 24:44

⁴⁴Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.

The Gospel for Advent Sunday echoes the theme of the Advent Hope coupled with the idea that Christ’s first Advent also comes with a promise of the Second Coming. I have to confess that I am never too concerned about the Second Coming and in my earlier more evangelical days even, I could not see the point of arguing if one was premill, postmill or amill! What matters more is the fact that Jesus is with us now by his Spirit and that we are charged with following him in love and obedience, where we have been placed, by his grace. I hope it does not sound arrogant of me, but I think our Lord was probably addressing this issue as reported here by Matthew for the same reasons, knowing that humans like to be sidetracked into displacement thinking that deflects them from the real task at hand. (I often find that I tidy my study when I should be marking countless essays!!!)

Jesus says that no-one knows when it will happen – even he did not know – only the Father. I know it is an oversimplification, but that does it for me. If no one knows, just get on with what we can know. William Barclay is much more forceful and states that ‘... speculation regarding the time of the Second Coming is nothing less than blasphemy, for the man who so speculates is seeking to wrest from God secrets which belong to God alone.’ I do not believe it is our place to speculate; rather it is our duty to be faithful to what we have been called to do.

These verses also tell us that then time will come with ‘shattering suddenness’ especially for those who are immersed in material things. Noah prepared himself and so was ready while the rest of humanity were immersed in their eating and drinking and marrying, and they were caught completely unawares. Barclay comments: “These verses are a warning never to become immersed in time that we forget eternity ...”

We are also told in these verses that the coming of Christ will be a time of separation and judgement, when Jesus will gather to himself those who are his own, Barclay concludes: “Beyond these things we cannot go – for God has kept the ultimate knowledge to Himself and to his wisdom.”

If we do not know the time that this will all happen, then we need to be prepared – in fact all our life should be a constant preparation for that coming. Jesus will return like a thief in the night in the sense that a thief does not send a letter on ahead to warn the owner because his principle weapon is the element of surprise. The owner of a house that contains precious things must be on their guard. But our watching is different in the sense that we are not afraid; our watching is an eager expectation for the coming of the glory and joy that will mark meeting our Lord face to face.

Being prepared is a wonderful challenge. We cannot tell the time or the place of many things. I well remember when I was struck with an pancreatic tumour, there was no warning, just sudden soaring pain – and for some time – death seemed imminent, for I was not given much chance for survival.

What will we be found doing if our Lord were to return suddenly? I believe the challenge is to be doing what he has called us to do, by being faithful to our calling wherever we find ourselves.

The following lovely illustration comes from www.sermons.com:

Christ May Be Closer Than You Know

Martin, the Cobbler, is Leo Tolstoy's story about a lonely shoemaker who is promised in a dream that Christ will come to visit his shop. The next day Martin rises early, gets his shop ready, prepares a meal and waits. The only one who showed up in the morning was an old beggar who came by and asked for rest. Martin gave him a room he had prepared for his divine guest. The only one to show up in the afternoon was an old lady with a heavy load of wood. She was hungry and asks for food. He gave her the food he had prepared for his divine guest. As evening came, a lost boy wandered by. Martin took him home, afraid all the while he would miss the Christ. That night in his prayers he asks the Lord, "Where were You? I waited all day for You."

The Lord said to Martin:

"Three times I came to your friendly door,
Three times my shadow was on your floor.
I was a beggar with bruised feet.
I was the woman you gave to eat.
I was the homeless child on the street."

Watch out! Christ may be closer than you can imagine.

J. Howard Olds, adapted from Leo Tolstoy's Where Love Is, God Is, Faith Breaks,www.Sermons.com

This same theme is picked up in the Epistle appointed for today’s worship ...

Romans 13.11-end: (NRSV) An Urgent Appeal

¹¹ Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; ¹²the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of light; ¹³let us live honourably as in the day, not in revelling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarrelling and jealousy.¹⁴Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. 

It was these verses that brought St Augustine of Hippo to faith. After years of living it up, denying himself no pleasure of the world, he heard a little girl reciting these verses and the Holy Spirit used them to convict him of his sinful ways, and brought him to faith. I love this story, because it so graphically shows us how God uses the Scriptures to touch our lives at their very core. As Coleridge observed, the Bible is inspired, not so much in every word contained in it is perfect (for we know this is not true), but because ‘It finds me.’ God’s Word finds the human heart.

When we prayerfully read Scripture, we often find that they wake us up from a sort of sleep; we see things different, afresh, anew, as we have never seen them before, and we become aware of what is happening. The imminence of our salvation is not chronological, a matter of time, it is theological, something that happens to us at the core of our being. The image of ‘putting on’ is nothing new. Isaiah used it (11.5) as did the Psalmist (132.9) as did Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 and 2 Corinthians 5, Galatians 3.27 and Ephesians 6.13-18 speaks of putting on the whole armour of God.

In this advent season, we encounter the lovely imagery of darkness and light – and it is the season of light shining in the darkness and the darkness never putting it out. This armour of light that we put on symbolises the virtues that we can have to as Maly explains ‘... protect us from the assault of evil ...’ In effect we need to put of the Lord Jesus. We should not linger in sin, but show every seriousness by living lives of righteousness and goodness. God’s way of righting wrong has been revealed, and so there is some urgency: are we going to respond in faith or not? Our lives are short, and so there is not much time for us to serve Christ.

There is a sense that we live in the new age, but at the same time we await its full coming and while we wait, we need to display the behaviour of the new age and so attract others to it. Best explains: “In wearing Jesus Christ the Christian puts on the character and ways of Jesus.” He continues and explains that Christians are “... now called to let the world see the clothes they have already been given ...”

Simply put, the most effective way of showing Christ to the world is to live differently. Paul explains in verse 13:

We should avoid revelry – the Greek word komos – which refers to the sort of revelling that lowers a person’s sense of self and is a disturbance and nuisance to others. This is obviously linked to drunkenness which is shameful and disgraceful. Immorality – where one shows no sense of self-control, but takes pleasure when and when one can. Shamefulness is an interesting one in our present times. Don’t you feel so sorry for the way in which our young people no longer seem to feel any shame, and they stumble through our streets, half naked and out of control. Gone is the sense of shame, where people are not bothered anyn ore by what others think!

Our whole economy seems to rest on contention (or as some refer to as jealousy). We are told that we should be unhappy with what we have because wanting and greed are good for the economy. This has been translated into a modern virtue where competition is good, and the desire for place, power and prestige are praised and where people are taught to hate being surpassed and that second place is no good. This envy is what drives things on.

Living in the light is living differently, is being dignified, living for others and not ourselves alone, reaching out in love and forgiveness, and being content with what we have. It is living in the light, it is being like Jesus, clothed with him, living his life where we are. This is what brings light and this is what brings hope to ourselves and to the world we live in. This is what Paul believed is ‘... putting on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.’ Jesus put it this way:

⁴⁴Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.

Amen.

Christ the King

The Feast of Christ the King

Colossians 1:11-20 (NRSV)

¹¹May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully ¹²giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled^* you^* to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. ¹³He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, ¹⁴in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.^*

The Supremacy of Christ

 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; ¹⁶for in^* him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷He himself is before all things, and in^* him all things hold together. ¹⁸He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. ¹⁹For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, ²⁰and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

My text this morning is written in Colossians 1:15: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation ...”

How are people to live in such a way that they get the most out of life? In his letter to the Colossians, Paul suggests that we need to be made strong because life sometimes requires us to endure difficult things and we need to be able to see them through to the end, especially if we are going to face injustices and wrongs. This is not all: Paul adds that we need to add joy to the process. Hunter comments: “The temper called for is no gray and close-lipped Stoicism which can only grin and bear it, but true Christian serenity which, born in suffering, meets the world with cheerfulness and abounds in thanksgiving.”

We see then that Paul adds to strength and joy the need to always be thankful – a central theme of all his writings. This thankfulness ought to be part of our lives because of God’s inestimable love shown to us in our redemption. Paul explains from verse 13:

“¹³He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, ¹⁴in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.^*”

This is not something we have earned and it is not something we deserve, God has qualified us for this by His grace.

To live in such a way that we see meaning and purpose in our lives and how we can live with a sense of fulfilment therefore implies that our lives need to be in a state of constant transformation; a process that is dynamic and continuous. We need to do those things that enable us to gain strength. We need spiritual nourishment that comes from a regular study of Scripture, regular participation in the Sacrament of Holy Communion, and daily to be found at the source of strength, in a time of quite reflection and prayer. In order to be made strong we need to be in the presence of God who can make us strong; in order to be able to endure and even find joy in all times of our lives, especially the difficult times, we need to be found in the presence of God, because we need to be rescued from the power of darkness and, to use Paul’s lovely image, we need to be transferred into the kingdom of light. Since the 1960s people have been told that you can be a Christian and never attend church. I would challenge this for unless we are found with God’s people, being nourished by the Word and Sacraments, we are in danger of dying spiritually, or only just surviving because we are trying to live on starvation rations.

Our salvation is not merely a future hope; it is a present blessing – we have been rescued from the power of darkness. I pause here because this is something that seems foreign to many modern people in the UK and Europe. For Paul, this kingdom of darkness was a realm full of sinister, superhuman forces menacing people’s lives, and Paul identified them with the Devil and his minions. But, as A M Hunter points out, we hardly use this sort of language anymore and we talk rather of people being in the grip of economic forces, things that can more easily be explained. But this does not make what Paul is saying an outmoded myth. Hunter continues: “We have begun again to talk of the ‘demonic’ in our world, as well they might who have seen with their own eyes the depths of devilry to which great nations can descend and the savage bestiality of men to their fellow men.” Is this not sadly most vivid at this time when we have remembered the horrors of war in our Remembrance Services? Is it not also true that the word ‘evil’ is being used more in law courts (and elsewhere) to describe some of the terrible things people are doing to others?

But Paul has stressed that we are no longer at the mercy of this kingdom of darkness because we have been transferred to the ‘kingdom of his beloved Son.’ This means that our sins have been forgiven; the chains that once bound us have been broken and we have been set free from our guilt. This is especially foreign in the minds of most in our society because, while they might have a renewed understanding of the notions of ‘evil’ and the ‘realms of darkness’ there is little awareness of personal sin.

A reason for this is that modern people tend to see sin as being only about “doing”. While it is true that there are actions that cause hurt and suffering to others and from which we need to repent, but it is more; sin is about “being”; it is because of whom we are that we fail in our love for God and others. It is the selfishness that makes people think that we live in a vacuum, and that we do not need to care about the plight of others, that plunges one into darkness. I believe we in the west need to repent of our arrogance in thinking that we are so superior to others in the world; I think our bankers and their obscene bonuses are just an extreme example of the sickness that prevails.

Some people think life is all about getting, when it is meant to be all about giving. How many children are encouraged to be acquisitive because of the way we have allowed Christmas to lose its real focus of sacrifice and care and become something that plunges poor families into even greater debt because they do not want their children to feel left out? Even our economy is based on debt and spending and selfishness because at the core of capitalism is the notion that if you are looking after yourself first and foremost, you will indirectly be looking after others. I believe that too many still think that our current economic plight is the fault of others – like the bankers – “doing” and not the system itself – “being”.

The kingdom of darkness seems attractive because it does not appear to be darkness at all. It is like Plato’s allegory of the cave: because this is all people know, they seem quite contented with it and when one wants to show them the light, they rebel and reject it. But we have a duty of love to reveal the nature of the darkness and to show the world the kingdom of God’s son, not by dumbing things down, and trying to give people what they think they want, but by honestly speaking in a language that people understand and which reveals the world without Christ as it really is.

The joy of it all comes from knowing that the status quo is not what it has to be. It is also not that we are left to guess or experiment to try to find the secret, or achieve enlightenment or nirvana. The truth of God, humanity and human existence has been revealed to the world in Jesus Christ and is explained in our reading. God has been made known to the world in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Verses 15-20 must rank as some of the most profound truths ever expressed and I never tire of reading them here and as they are expressed elsewhere, most notably Hebrews 1:3 which reads:

^“He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains^* all things by his powerful word.”

The NEB does really capture the essence of this truth in the most wonderful way, translating this verse as:

“… the Son who is the effulgence of God’s splendour and the stamp of God’s very being, and sustains the universe by his word of power …”

“Effulgence” refers to “shining brightly” and therefore more than a mere reflection, but more a highlighting of the nature of God. Jesus, the Son, is the perfect representation of God, the perfect revelation of who God really is – he is the visible likeness of the invisible God as the TEV translates it.

I spend a great deal of my time thinking about the nature and existence of God. As a teacher of philosophy, we explore the various arguments and ponder the imponderable. We define God and struggle to get our heads around “… that, than which nothing can be conceived or thought or even imagined …”

But God is not understood because this is impossible; it is impossible for our finite minds ever to understand the infinity of God – the truth of God is revealed. The infinite God, who is beyond our comprehension, became one of us and made Himself known to us – revealed Himself to the world - in the person of Jesus of Nazareth – the Messiah of God. This does not mean that that we do not have to grapple with this because we do; we do not turn our minds off as we enter Church and suspend our intellect – we leave it all on in fact we amplify all our senses. We know that we are not mere bodies and minds; we are souls and spirits as well, and in order to know truth we need to approach it with all that we are, and not mere compartments. The world seems to have lost sight that we are much more than mere rational minds alone.

As Barclay reminds us, salvation is not found through intellectual knowledge; it is rather redemption and the forgiveness of sins. We know through reason but we also know through faith; the one is not better than the other, they are just different, and both are vital. I believe that there are certain things that we will never understand using reason, no matter how human knowledge develops, simply because being human, our knowledge is going to be finite and flawed and imperfect; and ultimate truth is infinite and beyond our reach. Paul, in this passage acknowledges the mystery of God. Simply expressed: “To see what God is like, you must look at Jesus …”

This is most explicitly explained in claiming that it was Jesus who created the world and it is for Him that it is created and that He was before all things and in Him all things hold together.

Everything else is contingent –  which means it does not have to exist – but the only thing that has necessary existence is that which brought all contingent things into being – Jesus! Jesus ‘… holds all things together …’ because what we know as the laws of science which make sense of the universe are in fact an expression of the thought of God and are therefore divine laws.

I believe the essence of what it means to live is, to quote C S Lewis, ‘… to love and be loved …’ God is love – and this is always going to be non-cognitive and beyond rational explanation. What can be known has therefore been given a practical demonstration in the life teaching and ministry of Jesus. To make life full and meaningful, we need to be reconciled to God and to others. Paul puts everything into a nutshell in the last two verses of this passage where we read:

“¹⁹For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, ²⁰and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.”

Many modern people really struggle with the last phrase: “… making peace through the blood of the cross …” To the modern reader the whole idea of Jesus’ death being a sacrifice seems bizarre. Why should that be necessary? Here again, Barclay provides some useful insight. He writes:

“In the death of Jesus, God is saying to us, ‘I love you like that. I love you enough to see my Son suffer and die for you. I love you enough to bear the Cross on my heart, if only it will win you to myself.’ … the Cross is the final proof of the love of God … If the Cross will not waken love and wonder in men’s hearts, nothing will.”

Now, as always, perhaps more than for many years, the world needs to hear the truth of salvation in Jesus, but not in language that they cannot identify with or understand, language that confronts head on the reality of modern existence and with it the challenge that it can be different, it can be better, it can be transformed, we can move from darkness into the light, because God has revealed the way in Jesus Christ our Lord for he is “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation ...”

Amen.

Luke 21:5-19 NRSV

The Destruction of the Temple Foretold

5 When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, ⁶‘As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.’ Signs and Persecutions 7 They asked him, ‘Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?’ ⁸And he said, ‘Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, “I am he!”^* and, “The time is near!”^* Do not go after them. 9 ‘When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.’ ¹⁰Then he said to them, ‘Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; ¹¹there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven. 12 ‘But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. ¹³This will give you an opportunity to testify. ¹⁴So make up your minds not to prepare your defence in advance; ¹⁵for I will give you words^* and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. ¹⁶You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. ¹⁷You will be hated by all because of my name. ¹⁸But not a hair of your head will perish. ¹⁹By your endurance you will gain your souls.

Once again the commentators begin this section as Barclay does, with words like ‘... from verse 5 onwards this becomes a very difficult chapter ...’ Barclay suggests that beneath it lie four different conceptions:

Firstly, there is the conception of the ‘day of the Lord’: The Jews regarded time as being in two ages: the present age, which was altogether evil, incapable of being cured and fit only for destruction; the age to come which was a golden age of God and Jewish supremacy. In between there would be a ‘day of the Lord’, which would be a terrible time of cosmic upheaval and destruction because this would be the birth pangs of the coming of the new age. The Old Testament prophets are full of passages referring to this. They speak of the day of the Lord coming suddenly and that the world would be shattered and the entire cosmos would be in uproar. This idea formed one of the basic conceptions of religious thought in the time of Jesus and so everyone would have had some idea of what was meant here. (Verses 9 and 11)

Secondly, there is the conception of the prophesied fall of Jerusalem: We know that Jerusalem fell to the Romans in AD 70 after the most dreadful battle and a time of horrific hardship and over a million Jews perished and 97,000 were taken away into captivity. The Jewish nation was in effect obliterated; the Temple was destroyed and became a desolation. (Verses 5-6)

Thirdly, there is the conception of the second coming of Christ: Jesus was sure that he was to come again and the early Church waited eagerly for that coming but before this, there would be many false claimants to be the returned Christ and there would be great upheavals. (Verses 7-9)

Lastly, there is the conception of the persecution to come: Jesus foresaw and foretold the terrible things that his people would need to endure for his sake. (Verses 12-19)

It appears that it was the splendour of the Temple that moved Jesus to say something. The pillars of the porches and the cloisters were columns of white marble, forty feet high, each made of one block of stone. There was a great vine made of solid gold and each of the clusters was as tall as a man. [We get all this detail from Josephus.] There were plates of gold of great weight and when the sun rose, reflected a fiery splendour making people turn their eyes away. It appeared to strangers (from a distance) like a mountain covered with snow because those parts that were not covered with gilt, appeared white. To the Jews of the day, it was unthinkable that this wonderful building would ever be raised to the ground!

But Jesus was astute enough to be able to see ahead and could prophesy of the disaster to come. He was also completely honest and made it clear to his disciples that being one of his disciples would not mean an easy life. Barclay tells of a man in the middle of a great struggle who wrote to a friend: “Heads are rolling in the sand; come and add yours.” Barclay comments: “Jesus believed in men enough to offer them, not an easy way, but a way of heroes.”

But he does not leave us with this troubling news, adding that we would never need to face the troubled times alone. It is the testimony of history that great Christians have experienced, even in the midst of torture and when they were awaiting death, they knew the depth of the presence of Christ with them. Even in my insignificant way, when I was struggling with the pancreatic tumour so many years ago, I too knew the presence of our Lord in the most intimate and beautiful way. Barclay writes: “A prison can be like a palace, a scaffold like a throne, the storms of life like summer weather when Christ is with us ...” and concludes: “The person who walk with Christ may lose his life but they can never lose their soul.”

I turn now to Tom Wright for inspiration ...

                 

All the evangelists deal with Jesus prophesying about the end times, but Luke’s account addresses the question most specifically. What was shocking to the disciples was the thought that their magnificent Temple would be torn down. Tom Wright writes: “... the most beautiful building one could imagine, adorned and decorated by the skill and love of hundreds of years, and occupying the central place in the national life, religion and imagination – would be torn down ...’ seemed unthinkable. Jesus seemed to be suggesting that the Temple was wrong, and this was impossible for the average devout Jew to ever contemplate this idea just as it would be for an American thinking about the devastation of the White House or the Washington Memorial. But the Temple was even more important to the Jews because it represented a thousand years of God’s dealings with his people.

It is interesting to me that Tom Wright gives examples from America. It has made me wonder what British buildings might occupy a similar place in our hearts: Buckingham Palace, St Paul’s Cathedral, York Minster (where I was ordained)?

Their confusion would have been added to by the thought that Jesus would no longer be with them in person and yet they would be identified with him and suffer as a result. There would also be all sorts of disasters and much suffering. Even their own people would not be friendly, because they will see Jesus as having corrupted their religion and led Israel astray; families would be split and Christians would be blamed for all sorts of catastrophes; they would become the one’s everyone loved to hate!

So much for the bad news!

Jesus also promised that he would provide them with everything they needed to be able to deal with all this – wisdom – and the security that whatever happens to us, our souls will always be safe and secure.

We need beauty in our lives, but do we often mistake it for things that are majestic and splendid in their size and expense. I would like to suggest that the example of our Lord would suggest that it comes in much simpler ways. One of the most beautiful places for me is Mount St Bernard Abbey just up the road from where we live. It is the Church of a community of Cistercians and epitomises their simplicity of life and worship. It is stark in appearance, but filled with an aura that can only come with years of prayer and silence.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-end NRSV

The Man of Lawlessness

¹As 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. ³Let 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. ⁵Do you not remember that I told you these things when I was still with you?

Chosen for Salvation

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. ¹⁴For this purpose he called you through our proclamation of the good news,^* so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁵So 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, ¹⁷comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word.

Barclay describes this as one of the most difficult passages in all the New Testament, mostly because the imagery used here is so foreign to the modern reader. For those who heard (or read) it for the first time, they would have required no explanation, but to us, who do not have their local knowledge, it is obscure!

Paul is telling the Thessalonians that they must give up their hysterical waiting for the Second Coming. He denied that he had ever said that the ‘Day of the Lord’ had already come, because before this could happen much still needed to be fulfilled. The events were as follows: there would come an age of great rebellion against God; into this world there already was a secret evil power which would be behind this rebellion. There was something that was the incarnation of evil as Jesus had been the incarnation of God. In time, the power that was restraining this evil power would be removed and then the devil incarnate would come. When this happened, he would gather his followers around him just as Jesus had done. Those who had refused to accept Christ would accept him. What would follow would be a great battle in which the Christ would destroy the devil and his followers and then Christ’s people would be gathered and all evil would be destroyed.

This is where the context becomes important: All the eastern faiths shared a belief in the power of evil and in a battle between the powers of evil and good. So, Paul was using imagery that was commonly accepted at the time. Jews had the idea of a humanised devil as the antithesis of God and Christians took this over in the form of the Antichrist. They all believed in a final battle where all evil would be destroyed.

What is the containing force keeping the forces of evil at bay? Today we cannot answer this with any certainty. Most probably Paul was using code and was speaking of the Roman empire. Time and again he had personally been saved from mob violence by appealing to Roman justice. As Barclay explains, “Rome was the restraining power which kept the world from insane anarchy.” The day that this Roman power was removed, there would be chaos! But we cannot be sure that this is the case.

Barclay then draws all things together to discern the following truths that can be gleaned from this passage:

Firstly, that there is a force of evil in the world: We might find this difficult to verify empirically, but most people acknowledge that there is an evil power at work in the world.

Secondly, God is in control: In some strange way, good always triumphs over evil. We as a family watched the film Ghandi together over half-term and he too made this point that throughout history, the ways of love and goodness always prevail in the end.

Thirdly, the ultimate triumph of God is sure: In the end, nothing can stand against God.

Barclay concludes: “On what side are you? In the struggle which is at the heart of the universe are you for God – or Satan?”

This is a real question and not always an easy one to answer. In Jesus’ day the Pharisees would have claimed to be on God’s side and Jesus challenged them. The parable of the Pharisee and the sinner is telling, as it really searches out where we stand.

As the old hymn puts it: “Who is on the Lord’s side? ...” is in fact this is a deeply searching question.

Barclay reminds us that these verses are a synopsis of the Christian life.

Firstly, the Christian life begins with God’s call; being chosen by God. We could never have come to God by ourselves, unless God had begun the process. It is all God’s initiative, and at the source is His love for us ... for it was while we were still sinners that Jesus died for us.

Secondly, while it might have started with God, it develops as we respond (echoes of my earlier comment on justification and sanctification). Christians are not called to dream, but to do! And this often means a fight to ‘stand firm’ and ‘hold fast’.

Thirdly, our efforts are helped by two things: (a) by the teaching, the guidance and example of godly people as God speaks to us through those to whom he has spoken. “A saint is someone who makes it easier for others to believe in God.” There are many who help us not by what they say or write, but simply by being what they are, people, whom to meet is to meet God! (b) We are helped by God Himself. We are never left to struggle alone. ‘... he who gives us the task also gives us the strength to do it. He actually does it with us. ... They that are for us are always more than they that be against us ...’

Lastly, our efforts are designed to produce two things: (a) consecration – being set apart for God – so that we might be used for God’s service. Our lives are no longer ours to do with as we please, they are God’s to do with as He pleases; (b) Salvation in heaven – Our lives do not end with time; their goal is eternity. ‘Its end is the purity which will see God.’ I am reminded yet again of that excellent TV show “The Big Silence” where, under the guidance of Christopher Jameson, the Abbot at Worth Abbey, people came to Christ through silence. He reminded us that it is in the silence that we can confront ourselves, deal with that which needs to be dealt with and so be purified and then to remember the words of Jesus: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

Reese points us to the two essential conditions Paul adds for salvation.

Firstly, in verse 13(b) he speaks of ‘... the first fruits of salvation through sanctification by the Spirit ...’ Paul has already dealt with this issue in his first letter to the Thessalonians and so is brief but emphasises once more the need for believers to respond to their responsibility to allow the Holy Spirit to operate in and through them for their transformation into children of God.

Secondly, he speaks of the importance of ‘... belief in the truth ...’ Reese reminds us that the Greek speaks more about ‘... faith in the truth ...’ and a few verses earlier, Paul has spoken of ‘... love of the truth ...’ which is necessary for salvation (verse 10 which the lectionary compilers had left out of our reading).

To be ‘saved’ means to share in glory of the Lord Jesus and being aware of this ought to make us grateful and act as a strong motivating force to persevere in our calling despite the obstacles and difficulties that so often cross our path.

And so Paul calls us to stand firm in the Gospel we have heard preached as well as read in his letters and ‘... traditions ...’ I want to pause for a moment and reflect on ‘... traditions ...’ This is not the only place where Paul refers to traditions (cf 1 Cor 11:2, Galatians 1:14, Colossians 2:8, 2 Thess 3:6). From all this it would appear that he is referring to liturgical as well as doctrinal guidance in addition to moral activity. But one must note the warning of Jesus against holding fast to mere human traditions (Mk 7:3,8). We always need to ask: “Are our traditions those of the Lord and the Early Church or have they become mere human institutions?”

Back in the 1960s people like J A T Robinson, Paul Tillich and others warned us against this (often echoing the profound earlier understanding of Bonhoeffer’s call for a ‘religionless Christianity’) but we have not taken heed. We have also not altered our worship styles (or times and this matters because there are so many other family distractions at between 10-11 am) and so some people come to Christ, but do not come to the Church. The sad thing is that there are many, many people out there who are stunted in their sanctification because they are not aware of the fact that who they have placed their faith in, is the risen Christ. Even more sadly, there are those who meet the risen Christ – are not nurtured – and so fade away. Silence, reflection and deep study need also to become part of what we do. In our schools, for too many young people, Confirmation signals the end of a process rather than the beginning (or continuing) of a journey.

A difficult passage, but a challenging one and I am grateful to Barclay and Reece for guiding me through it.