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“But we appeal to you, brothers and sisters, to respect those who labor among you, and have charge of you in the Lord and admonish you; esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, beloved, to admonish the idlers, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them. See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil…I solemnly command you by the Lord that this letter be read to all of them.” 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22,27
These closing ethical exhortations read like Paul was running out of paper. He certainly packs a whole lot into a very few words. And they are very revealing words.
Each of these phrases teaches us something about the character of the Thessalonian Christian community as well as our own. Some things have changed, others have stayed the same.
A word to respect those who “labor among you” is a reminder that the relationship between pastor and people, between leader and led, can often be a tenuous one. Respect goes both ways. That Paul lifts this up is an indication that working out this type of relationship has always been something of an issue.
The note to be at peace suggests that peace isn’t necessarily the normal state of affairs. The reminder to admonish and encourage those who aren’t keeping up their end of things – but to do so in a spirit of patience – tells us that the 20/80 principle is probably not a modern invention.
The phrases “rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances” can, in my opinion, be misunderstood. If we hear them as “law”, as a series of “thou shalts”, then they will be anything but encouraging. They will be seriously discouraging and they invite us to practice pretending in our lives. But if we hear them as good news, as an invitation to view life through the lens of God’s love, we hear them differently. There is always something to rejoice about – it is always a good time to pray – we can always be thankful about something. And this is true.
Paul also encourages his readers to be open-minded to newness (do not quench the Spirit) but also not to be gullible (test everything.) This is good advice in every age and not always heeded.
And finally, in verse 27, Paul commands that what he has written be publicly read. That little line, at least for me, is very significant in how I listen to Paul’s letters. It is widely agreed that this is the first of Paul’s letters, his earliest preserved writing and the thus the first and earliest book of the New Testament. This tells us that, from the very beginning, Paul was teaching on purpose. It wasn’t like his letters were preserved out of sentimentality or affection. From the very beginning, Paul intended them to be used as teaching materials to shape the life and theology of the Christian community. That is how they functioned from the beginning – in our reading of them, that is how they function still.
We too are on Paul’s team.
Let us pray: Dear Lord, we stand on the shoulders of giants, tracing the footprints of those who have gone before us. We pray that we might continue to faithfully carry on our lives in Christian community, as Paul and so many others did before us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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