God’s grace, peace and mercy be with
you. … My focus is 1st Thessalonians 1:5-6: “Our gospel came to you … in
word … in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. … You became
imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction,
with the joy of the Holy Spirit.”
Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the
psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the
Lord.’”[i]
Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we
listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply
as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.
My sermon has three I’s, but nothing to
do with new age thinking. The first I is from Thessalonians – Imitate. The
second I from Matthew – Image. The third I from experience – Imagination.
First, imitate. I recently heard a
podcast challenge pastors to echo Paul when he exhorted Christians to “imitate
me.” The speaker’s point was simple. If pastors do not encourage their
congregants to imitate them, whom should they imitate? So, imitate me. How? I will
save that for my third I.
To imitate[ii] means to try to follow
the manner, style or character of someone. Many
writers imitated the language of Shakespeare. It means to mimic, duplicate
or counterfeit, or to resemble or simulate. Al
Franken’s achievements in politics imitated his earlier successes in comedy.
What does imitate mean in regards to 1st
Thessalonians? This is the oldest Christian document, written about 50 AD. If
we walked into a meeting of Paul’s converts in Thessalonica when this letter
was being read to them for the first time, would we recognize we were among
Christians who had the same faith that we have? Would we know that we were not
in a Jewish synagogue or a pagan meeting place but in a Christian church? It
would take two minutes to decide, for in the first verses there is mention of
God the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the work of faith, the
labor of love and endurance in hope. Basic catechism material.
1st Thessalonians is Christianity
101. Paul reminded his converts to recall what he taught them. Acts 17 offers
us a view of what else occurred in Thessalonica.
Paul walked into a city that enjoyed
peace. He taught in the synagogue that Jesus is the Christ. He converted Jews
and Greeks. Paul claimed that Jesus, not Caesar, was king, and drew the
attention of city leaders who did not want Caesar’s troops to visit them.
Thessalonica’s neophytes, those new to
the faith, needed to be encouraged because the people who persecuted Paul,
Silas, and their gracious host, Jason, were now persecuting them. Hence, the letter’s
aim reminded the audience much of what they already knew.
To enhance their knowledge and
understanding, Paul used a method we use today. We call it memory work. Others
call it epideictic oratory. Whatever term, the method helps people remember,
understand and learn.[iii]
Paul wanted the Thessalonians to embrace
the truth – that the gospel that came to them in word, power, the
Holy Spirit and with full conviction. He taught what the Scriptures
revealed about Jesus, and exhorted them to commit it to memory.
Because the city leaders incited thugs
to harass and attack Thessalonian Christians, Paul was gentle with his new members.
Yet, he reminded them to turn from idols, even if it meant turning away from
family, friends, festivals and fun – like organized sporting events – and even
if it meant losing business clients.
Let’s face it, God’s call to the
Thessalonians demanded they turn from their former ways of life to one ruled by
God. To be holy is to be different. … To be holy is to be different.
Paul stressed that Christians work, and
not be a burden to society. As a model, he set up his tent-making business in
the open market so he could work and teach simultaneously.
Finally, Paul stressed that persecuted
Christians establish their hope in the Lord Jesus, for Christian hope is a
personal living relationship with someone who will come to vindicate them.[iv] … A personal living
relationship with someone who will come to vindicate you … because to be holy
is to be different … and if you believe, as Paul did, that your call is from
God, people will persecute you, even if they are members of the Church.
From imitate to image, from
Thessalonians to Matthew. The definition of image is a reproduction of a form,
person or object. In the Gospel, we find Jesus fending off a ruse concocted by
the Pharisees and Herodians regarding payment of taxes. Jesus met their question,
prefaced by feigned admiration – “We know you are true and teach the way of God
truthfully. You do not care about opinions and are not swayed by appearances” –
with disdain – “Hypocrites, show me the coin.”
Regarding this passage, my New Testament
professor, Bonaventure Hayes, would cut to the chase. Caesar had more rights
and powers than any US President. He could mint coins imprinted with Mickey
Mouse or Fred Sanford. That’s executive power.
The conspirators totally missed the point.
First, no Jew carried anything bearing the image of a god, including Caesar,
for the Law prohibited them. We read in Exodus, “You shall not make for yourself
a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is
in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.”[v] The coin the Pharisees and
Herodians produced attributed divinity to Augustus or Tiberius; and when they
identified the image of coin as Caesar’s, Jesus said, “Give to the emperor the things
that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
What things are God’s? Let me direct
your attention to Genesis 1:27. “God created man in his own image, in the
image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
God’s image is imprinted on you … on me
… on every one of us. We owe taxes to our government, but lives to our God. I
am sure you have paid Uncle Sam what is rightfully due his. That is not my
concern. Have you paid God what is rightfully due Him? As pastor, that is my
concern. Hence, my 3rd point, imagine.
Imagine John Lennon did not co-opt the
word that means to form a mental picture, to think or have a notion about something
or to employ the imagination.[vi]
Now, form a mental picture and imagine
meeting yourself in 20 years. You have gray hair and crow’s feet. You lost a
step and gained a pound. That is not my concern. My concern is your
relationship with God, the depth of your spirituality, your personal living
relationship with Christ who will vindicate you for being persecuted for your
faith. In 20 years, will your faith life be any deeper than it is now?
So, let me return to my first I – Imitate
me. When I say, “Imitate me,” I am not asking you to don black and gold
or roast coffee beans. Our Father in heaven has no need of caffeine and
welcomes fans of all teams.
I want you to imitate my prayer life. I
want you to pray daily. I want you to read Scripture and think about the
passage. I want you to record your thoughts and feelings when you reflect on Scripture.
I want you to imagine meeting yourself in 20 years, and thanking yourself for
praying daily over two decades.
Will you be a different person in 20
years if you pray daily? Will prayer change you? Will you better reflect the image of God? My experience tells me,
yes, especially if you expect to encounter any hardship or heartache in life.
When
faced with adversity – religious harassment, ethnic persecution, war, death,
divorce, faithless family and friends, unemployment, poverty, sickness,
incurable disease and impending death – we have the opportunity to witness for Christ, our Master and Teacher. In order to do so,
experience tells me to prescribe a method of prayer that
works for me. I call it the
five P’s of Prayer: Passage, Place, Posture, Presence and Passage. I practice
this on a daily basis and suggest you imitate me.
Passage. Depending on the circumstances,
choose a Scripture passage. Slowly read it several times until a word or phrase
rises to the surface.
Place. Choose a place where you will not
be disturbed. It may be in your home or a quiet church.
Posture. Find a sturdy comfortable chair
that will allow you to sit upright. Posture is important. Do not slouch or lie
down.
Presence. Set a timer for 10 minutes. Start
there and gradually increase your prayer time to 25 minutes. Close your eyes so
you are not distracted. Be present to God as He is present to you. Thoughts,
feelings, physical discomforts and audible distractions will occur. Stand firm
in the stream and let these distractions flow by as flotsam and jetsam go
downstream.
Passage. When you get distracted, return to
the passage and refocus. When your minutes have passed, close your meditation
by reciting aloud The Lord’s Prayer.
Because
God has stamped His divine image on you, try this for 25 minutes a day for the
next 20 years. I guarantee you a deeper, richer, fuller, more intimate
relationship with our Triune God. If it does not work, return it for your old
relationship.
If
you are satisfied with your present relationship with God and are living a
respectable Christian life, consider these words of the recently deceased Chuck
Noll, the only NFL coach to win four Super Bowls. Asked at his first news
conference if his goal was to make the Steelers respectable, Noll said, “Respectability? Who wants to be respectable?
That's spoken like a true loser.”[vii]
Friends,
do not settle for being a respectable Christian. Be a champion for Christ. Imagine
yourself as the greatness witness for Christ since the Apostle Paul. Imagine
yourself stamped with the image and likeness of Christ. Imagine yourself saying
to your friends, “Imitate me … as I imitate Christ.” Witness like a true
champion not for Satan, sin or self, but for our Teacher and Master, Jesus
Christ.
Develop that deeper relationship with our Triune
God, and when you do, may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding,
will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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