Valois United Church

October 19, 2008 - 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

There were a whole lot of problems in the early church.

There were schisms and divisions based on ethnic background, civil status, economic status....
There were divisions according to theology - those who thought that you could or should not eat meat that had been offered to idols and then brought to the market for sale,
those who turned communion into a drunken feast and those who ate meagrely in the other corner
those who thought circumcision was important, and those who thought it irrelevant,
those who had certain spiritual gifts, and others who didn’t.

The church had problems.
And they needed help.

They needed help badly enough that they held on to Jesus’ words about how to deal with conflict, how to be honest when there was a problem.

The church had problems

The Church in Paul’s day had another problem as well - the Roman empire was harsh and difficult and moody.  It sometimes tolerated the Christians, and sometimes it oppressed them, imprisoned them, killed them.

The church in Paul’s day had probems.

There are a whole lot of problems in the church today.

There are debates, schisms and divisions based on ethic background, civil status and economic status...
There are divisions according to theology -
those who think that we should take every word of the Bible exactly literaly
and those who think that the Bible is a helpful guide, and everyone in between.
There are those who feel that homosexuality is sinful, and those who feel it is just another God-given expression of sexuality
There are those who think that coming to the front is the best way to celebrate communion, and others who feel that being served in the pew is the only way
There are those that celebrate the baptism of infants, and those who refuse to consider such a thing.
There are those who consider that men are the only ones who can be priests or ministers, and others who feel that the ministry can be shared amongst everyone.

The church has problems
And the church needs help

We need help badly enough that I frequently hear reference to Jesus’ words about how to deal with conflict, how to be honest when there is a problem, and whole sections of the United Church Manual deal with what to do in the case of conflicts.

The Church has problems
and we need help.

And in the Church in North America today there is discouragement, too, because memberships decline and attendance declines and finances decline in so many of the churches, here in Québec, yes, but all across Canada and in the U.S., and even in Western Europe.

The Church has problems.

In the face of the problems of his day, Paul wrote letters to the churches around the Roman empire.
Today Rémi read the beginning of one of those letters.

Remember, Paul is writing to a church with a whole lot of problems, amongst other churches with all those problems. 
Listen to some of his words again:

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
1:1 From Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God:
We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly  remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labour of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

1:4 For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.

1:8 For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it.

1:9 For the people of those regions report how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead--Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.

Yes, there were problems.  But Paul celebrated the faith that the people had.  He celebrated what was good in the community of faith.  In Bible study, we are looking at one of his other letters.  In a similar context, he starts the letter in a similar way, celebrating their faith.

People in our Bible study group commented that he was a good teacher - even though he had never taken teacher training - as he began with something positive. 

He had something good and encouraging to tell the people in each of the cities where the Christian faith was blooming.

Paul celebrated the faith of the people.

Well, in today’s world, we need to recognize where we are being faithful, where we are struggling to be faithful as individuals and as church.

We need to remember to celebrate the faith of the people, the faith of the Church.

There are far more people that attend church on Sunday morning than attend profession sports events.

The Church is not as present in some aspects of life, yet faith, words of faith, are often shared in blogs and e-mails.

The Church as a whole today is trying to be as open as possible in grappling, Spirit-led, with difficult issues that have been ignored in the past.

Individuals of the Church still lead lives of self-giving and lives of Christian loving of Biblical proportion.

Celebrate the faith of the people, the faith of the Church.

This congregation is also worthy of celebration.
Imagine Paul’s words addressed to you:

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
From Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of Valois in God:

We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly  remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labour of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that you became an example to all the believers in the West Island and Montreal.

For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in the West Island and Montreal, but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it.

For the people of those regions report how you turned to God from the way of the world, to serve a living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead--Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.

Celebrate the faith of the people, the faith of the Church

You are being faithful in your continued attendance and dedication in a time of transition.
You are being faithful with your welcome to new-comers, and your support of long-time members in difficult times.
In the face of discouraging social influences and discouraging demographics, you continue to commit to live faithfully in the community and in the world.
And you are being faithful as you try to seek God’s vision for the years to come, as you work on a Joint Needs Assessment, as you read it, as you prayerfully consider it and think about it, as you discuss it with respect and openness this Sunday and next.
Celebrate the faith of the people, the faith of the Church.