1 Thessalonians 3:6-13
December 3, 2006
Sermon preached by Rev. Donald Ng at the First Chinese Baptist Church in San Francisco.
During the many years that our friend and saint Astrid Peterson lived on this earth and in the company of her friends at this church, she was usually the first to get her Christmas cards out. As a pioneer of recycling, she would use a pair of pinching scissors to cut last year’s Christmas cards to create her own. Dr. Chuck would have the task of making copies of her normally lengthy Christmas letter chronicling all of her past year’s travels and visits—much like what the apostle Paul did when he wrote to the early churches.
For Joy and me, the first Christmas letter usually comes from Rev. Ronny Lanier in Boston. Ronny is much like Astrid. She too was an American Baptist missionary initially sent to the Chinese community in Locke, California. For most of her life, she was a Christian educator in Massachusetts where she still lives today. Much like Astrid, Ronny’s Christmas letters were long and detail. But in reading them, you receive a blessing that God is present in the world.
I must say that the very first Christmas card and letter we received this year came from Eva and Arlen Ung! And as in all good Christmas letters, you can sense that God’s been present in the lives of this family.
Hallmark is the world’s leading greeting card manufacturer. Its mission statement is, “When you care enough to give the best.” It’s that time of the year again, for Christmas around the world to send their best.
Sending Christmas cards is by far the most popular way of conveying love during this season. Along with all the other card-giving special days during the year, it’s a seven billion dollars annual business. Sometimes we give cards that put into words what we cannot pen for ourselves.
There are many ways to express the message of Advent. We mail packages of goodies or give bags of Lanna Coffee or sponsor a needy child in another country or give food baskets to the hungry. We find ways to give witness to God’s love and grace by “giving the best” that we can.
Paul’s Greeting Card
In 1 Thessalonians 3, the passage we read sounds much like the apostle Paul writing his own greeting card message. His words are intended to reach his readers’ and listeners’ hearts and souls. On the front of the card, he writes, “the good news of your faith and love” (3:6). And when you open up the card, inside Paul writes,
How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you? Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith.
Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you. And may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. (3:9-13)
This greeting is more like a Christmas letter we tuck inside a card. Paul’s vision is seasoned with hope, the hope that he and his company of the faithful will eventually visit with the brothers and sisters in Thessalonica.
This is a living hope that’s rooted in the providence of God. The hallmark of Paul’s vision is a complete confidence in God’s time. When the Thessalonian Christians received Paul’s greeting card, they were encouraged in the midst of a growing despair about the delay of Jesus’ return. The Thessalonians were wondering what they were supposed to be doing while waiting for Jesus’ return. And as we begin to celebrate Christmas again, we too may be wondering what are we suppose to do before Christ’s return.
Abound in Love
The season of Advent and Christmas in our consumerist love affair has often led us down the path of a hollow-day instead of a hallow-day! As we over-eat, over-spend, over-party and get over-tired, we still end up feeling hollower inside than holy. For us to rediscover the true meaning of Christmas this year, we may need to set aside the cultural festivities of Christmas.
Paul tells us to “abound in love for one another and for all.” Psychiatrists usually see many patients with major depression disorders during the Christmas season. There’s not much “abounding” let alone “love!” People feel hollow and empty when they hear their favorite Christmas carol or smell the scent of pine trees or see the sight of decorations. They become sad and perhaps even angry when these reminders trigger a paralyzing grip of a person’s emotions, feelings or attitudes of sadness and loneliness. Shoppers in search for that perfect gift still end up disappointing the gift receiver.
When we create such a season of hollowness, we need to be “abound with love for one another and for all.” We need to be focusing on the ministry of “presence” rather than a ministry of “presents.”
Advent should be a hallowed time, not a hollowed time. These are the days to lead people to know the God who offers a child to be born among us. This gives us hope for a future as we give witness of God’s presence today in the present.
When we abound in love during this season of Advent, we run to church to sing the great hymns and carols proclaiming God is living in our world and invites all people to live with God. This is what Paul meant when he said, “We thank God for the joy we have in his presence because of you” (3:9). The key word in Paul’s greeting card is “presence.” God always lives in the present. God is love. God is here. God is with you.
When we abound in love for each other because God is present, we share that love with others. Just as the tragedy of Wendy Lin’s friend’s death struck us so unexpectedly two weeks ago, we realized how we can render assistance with our love through our prayers, visits, and contributions to this family with needs.
We pay special attention to those who are vulnerable. We send Christmas cards, make phone calls, pray—anything that will express to people that we’re aware that they lost a loved one during the holidays, or that they may be feeling lonely or that they’re separated by thousands of miles from a family they love, such as having a child in Iraq.
The church is God’s loving community that sends a Christmas card of “love and prayers” to people who are experiencing the hollow days of the season.
Hearts in Holiness
When people refuse to, or neglect to find God in the present, their days become hollow days, not hallow days. Even the church can fall prey to a cultural effect of hyper-commercialism that can give us a lot of warm fuzzies about Christmas but nothing more. The truth is that there are a lot of folks who experience the tinsel and lights of Christmas without ever being inspired to actually change anything about their lives. All one is left with after Christmas is emptiness.
Paul writing to the Thessalonians with a greeting and prayer that God may strengthen their “hearts in holiness.” In the Advent season, we take time for Bible study or in prayer or going on a personal spiritual retreat to examine our own lives and to seek hearts of holiness.
There’s a story of a son and his father walking in the mountains. Suddenly, his son falls, hurts himself and screams: “AAAhhhhhhhhhh!”
To his surprise, he hears the voice repeated, somewhere in the mountain: “AAAhhhhhhhhhh!”
Curious, he yells: “Who are you?”
He receives the answer: “Who are you?”
Angered at the response, he screams: “Coward!”
He receives the answer: “Coward!”
He looks to his father and asks: “What’s going on?”
The father smiles and says, “My son, pay attention.”
And then he screams to the mountain: “I admire you!”
The voice answers: “I admire you!”
Again the man screams: “You are a champion!”
The voice answers: “You are a champion!”
The boy is surprised, but does not understand. Then the father explains: “People call this ECHO, but really this is LIFE. It gives you back everything you say or do. If you want more love in the world, create more love in your heart. If you want more fairness in your team, strive for more fairness. This relationship applies to everything, in all aspects of life; life will give you back everything you have given to it.”
If you want to know the Holy God during this Christmas season, strengthen your heart in holiness. God will give you the true meaning of your life when you give your life to him.
Living Christmas Card
The very best greeting for Christians is one that reflects the very life of the God of Christians, the living Christ in the greeter’s life.
This may sound trite, silly or even novel, but the very best way Christians can reach out to all people this Christmas is to be real, living Christmas cards.
Wherever you go this season, you are the living Christmas cards God sends to all people. Jesus, the reason for the season, was God’s ultimate greeting to the world that started the thriving and living business of the church—bringing good news of God’s love and grace.
When you and I are living Christmas cards, we greet lonely people and remind them that they are not alone because they have you and me.
As living Christmas cards, we show people that they are loved by us and by God.
As living Christmas cards, we work to release people from oppression and injustice in an unjust and oppressive world.
As living Christmas cards, we bring strength and encouragement to the weak and discouraged.
As living Christmas cards, we care enough to send the very best this Advent and Christmas.
As living Christmas cards, we live lives that are abounding in love with hearts of holiness as we proclaim, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace, goodwill among all people” (Luke 2:14).
Let us pray.
Dear Lord, create us to be Living Christmas Cards that greet all people with your love and peace. Grant us the courage and the wisdom to serve you in this holy way in the midst of all the activities and festivities that we do this time of the year. Lord, may we participate in your kingdom work as we wait for the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Lord and Savior of the world. Amen.