Gentle Words for a Good Church

The Apostle Paul is the author who wrote more of the content of the New Testament of our Bible than any other single person. Sometimes his words flow, gentle and loving … while other times, his words are angry and critical.

This morning, we read from Paul’s first letter to the church at Thessalonica, in what is today northern Greece. And I need to tell you, this is the gentlest of all the letters of Paul. Which is to me, a rather amazing thing, given the circumstances of starting that church.

When Paul and his companions – Timothy and Silvanus, arrived in Thessalonica, it was with the intention of planting a church within a synagogue - Paul wanted to start the Christian movement within the congregation of the synagogue at Thessalonica.

It didn’t work out. There was too much opposition, not only in the synagogue, but in the whole city. Some troublemakers were gathered together, and during a worship service of the Christians there, they attacked the place where Paul was living and meeting – a house owned by a man named Jason.

Jason was dragged out of the building. Several other members as well. They were taken before the magistrates of the city and they had to make bail. They were afraid for Paul’s life and hurried him out of town – south, on the road to Berea, where he stopped briefly before going on to Athens.

So what we have in I Thessalonians is the letter Paul wrote back to that little church in Thessalonica.

He said … let me paraphrase, “I couldn’t stand it. I got so worried about you. I wanted to come time and time again, but I couldn’t come. So finally when my heart was about to break – I felt like an orphan, when I was separated from you – I sent Timothy. Timothy just got back and he has a wonderful report about your faith, about your love for each other, about your steadfastness and your generosity. And I am absolutely thrilled at the good news.”

Paul says, “You remember when I was there, I was with you like a father with children. When I was there with you, I was like a nurse with babies. When I was there with you,” he said, in an unusual expression Paul used nowhere else, “I spoke gentle words.”

“I didn’t want to be a problem for you. I didn’t want to be a burden to you. I didn’t ask for any salary. I didn’t ask you to take an offering to support me. I decided to go back to my old trade – making tents – by which I supported my two companions and myself. I didn’t want to be a problem. And so, we worked to take care of having a shelter over our head – we were happy to do it. Have a little food on the table. That’s all we need – that’s all anybody needs. And I did it gladly.”

You know, when I read those words again this week, I thought, “It’s true. There is absolutely no connection between happiness and money.” Paul said, “All we needed was a place to live and something to eat; and we were happy to work for that.”

Have you ever noticed that - there’s no connection – no connection between money and happiness? Some of you have learned the hard way. Sometimes we’re tempted to believe the illusion – if we had more, we’d be happier ... but it’s not true. Oh, I suppose if I was hungry or didn’t have a roof over my head or clothes to wear, it would be true. But I don’t think that’s the situation for most of us.

Let me tell you a story …

Do you know the name of St. Augustine – the great scholar and theologian of the 4th century church?

Before he became a Christian, he was a proud, arrogant, good looking, well dressed, cultured man. His job was to tutor the children of very wealthy people. He loved women. He loved drinking. He loved parties. And he was doing great.

He went to church once in a while and listened to a preacher named Ambrose. But he didn’t like to go every Sunday because Ambrose was a very good preacher. He didn’t stay away so many Sundays because the preaching was no good. It is sometimes the case - people don’t stay away because the preacher’s no good – they stay away because the preacher’s too good.

Augustine says, if he went to church too many Sundays in a row it would begin to get to him.

So he’d make up excuses, “Sorry I couldn’t be there last Sunday ...”

But Ambrose knew ...

Augustine was going down the street one day, and he saw a beggar hardly having a shirt to wear, and this beggar was singing and whistling and happy. And Augustine couldn’t get this off his mind.

“Why is he so happy? I have everything and he has nothing!”

It worried him!

Recently we were vacationing in Mexico, and one day, I was down in the lobby talking with the hotel staff. I was having a great time and told them how much I was enjoying my vacation and their hotel, when another hotel guest came along.

He said to the most senior staff person there, “I need to talk to you!” And then he started to lay into her about all the problems he was having, “The food’s no good! The staff’s unfriendly! My bed’s too hard!” On and on he went …

I slipped away from this conversation, but then on the way back to my room as I was walking down the hall, there were three cleaning women out in the corridor having a wonderful time.

They were just laughing and having fun, and I said, “What are you laughing about?

And they said in broken English, “This is not for you. This is not for you!”

They were having so much fun ...

Do you know what they get? Minimum wage!

I looked at their faces, alight with laughter and smiles, and I thought of the face of that angry man down in the lobby – unhappy and complaining while on vacation. And I thought to myself – there really is no connection between money and happiness … no connection!

And then on another day, I experienced something else in that hotel. I was down in the restaurant, and from back in the kitchen I suddenly heard singing – beautiful singing - this marvellous male voice – deep and resonant and obviously well trained – he was singing beautifully.

And then there was silence, and I was about to finish my breakfast, and then that same voice began singing a hymn – “Come thou fount of every blessing.” It was beautiful …

I said to my server, “Is that singing coming from the kitchen?”

And she said, “That’s Alberto in the kitchen ...”

I said, “Can I speak to Alberto?”

She said, “Well ... yeah ... ALBERTO! There’s a man out here who wants to talk to you.”

And out he came. A big robust smiling man and he said, “Yes sir?”

I introduced myself and he introduced himself.

I said, “I want to thank you for the singing. It’s marvelous!”

He said, “You know what I’m doing, don’t you?”

I said, “No, what are you doing?”

He said, “I’m auditioning.”

I said, “You’re auditioning?”

He said, “Yes, there are so many people who go through here all the time, there’s bound to be one who’s going to come along, and he’s going to take me out of this kitchen!”

Then he went back into the kitchen ... humming ...

And I just thought, “Not 5% of the population of Canada is as happy as that guy in the kitchen!”

So the Apostle Paul said in his letter to the church in Thessalonica, “We didn’t mind working. All we needed was a place to sleep, something to eat ... what else?”

Paul said, “I was gentle with you, like a nurse with a baby. I was gentle with you like a father with children.” Why?

Paul is capable of severity. This Apostle Paul can go up one side of a person and down the other without blinking an eye. He can do it!

Now, when Paul wrote to the Corinthians – a different church – the church in Corinth, he referred to his severe letter. And it was severe!

He said to them, “When I come to visit next time should I come in love, or shall I come with a stick!”

The Apostle Paul could be severe.

He wrote to the churches in Galatia and he said, “I don’t understand you people, drifting off from what we had when I was there. What is the matter? Has someone put a spell on you? You must be bewitched. If anybody comes preaching anything besides the gospel I preached, may they be cursed by God!”

He was capable of doing that ...

But why now with Thessalonians ... such gentleness ...

“I spoke,” he said, “when I was there with gentle words.”

Here’s his chance to really get at them!

Because you see, he’s writing a letter, and you can do things in a letter that you won’t say face to face.

I’ve had people after church just shake my hand and smile, and then Tuesday I get an e-mail from them in which they “tear a strip off me!”

Why didn’t they say something?

There are a lot of people who can hurt you from a distance of a letter or an e-mail, but wouldn’t dare confront you face to face.

There are people who resign, complain, and attack by letter. They do it from a distance ... sure!

Paul doesn’t do that ... Why? Why this group?

Are they really fragile – so fragile he has to go tip-toeing around because somebody’s feelings may be hurt, and this one or that one may quit?

Is that what it is?

No, there's no indication of that.

Maybe he wants something. He’s being ever so gentle because he wants something from them.

Some people do that you know – try to butter you up so they can get something out of you.

Some of us grow suspicious of gentleness.

What does Paul want ...

But … he didn’t want anything.

Then why?

Good grief! This is a church. Every church has problems. Speak to the problems!

Some people wear their feelings on their sleeve. Some people have a chip on their shoulder. Some people are not getting as much attention as other people are getting, and the preacher is playing favourites. And just a few people have to do all the work.

On and on and on!

Why doesn’t the Apostle Paul address the problems? We know about church ... It’s okay ... tell us about it ...

Not a word!

Why is he so gentle?

Let me say two things:

Number one ... I don’t know ...

Number two ... I think I know ...

This is the first letter Paul wrote – I Thessalonians – the first recorded letter of Paul in the New Testament. And he’s writing it, absolutely overwhelmed by what the Gospel has done in that town. He is absolutely overwhelmed by the power of the message of the Gospel. He said, “You people have turned from serving idols to serving God”

They gave up on it! They turned their back on it. They treated their past as though it were ugly and false. They just turned away from it!

And Paul is absolutely amazed ...

The Gospel really works! It’s changed their life. Paul is absolutely astonished at the power of their faith to hold them steady and strong in the middle of just awful circumstances – great obstacles, great opposition. And yet, he says, “You have such hope and joy.

Can you believe it? That group of people – stomped on, arrested, and having to make bail so they could get out – charged with unlawful gathering ... and yet, they have great hope – something to look forward to, something to work for.

And hope has the brightest eyes of anybody in the world. If you don’t believe it, look at the eyes of someone who’s given up hope – flat, dull ...

I’ve seen children’s eyes reflected in the coloured lights of a Christmas tree. And it’s so beautiful to see the lights in the child’s eyes. Nothing like it ...

Paul has seen the eyes of the followers of Christ in Thessalonica - eyes of hope and profound joy - and Paul is moved. He can’t write a negative sentence. And their love – he speaks of their love for each other over and over again. Bonded as with hoops of steel – the capacity of those people, as different as they could be. Before the church started, they’d never met!

And now they’re tight. Closer than family.

On one of my trips some time ago – I was leading a seminar in a church – I arrived at the church where I was to lead this course – and when I pulled into the parking lot of the church a funeral was being finished. People were moving to their automobiles. The funeral coach was still there. The minister saw me – recognized me and motioned for me to come over. I didn’t want to intrude. I was just waiting until it was over, and he was standing next to the widow.

He introduced her and introduced me. I felt awkward.

I said to her, “this is no time for you to be meeting strangers. I’m sorry, and I’m really sorry about your loss.”

Her husband had been killed in a car accident and she had been left with two children.

I said, “I know this is a very difficult time for you.”

And she said, “It is. So I won’t be at the seminar tonight, but I’ll be at church on Sunday morning to hear your sermon.”

And I said, “Oh, you don’t need to ...”

And she said, “Yes I do!” ... yes I do ...

Well, I said, “What I meant was, I know it’s a very hard time.”

She said, “I know it’s hard. It’s already hard, but you see, this is my church, and they’re going to see that my children and I are okay.”

Now that’s a church ...

A congregation is a miracle in the world. Sometimes you’ll be behind them pushing, sometimes you’ll be out front – leading them. Sometimes you’ll be beside them – comforting and encouraging. Sometimes you won’t want to be there at all. Churches can hurt you! But if you stick around and keep your eyes and ears open, you’ll learn something.”

People in the church, inspired by the life and witness of Christ, will love without counting the cost. When you look in the mirror and can’t see any reason for somebody to love you, they will love. And they will give – they will give when you think they have nothing else to give. And they will stand by you, when even your own relatives go away. And when your faith goes through a desert, and you think you’re losing your own faith, they will believe for you until your faith gets back. The church community will do that for you - that’s why we’re here. I’ve been in the church all my life … I know that’s true … isn’t it? Well … that’s what I’ve discovered – I know it’s true.