2023 10 22 Proper 24 Pentecost 21
Are we a distinct people? What is it that makes us distinct?
The people in the church of
Thessalonica were distinct. Saint Paul
sings their praises and reports that in every place, beyond Macedonia and
Achaia their faith in God had become known, such that they have no need to
speak about it.
Can you imagine if our church here
had that reputation? In our circumstance
it might be that the Anglican Church in Mackay has such faith that it is the
hot topic in Townsville and Cairns and everywhere! Up in Ayr they’d be saying, “Have you heard
about the faith of the Anglican church in Mackay? It is clear that they are favoured by God and
that God has chosen them. Their faith is
amazing and they spread the word of God to other towns!”
The Thessalonians were consistent in
living out, the spiritual virtues granted to them in Christ. A recent meme on facebook said: “Hypocrisy –
Church people going about with a mouth full of scripture and a heart full of
hate.” - the point is that, as
Christians we ought to be Christ-like. The
fact that there is a meme like this out there, says to me that many churches
are not as exemplary as the Thessalonian Church. The Thessalonians didn’t just give
intellectual assent to the moral virtues of Christ and a nod of thanks for His
saving sacrifice. They actually embodied
all that a Christian, clothed in Christ, ought to be.
Last week’s readings talked about the
wedding feast of the King. The parable
showed us that all peoples are invited to Gods Kingdom. Great news! However, the last line was about someone not
in wedding attire who was thrown out.
Our wedding attire is to be clothed in Christ. Our baptism is where we “put on Christ” – we
become so emersed in Him that, like fabric in dye, we become permanently
changed. The Thessalonians were living this reality.
Saint Paul also says of the
Thessalonians, that he knows that God had chosen them. And he says that the word came to them full of
the power of the Holy Spirit and with conviction. I don’t know exactly what happened at that
place, but I think it would have been a mighty exciting place to have
been. That experience of the power and
reality of God, permanently shaped the identity of the Thessalonian
Church.
One could erroneously think that the
Thessalonian church enjoyed honour and privilege in their community, but
Thessalonia was a place where Saint Paul faced hostilities and was sent on to
Berea. The Thessalonian church didn’t hide
away in fear, however, instead they took on the work of Saint Paul and spread
the Gospel to the regions around them.
The Thessalonian Church has been called an exemplary church. I wonder what our church would look like if
we had the same mode of operating as that church?
It is one thing to get involved in a
lot of church activity, and it is another to be a church that embodies
Christ. But what is it that makes the
difference?
Moses talked to God about the presence
of God. We read where he says; “In
this way, we shall be distinct, I and your people, from every people on the
face of the earth." Moses was
not at all keen to move until he had the assurance that God’s presence would go
with them.
In the times of Moses, the presence
of God was signified in the cloud and we read about the tent of meeting that
Moses set up for the people to inquire of God.
A bit later in Exodus we find the explanations of the various areas set
up, including the “Holy of Holies”. Only
the high priest was allowed to enter that Holy of Holies. Where is the Holy of Holies today? When Jesus died on the cross the curtain that
sectioned off the Holy of Holies was torn in two. On the day of Pentecost the presence of God
came to individuals with the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Many Christians do good works,
because, honestly, that is part of our calling – To be the hands and feet of
Christ. Many non-Christians also do good
works. Therefore, how is the Christian
distinct? It obviously isn’t due to the
work that we do, even though these are things common to the people of God. We are distinct because we have the presence
of God. But are we aware of this? And are we relying on the presence and power
of God?
I suspect we forget that we can rely
on the Holy Spirit. We forget to always
be aware of the presence of God with us.
When things go wrong, both little nonsense things or major things, with
the awareness of the presence of God with us, we will know the peace that
passes all understanding and gives us rest. You and I are distinct because of
God’s presence. He is always with us.
God has chosen us. We are chosen to be God’s own. Saint Paul told the Thessalonians; “For we
know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you,…” What a reassurance! But do we realize that God has chosen us? We are individually chosen, loved and called
for the purposeful plan of God. Also, we
as the Mackay Anglican Church, are chosen, loved and called for a purposeful
plan of God.
Last week’s Gospel reading ended with
the line, “Many are invited, but few are chosen.” We who have been baptised in Christ – who are
dressed in Christ, we are in our wedding clothes and WE ARE CHOSEN. We are identified as Christ’s, because we
walk in God’s presence. We take up that
invitation, walking in God’s presence we are appropriately dressed.
The Israelites also needed this same
reassurance of God’s love and call. They
were the chosen people and they walked with His presence.
Moses quite reasonably then asks God
to teach him His ways…. Moses wants to know what God requires so that he can
then teach the people what God requires.
God’s response to this is; “My presence will go with you and I will
give you rest.” More than anything, this is central to our message. The emphasis therefore is not on what we do
for God, but the gift that God gives to us.
God’s presence is the key. God’s
presence will give us rest.
In our Gospel Jesus was asked about Marriage
laws and paying taxes. In regards to the question of taxes, He answers that we
should give to God what is God and to Caesar what is Caesar’s. This is a such a clever answer, but the
unspoken implication is the question left unuttered; What belongs to God? And the answer is an obvious, everything. The image of Caesar was stamped on the coin,
but whose image is stamped on mankind? We
are made in the image of God and so we give to God what belongs to God. We are challenged to use the free will that
God gave us, to freely choose to belong to him.
Jesus declared that Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob are living because they belong to God. They chose God, but God chose them before
they were born… Just as God has loved and chosen us. Jesus declares that God has power even over
death. This power is God’s and God’s presence
is with us. What are the implications of
this? God’s Holy Spirit with us, is the
presence of God and the power of God in us. There
is no reason that we should not be stepping out in faith, walking towards the
promised land.
The Christian life is an exciting
adventure. We are called, as the
Israelites were, to walk toward the promised land. It can be a little frightening at times, as
we step out in faith to answer God’s call, but we are reassured that we are
God’s precious and chosen people. We are
never alone. We are distinct because we are
the people who walk in His presence.
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