Pastor’s Message for April 2025

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” —1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV) 

Greetings, Friends!

     In his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul is writing to a church that he had a very brief relationship with. Just as he was laying the groundwork for the church, he was forced to flee the city under threats of violence. Paul, full of concern for the new church he had to leave behind, sends messengers to see how the church is doing. Imagine his joy when he comes to find out that the church is not merely surviving but thriving! Paul encourages them to continue to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, because the news of their faith is spreading across the region.

     What is it that the Thessalonians are doing that gives Paul such encouragement? Quite simply, they are being the church. They are imitating Jesus. They are welcoming others. They are living lives which point to the work of God in their lives. They are no longer living as the world around them lives, but as new creations in the power of God’s grace. How are they doing this? By doing good, avoiding evil, and attending to God’s commandments. They are turning from idols, abstaining from immorality, loving everyone they meet, and living in peace among each other.

     Of course, Paul’s message to the Thessalonians is the same message God has for us today. We are called to live a life that is, for lack of a better word, weird. A people who do good, avoid evil, and live in peace with God and neighbor will appear strange in the world we live in. In our world, we tear down and destroy people who disagree with us. We find more and more ways to divide ourselves based on the way we understand God, politics, race, and any number of other ways. As much as we would like to pretend that these issues only effect the outside world, we know that even in our churches we often sow seeds of discord and anger. We hold long grudges. Often the last place people look to find forgiveness is within the church, because they find only judgment and bitterness.

     Paul’s message to the Thessalonians challenges us to live according to the example of Jesus, not the example of the world. What would the church look like if it were a place that encouraged and lifted up those who were feeling lost, separated from God and from their neighbors? Can our church be that kind of place? Can we be the kind of church that encourages and lifts each other up? Can we be a church where we are known by our love for God and neighbor, not by our divisions? I believe so; I hope you do as well.

God loves you, and so do I,
Pastor Jim Sands