Established,
Molded, Nurtured – our lesson provides a great example of Paul’s highly
invested pastoral care which he provided the numerous house churches that he planted in
the four provinces of the Roman Empire. Many of the topics and issues of the letter are
proleptically included in this first chapter.
What’s in a Prescript? – in the opening verse, Paul
accomplishes much: he identifies key players—God as pater, Jesus as kurios, his
traveling colleagues, Silas and Timothy, and the church plant leader himself, Paul. He
also identifies the recipient as an ekklesia, which was in reality a house church. The
prescript ends with a traditional, though greekified Hebrew blessing for well-being.
The Good Life or the Life that is Good?
Paul’s goal for [the Thessalonian Christians] was not the "good
life," . . . if that means getting gall the material goods one can get), but the
"life that is good" (that is, the life that truly provides meaning)
. . . A God who initiates salvation; caring leaders who nurture believers, and
believers who eagerly follow a new orientation marked out by the gospel—these are the
three realities that make for truly productive lives as believers. Without these, church
members may merely have "the good life," but not "the life that is
good." [1]
What are some of the most
memorable letters you have received?
- What are some of the differences that exist between hand-written letters and Instant
Messenger or emails?
- If you moved out of the area and wrote back to the congregation that you felt deeply
about, what might be some of the items you would include? What would your prayer for the
church include?
Why not stay within the literary form
of 1 Thessalonians (epistolary) and write a letter to your congregation / small group /
Sunday School class? You would probably want to follow the same format such as the
prescript, and prayer and perhaps several other items of joys and concerns. Read the
letter as your homily or have someone else read it to the congregation for you.
You’ll be surprised at how this preaching form will free the proclaimer from the same
old same old approach to sermonizing!
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[1] New Interpreter’s Bible XI (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2000), page 690.
