The colors this November are magnificent. Moses never saw a bush that burned brighter than the one that burns outside the door of Pine Valley Christian Church. The intense colors lift the latch of our mind and open the gate of our heart. Now let me try to link this observation to our lectionary text for Sunday.
The readings for November 10 and 17 are from Paul’s letters to the church in Thessalonica, which in Paul’s time was the capital of Macedonia (now Greece). It is generally agreed that the letters were written in the first half of the 50s, and may be the first letters of Paul’s that we have. Today, these letters are among the most controversial in the New Testament. People who believe in the rapture often quote these letters. Other people find in these letters evidence that the early church mistakenly believed the world was about to come to an end. On Sunday, I will offer a third way to interpret these letters. E. Stanley Jones, an outstanding missionary of the last century, said “If you don’t have within you that which is above you, you will surrender to that which is around you.” It seems to me that this quote offers a key to the meaning of these letters.
The earth, as Elizabeth Barrett Browning reminded us, is aflame with God’s presence. God does indeed fashion us for praise and thanksgiving.
Thank you, David