A Lifestyle of Joy

I Thessalonians 5:16-24 is a beautiful series of exhortations that has only scant relation to the day for which it is appointed, the 3rd Sunday in Advent, in the Year of Mark. The only tie seems to be the mention of the "coming of the Lord Jesus" in verse 23.  Be that as it may, it still has potential for being good news to listeners who tire of the holiday hubbub, and need to hear the good news that God is faithful.  It will be the preacher's joy to announce that.

(The following questions are part of a method developed to highlight the work of the Word in the text, a central concern of Law and Gospel preachers.  These questions are best used in concert with other sets of questions which have other concerns.  For more on this method and on Law and Gospel preaching in general, see my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com or amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  Since nearly every verse includes an imperative, it is clear that the primary way the Word functions here is as a Call to Obedience.  This is the Word  functioning to invite us to live in a certain way in response to God's work in Christ.  The last verse, however, is pure Gospel.  "God is faithful, and God will do this:  sanctify us, keep us sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  There is really no Law here, no word which exposes our need for Christ.  The first reading from Isaiah includes Law.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We are those being encouraged and exhorted here.  Paul is speaking to us in our context.

4.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  Due to the lack of Law in the text, we shall need to create a number of couplets via the Gospel word present. Some ideas:  unsound/sound; found guilty/blameless; unholy/sanctified.

5.  Exegetical work: It is noteworthy that every imperative in this text is a present imperative, including the prohibitions.  This suggests an ongoingness to these commands, a lifestyle, if you will.  We are to live a life of rejoicing, prayer, and thanksgiving, not simply participating dutifully in these activities in worship alone.  Also, the prohibitions in present tense suggest that we discontinue a pattern that has begun:  quenching the Spirit and rejecting prophetic words. The ongoingness is the point.  One helpful point that Beverly Roberts Gaventa makes in her commentary is that the pairs of verses in 19-20, and 21-22 act as clarifiers for each other.  She suggests that those who quench the Spirit do so by despising the words of the prophets, and holding onto what is good and abstaining from evil comes from first testing everything to see what is worthy.  (Interpretation series, First and Second Thessalonians, p. 84).

6.  Consider the insights of the pioneers of the New Homiletic?  Bringing the experience of the text to the listener was always of paramount importance to Fred Craddock.  This will be particularly important in preaching this text, bringing these words into the modern context.

Blessings on your proclamation!