Resurrection & Hope

1^st Thessalonians 4:13-18

All of life is being bracketed by this worship service. Toward the end of this service, we’ll be praying over some families and committing ourselves to support these families. These families are dedicating themselves, and their children, to God. I can think of few greater commitments than this.

But now, at the beginning of our service, we’ll spend a few moments talking about the other end of life – the end of life. Why should we cover so much ground in one short hour? The beginning and end of life are …well, a lifetime apart. We shall cover so much ground today in such a few moments because the beginning of life makes more sense when there’s some understanding of where it will end. And the end of life is enriched when those who are just starting out are included. Christopher Lasch has written, “Children need to learn about faraway times and places so they can make sense of their own surroundings.”[1] That’s what we all seek to do on Sundays isn’t it? We study an ancient book that tells the story of people from another culture in a far off land. And when we hear their story and the puzzle of their faith, our own faith pieces begin to take shape. And so we turn to Paul’s words in 1^st Thessalonians.

Paul believed two things very strongly. First, Jesus rose from the dead. Second, those who believe in Jesus can face all of life with hope. Paul bet everything on these two things – resurrection and hope. That was the Gospel he preached – Jesus raised from the dead; and it was the hope he lived – that one day he and others who believed in Jesus would share in a resurrection where the rest of eternity would be spent with God.

When Paul preached this message in Thessalonica, he didn’t get to say as much about it as he would have liked because Jewish opposition was hot and heavy. Paul had to escape in the middle of the night and get out of town.[2] So the believers in Thessalonica were left with questions: If we die before Jesus comes, will we miss out on some of God’s blessing?[3] And since we’re now Christians, doesn’t this mean that our problems will be over?

Our text today addresses these two questions and Paul’s writing here was meant as an encouragement for those people in Thessalonica.

Think about experiences you have where you’re afraid of missing out. We buy cameras when our kids are young so we can record every single moment of their lives. We don’t want to miss out. When there’s a car accident along the road, we strain and rubberneck so we can see what’s going on. We have all kinds of gadgets that bring us news at a moment’s notice – because we don’t want to miss out. We form networks of people who are on the inside of juicy information so that we can be “in the know.” People in our day are really no different than those in Paul’s. We don’t want to miss out. And the Thessalonians were afraid that if they died before Jesus came again, they would miss out on some of God’s blessing.

Paul writes to reassure these believers that they won’t miss a thing if they die before Jesus comes. When Jesus comes again at his next Advent, all who have professed their faith in Jesus will know all of God’s blessing. Paul writes these words for people of all ages since none of us know how long we have to live. When you put your faith in Christ, then you won’t miss out on God’s blessing.

This leads us to a popular misconception about Christianity. The misconception is that faith in Jesus solves all our problems. One has to read this text carefully and when you do, it never says grief will be over for the Christian. Rather, Christianity allows one to grieve with hope. We have hope when the news is bad from our doctor. We have hope when we’ve done our best to raise our kids in the faith and they still make choices we don’t agree with. We have hope when the business fails or our friends abandon us.

Grief and hope are not really polar opposites. They are equally intense partners in life. Nicholas Wolterstorff’s book, Lament for a Son, is a father’s account of grief for a child. After his son died, Wolterstorff believed the rest of his life would be viewed through tears. “Perhaps I shall see things that dry-eyed I could not see…Mourners are those who have caught a glimpse of God’s new day, who ache with all their being for the day’s coming, and who break out into tears when confronted with its absence…mourners are aching visionaries.”[4]

On this Sunday when we are dedicating children, Paul’s words about the end of life are profound as we celebrate the beginning of life. Faith in Jesus secures God’s blessing. Knowing that helps when life gets rough. Keep on hoping.

Amen.

[1] This quotation was found in James Howell’s article, “Hopeful Grieving,” in the “Living Word” section of The Christian Century, November 1, 2005, p. 18.

[3] There is a belief in Jewish apocalyptic thought that says those who are alive at the parousia will be particularly blessed. See Daniel 12:12 for a scriptural reference in this line of thinking.

[4] I found this quotation in James Howell’s article, “Hopeful Grieving,” in the “Living Word” section of The Christian Century, November 1, 2005, p. 18. I’ve read Wolterstorff’s book but couldn’t put my hands on my copy to find the page number for the quote.