Pastor's Ponderings: Monday Bible Study on Paul’s letter, 1 Thessalonians 2:17-20 (April 21, 2025)

April 21, 2025:  Monday Bible Study on Paul’s letter, 1 Thessalonians 2:17-20

Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed!

The secular world thinks that Easter is a one-day event, but for those of us who are the faithful in Christ, we know that Easter Resurrection is an everyday event. Each Sunday, not just one during the year, is the day of Resurrection, making it the celebration of Easter again and again. Of course, the big news today comes from Rome and the Vatican as Pope Francis joined God's Triumphant Saints on Easter Sunday after taking some time to bless the crowds gathered for the Easter Mass. At American, if you were unable to be there, we had wonderful music from Debbie's solo, the Bell Choir, hymns on both the organ and the piano, the Joyful Easter Piano solo, and the leadership of our Gospel Music Group. The Gospel was from John, the Easter Gospel message was spoken, and we truly celebrated the Son who chose to Save Us from Our Sin, and whose Resurrection is one that we will get to share. Our Easter breakfast was filled with plentiful bakes, fresh fruit, pastries, and more. On May 4th we have our first Sunday Gospel Music service, and our carry--in meal after worship. The meal theme is your favorite Mother's Day food. Will there be lobster?????  I think for many moms, their favorite food for that day is something someone else prepares. Maybe ready-made is the way to go that day. Just a reminder that Easter is being celebrated on Sundays at worship now through June 1.

Today we are in chapter 2:17-20 of Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians. In the mid-1970s Melody and I discovered that we were unlikely to have biological children. Doctors we worked with cared for our lives as we sought all of the known ways to encourage a pregnancy. It was a tough time, to say the least, mostly because we had always wanted to have a large family, so we got involved with Lutheran Social Services of Southeastern Michigan to become a part of their adoption assistance in finding a newborn who would be up for adoption.  Our meeting, and there would plenty of them, required us to drive 250 miles one way into Detroit. We were finally approved, the baby that we would adopt had been born, and then, shortly after a major hernia surgery that I needed to have, we discovered that we were pregnant, Right Before Our Final Meeting to Adopt this newborn baby. When we met with LSSSEM that last time, we had a choice to make. We could keep the pregnancy a secret, or we could let them know that we had a pregnancy that was, in all likelihood, not going to carry to term.  We told the agency the truth, and the baby that we had worked so hard to adopt was taken away and given to another family. (We knew the couple who would get the baby).  It was like a punch in the gut! It felt like the death of this unseen child who was ours! We both had that massive empty feeling which people get when something they treasure is taken away. In our reading for today, this is exactly how Paul felt when he was unable to stay with, or even visit, the Thessalonians after their conversion to Christianity. To this point Paul has expressed his deep joy, his excitement, his thankfulness to God, and more because of the faithfulness of the Thessalonians, but now we get a real sense of the deeply emotional connection that Paul felt for these new Christians. In this text we get another surprise too, Paul speaks to the reader of his letter about the satan. Paul admits that there must be something, a darkness or negative power, which has gotten in the way of his being able to return to see the Thessalonians. After all, when the community of Christ is doing very well and celebrating God's Love for their lives and ministries, we should be aware that there is "something" could it be satan? who tries to get such good things to unravel and fail. I really believe that it is important to thank God for successes like getting every green light on your way to work in the morning. But how about the times that you get every red light and pedestrian crossing lights? When we are in our faith, we should thank God for not allowing us to move forward in our journey with impudence for the other "one" who might be acting in the morning's circumstances to shake our faith. When such a frustrating thing happens, it is instead an unplanned blessing to slow down and smell the roses. Our faith journey should always be surrounded by the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus. In our lives we should not rail at what we consider a failure to get something that is worldly out of the way. Paul really wanted to get back to the Thessalonians in the north of Greece, but he was being hounded by rejection and persecution on his way south, and that made it nearly impossible to travel North again during his ministry for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is plainly true that sometimes the best plan of men, which is filled with excitement and commitment and meant to be an expansion of the success of the gift of faith, and the Gospel, does not happen. Human plans are not always God's plan, even when strong faith is present. 34 years ago, I came to American thinking that I would commit to stay for 10 years. Yet that was not God's plan for me. In the intervening years I have stayed for 34 years and will hopefully end my ministry from my current call setting when it becomes right to do. We adopted four more children, now all teens with a couple soon to be adults on their own,  a journey to receiving the call to serve the Gospel of Jesus Christ as the elected bishop of the Grand Canyon Synod was put on hold for other reasons, when it appeared my election was likely, and then I was elected to serve on the national Church Council in Chicago, and I became a member of the Academy of Preachers at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary.  As I look back, I know that my plans were not always God's, but I had to still be open to all of the God possibilities that my LORD placed in my way. Like Paul, I had to admit that God's agenda must always take priority! Now, the gifts that I use to proclaim the Gospel have expanded to music, music, music, and preaching from my heart every Sunday. God's way has been filled with joy in my heart, and even when another call opportunity has presented itself, I pray for discernment, and God's answer becomes obvious again. Stay where you are needed!

With Love in Christ, Pastor Kim