We have just read from a portion of the Bible which could be seen as impossible for a ‘Priest’ to relate to. After all (you might think to yourself), what would a ‘Priest’ know about the intimate relationship between a man and a woman! After all (you might think to yourself), what would a ‘Priest’ know about the world of work!
I was watching an old episode of the comedy ‘Father Ted’ earlier this week. Father Ted is chatting with one of his fellow-Priests and a Nun (in a delightful Irish accent) announces, “Father Ted, there’ll be a woman to see you.” Father Ted’s colleague says, “Ah, that’ll be a Nun now won’t it!” “No, no, she’s not a Nun, she’s definitely a woman. She’s wearing a skirt.” At this point, father Ted’s colleague goes into something of a panic, because of course, a woman wearing a skirt is way outside of his understanding.
As for the world of work, well I wonder if you’ve ever heard the old saying about the things that Priests and Vicars get up to during a normal working week: I once heard it said that a Priest is, “Six days invisible and one day incomprehensible.”
So what would a Priest know about the intimate relationship between a man and a woman; and what would a Priest know about the world of work? Well, I don’t claim to be an expert in either, and I’ve made plenty of mistakes; but I come to you with 16 years of marriage, 1 wife, 3 children, and 14 years in the Finance Industry prior to Ordination. So in the months and years ahead I hope that I can share God’s word with you together with some of my own experiences.
As we continue our study of this letter written by St. Paul, around 50 AD, let’s remember that it was written to a church. It was not written as a ‘complaint’ aimed at people in general; it was written to a church.
This letter was written to a group of people who had already experienced a major change in lifestyle. Prior to making a decision to give their hearts and their lives to the risen Lord Jesus, this group of people had been typical residents of the Greek city of Thessalonica. In other words, the men were probably married, but it was also very likely indeed that they would have had several other ‘partners’. It was accepted and almost expected that the men would have a variety of other ‘women’ in their life, and that’s putting it far too politely! However, after coming to a living faith in Jesus, this group of people were taught by St. Paul that God wants the intimate relationship between men and women to be confined to one man and one woman; so that the marriage relationship is a bit like a protective fence. So Paul now writes these instructions to the church, and he asks the members of the church to grow in their faith. St. Paul longed for people to grow closer to Jesus, to get to know him better, and to make him better known.
Twice in our Bible reading (1 Thess 4:1 and 10) we hear Paul urging the church to listen to him, to live lives pleasing to God, to have brotherly (and sisterly) love for one another, and “to do so more and more.” Paul says, “Do this more and more.”
This is a call to growth! If you’re honest with yourself, have you been growing this week? I don’t mean in feet and inches (especially as one or two of you have said you are currently shrinking in height), but I mean in your relationship with God. Are you growing?
So Paul instructs the church: “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality” (1 Thess 4:3). God’s will is that we continue to be changed by him daily, so that we become more and more the people He wants us to be, and for the Thessalonican church that meant a complete break with having various sexual relationships all at the same time.
That is God’s will for us too. So for me, I can please God by having eyes for my wife only. I took a funeral recently and the couple had been married for nearly 60 years. The lady said, “We only ever had eyes for each other.” Some of you were married to people like that. What a blessing they were! Some of you are married to people like that. What a blessing they are! Some of you will be married to people like that. What a blessing they will be! “We only ever had eyes for each other.” That is God’s will for us; and to those who have never been married, God wants us to be honourable towards each other.
To those who have suffered the pain of divorce, God longs to heal your pain and God is the God of fresh starts and new beginnings. For example, we read this in the Bible: “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23).
If I can be very direct for a moment, God is very unhappy when his people use pornography, when his people look at a man or a woman lustfully, when his people are unfaithful to their husband or wives. But God is very pleased when we uphold marriage, and when seek after God’s perfect plans for how to live as individuals, as families, as a church and as a community.
Paul returns to the subject of “brotherly love” (verse 9). Paul knows that the people in the church love each other, and yet he still urges them “to do so more and more” (verse 10).
Friends, just when we thought it might be safe to freewheel on our spiritual bicycles for a while, just when we thought we could pause the action on the video or DVD production of our faith, God urges us on. This is a call to growth, to press on and love one another more and more. Just how will we do that?
Perhaps you could think and pray and then do what God asks you to do.
Finally, Paul refers to the world of work; and we must be clear that he does not criticise people who are either unemployed or unable to work. Paul is critical of those who are able to work and yet decide not to work, and then expect to receive hand-outs.
My prayer is that our intimate relationships, our love for one another, and our attitude towards work will go on being transformed. My prayer is that our “daily life may win the respect” of those who are not yet in a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Let’s pray.
