10:30 am, Sunday, Nov 19, 2023 ~ FBCA

(1 Thess 5:1-11; Mtt 25:14-30) J G White

There was a beautiful scene here, in this very room, on Friday evening. After the lighting up of our downtown, hundreds, and I mean hundreds, of people flocked into these pews. People of all ages. A school band played Christmas songs, a school choir sang, and many of us sang along, whether we really knew the words or not to Jingle Bells and O Come, All Ye Faithful.

My mind and heart truly wondered about these hundreds of people in here, most of whom were unknown to me. How many would say they are some of ye faithful? Surely most were not practicing Christians, even though they sang Christ the Saviour is born.

As I looked out upon these acquaintances and strangers, I wondered, on this happy occasion, what the rest of life is like for everyone. Like we, ye faithful, who have come today, there are feelings of fear and anger at the world. Moments of confusion and deep concern about life. Times of personal trouble.

Ours is a time when people want protection. As I was reading 1 Thess. 5 this past week, I picked up on this phrase: put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. Yesterday, I re-noticed that Sharon and I have these three words in wrought iron in our living room: Faith, Love, Hope. Like the longer list of spiritual armour in the book of Ephesians, here we have these two images of protection: a breastplate of faith and love, and a helmet of hope. Our loving God makes available these basic elements of protection to us. We have them, to offer our neighbours, in this age of anxiety.

Faith is a sense of being sure, a confidence in the promises we have been given. How do we ‘put on the breastplate of faith?’ And how do we offer this armour to others who need it?

It is cool that this little chapter begins, saying to the original readers of this letter: you don’t need to be taught about these things; you already know this stuff about the finale of history. You know The End will be surprising, at an unexpected moment. To have confidence in Jesus is to be confident in the mysterious timing of everything being made good, at last. And to be confident that there is a will and a power to make good things happen along the way.

More than one thousand years ago, a Church teacher said, we must always be on the lookout for Christ’s twofold coming, the one when he comes day after day to stir our consciences, and the other when we shall have to give an account for everything we have done. He comes to us now in order that his future coming may find us prepared. (Paschasius Radbertus, 9th century)

We believers need not be surprised at how terrible things get on earth, and how hidden the wonderful blessings are along the way. We have been told this all our lives, by the Spirit and the word of God. This is part of the protection given to us: confidence in the good purposes of God. We put this on by looking for how Jesus views the world; by noticing how the Spirit is present amid suffering in trouble.

Love is also what our armour is made of, so as we are protected by knowing we are beloved ones of God, we are stronger and more courageous in helping others. In our Faith we have been trained to rely upon the Divine Source of love, not rely upon ourselves alone. We are each a beautiful vehicle for compassion and care, and in that we can have the Love of God flow through us to others, a Love so grand and great we could never produce it, or hold it inside, if we wanted to!

So it is a gift found among us. What did the Baptist Choir sing today?

They who love the Lord have found a gift so rare.

They who love the Lord know joy beyond compare.

And their hearts are lighter, spirits brighter

knowing God is always there.

Help us to be like them, Lord, help us to be like them.

We learn love in our connections. We learn to be like those who pay such beautiful attention to us when we are with them. We get inspired by those who no longer need to seek their own attention. As it says here in this chapter again, encourage one another. We put on the breastplate of faith and love by being together in Christ.

The other bit of armour available to us in these troubling times is the helmet of hope, hope of salvation. Oh how deep is the world’s need for hope in these hopeless days. In response, we can dwell upon our sense of destiny. Destined not for destruction, but for life and goodness, thanks to Jesus. We teach this as the destiny of all things: a new heavens and earth - this is the Biblical image.

When the bad news is too bad, and far too plentiful, be sure to feed on some good news. Take in a balanced diet for your heart and mind and soul. As Fred Rogers, Mr. Rogers, was famous for saying, when disaster strikes, look for the helpers. You can always find people who are helping.

And from them we learn to make a difference. Like the servants who put their Master’s riches to work, in Jesus’ parable. We could hide away and watch for God to rescue the world. But far better it is to learn our little bit to do in the cause of peace and joy and healing and freedom. Even joining a recent prayer vigil for peace in Ukraine, or ceasefire in Gaza, is joining a gigantic work of God today.

In these days, these Last Days, as believers have called them for two thousand years, let us put on the final armour we need to wear. Faith and Love and Hope.