Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
The text this morning is from Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians, the third chapter:
Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate.
Thus far the text.
Dear friends in Christ,
This being a Sunday focused on our stewardship and monetary pledges, those treasures that we bring back Christ and His Church, for indeed, they all belong to Him, you might expect that our sermon would be all about stewardship. A money sermon. And, I mean, it is right that you give to Christ, in joyful thanksgiving for all that He’s given to you, not only in your lives, but here in this Church with His Word and Sacrament. The Israelites were commanded to set apart 10 percent of their income for the benefit of the priests, the Levites, who had no land, no crops, no way to sustain themselves. This was the tithe. The tithe, the word for this practice, was there to support the priests, those who brought to God’s people His Word and performed the sacrifices and prayers for them.
If the Israelites, who had not yet seen all that God would do in His Son, Jesus Christ, gave that 10 percent, shouldn’t we want to give even more for all that has been for us in Jesus Christ? In fact, we should. We should. But we don’t. None of us do. None of us are able to follow in the commands of Christ. None of us can fulfill anything of Christ. None of us can stop sinning. None of us can do anything to even begin to obey what is expected of us.
Yet, in today’s text, Paul says that he commands the Thessalonians to follow his rules. It is good that he command this. You see, we can’t do it, but that’s not the point. The point is that we realize how short we fall when we cannot keep the commands the Scriptures place on us. The point is, that when we fall short, when we sin, when we realize our utter depravity and inability, we should look to Christ, who keep all commands, all Law, perfectly for us.
And, while we can’t keep this command, we must ask what it was that Paul was commanded these Christians to keep. He says one thing, that should be read in two ways: one is to keep away from anyone claiming to be Christian but who lives irresponsibly or idly by not walking in the traditions of the Apostles, which means to forsake Paul's teaching, God's Word and Sacrament. But the reverse of this is that we should not live irresponsibly, or idly, but instead walk in the tradition of the Apostles. Now, the good Lutheran question, what does this mean?
It means that we SHOULD want to fear, love, and trust in God so that we do not reject the gathering together to hear God’s Word, call upon Him in prayer and praise, and receive the gifts of His Holy Sacrament. It means that we SHOULD want to continue to do the things of the Church. It means that we SHOULD want to continue to grow in our sanctification, our holiness, realizing how much we must depend on Christ for our righteousness. It means that we SHOULD want to continue to live out our vocations to our neighbors well.
This is the other part of the text, and honestly, it’s one that we tend to gloss right over. You see, Paul mentions in that he worked in the midst of the Thessalonians in order that he might be able to preach the Gospel to them. In his context, he took money from other churches, he was a missionary, in order that he might minister to the new Christian Thessalonians without their needing to support him. This was a good calling, not that he didn’t take their money, but that he was able to preach the Word of God. This was Paul's vocation.
But, vocation doesn’t just mean preaching the Word or doing churchy things. It can be those things, but it’s not limited to that. Our vocation isn’t always tied up in this church. While it is good to volunteer to serve on committees, while it is good to head them up, while it is good to cook meals, while it is good to set up the altar for each Sunday, while it is good to bring God your monetary offerings, while it is good to do anything in this church, that’s not the only vocation that God intends for us to have.
Instead, our vocation is a calling, any calling, that God gives to us in order that we would serve our neighbor. Who is your neighbor? Children, obey your parents. Parents, care for your children. Teachers, teach well. Elders, oversee the church. Next-door neighbors, help keep your neighbors property theirs. Do you see yet? Vocation is very simply defined as obeying the Ten Commandments in order that you would help and serve your neighbor.
Now, of course, none of you can do that. Since we are all of us sinners, we haven’t ever been able to do that. So, what’s the remedy? Look to the greatest neighbor that ever lived. Look to Christ, the one who laid His life down for His friends. Look to Christ, the one who healed the sick. Look to Christ, the one who raised the dead. Look to Christ, who gives food and water to those who are hungry. Look to Christ, who restores all things. Look to Christ, who was crucified, died, and was buried. Look to Christ, who was resurrected from the dead.
This Christ, He is the best neighbor anyone could have, and He desires none of the benefit from His obedience. Instead, He gives you the benefit. He gives you eternal life. He gives you perfection. He gives you all that you could ever want and more. This Christ, this one, this once-dead-now-living one, He makes you the good steward, He makes you the widow who gives all she had, He makes you the penitent tax-collector, saying God be merciful to me, a sinner.
He gives you the gift of forgiveness for your repentance, life for your sin. He gives you all of these things and more. And we respond. We want to respond in thankfulness for what He's done. So, we respond with thanksgiving. And yes, we respond with our money. Yes, we respond with our time. Yes, we respond with all the talents we could possibly muster up and serve God’s people and His Church.
There is nothing you need do, however, to show you're a Christian. There's nothing you NEED to respond with. Christ has already won everything for you. But do you want to? Do you want to respond the Gospel? Great! Do you not want to respond to the gifts God has given to you? Why not?
I've got to tell you that even if you do respond in whatever way you think best, whatever you do would still be tainted with sin. Christ doesn’t need these works from you. They won’t serve you in your salvation. That has already been won. What Christ wants, if anything, is for your neighbor to be served.
Consider today how best you can respond to the Gospel. It is by serving your neighbor. Is it by giving a tithe? Is it by serving the church? Is it by bringing a meal to those who are hurting? Is it returning a lost dog? Yes, it is any of these ways and thousands, if not millions and billions more. But do these things, not because you have to, not even because you need to, but because you want to.
Let your heart be glad in the salvation won by Christ in His all-atoning sacrifice on the cross. Respond to that if you will. And if you do, know that when you mess up, when you sin, when you are grieved for how evil and awful you know that you may be, rejoice that God Himself has given you the gift of His Son. That is the only thing that will save you, and it is the only thing that will continue to guide you in holiness. Quite honestly, it's the only thing you need. Christ is your holiness.
And the best way you can know this? Keep coming back here, keep coming to this place, keep walking in the traditions of the Apostles. Keep hearing God’s Word for you. Keep praying to Christ. Keep singing our hymns of praise. Keep receiving the Lord’s Holy Supper. Keep remembering that you are a baptized child of God. Keep doing these things, and know that God loves you. These are His gifts. They are for you. Do not weary in them, but keep on keeping on in them. Receive them, love them, cherish them, give thanks for them.
In these gifts, Christ Jesus offers to you from His own hand the forgiveness of sins, the strengthening of faith, the gift of everlasting life, the promise of the resurrection. That’s what they do. No matter how hard you work, you will fail. You will fail to give your offering in thanksgiving to God. You will fail to serve your neighbor. But the gifts are here to remind you of the one who did not fail. They remind you of the one who took on our weak flesh. They remind you of the one who deigned to come and live among us. They remind you of the one who took your sins upon Himself in order that He might die and make full payment of those sins. You may not have your sins back, and the gifts of Christ remind us of that.
Remember, Christ is always for you, no matter how much you do or do not give, no matter what you do or do not do, no matter how you do or do not serve. You may desire to serve Him. This is good. But, you cannot win for yourself any good favor from Christ by doing any of this. That is why this is not a money sermon, but instead a Jesus-saves-sinners-of-which-I-am-chief sermon. Should you want to give? Yes. But, that is not the focus of our Christian lives. Instead, focus on and know you have a Savior who loves you, despite your sins, for He bore it all for you on the cross, and His name is Jesus. In His holy and precious name, amen.
Now may the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord! Amen.
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