In Spite of All the Danger

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
In July 1958 the band that was later to become the Beatles made a record for the very first time. One of the two songs from that historic session was Buddy Holly’s “That’ll Be the Day.” The other was the only song ever credited to Paul McCartney and George Harrison as a writing team. That song is called “In Spite of All the Danger.”

In spite of all the danger
In spite of all that may be
I’ll do anything for you
Anything you want me to
If you’ll be true to me.

I’m fairly confident that McCartney and Harrison weren’t thinking of Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians when they penned their song, and yet there are similarities. The Apostle Paul writes, “…in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers…” (1 Thessalonians 1:6b-7a). In other words, “In spite of all the danger” faced by the Christians in Thessalonica, the joy they displayed because of the gospel had become an inspiration to others.

I can only hope that despite whatever challenges I may face, whatever struggles come my way, I will live so as to reflect joy and peace to those around me. It isn’t always easy. I frequently find myself grumbling about even the most insignificant of matters. I fuss and I fume when things don’t go my way. But by God’s grace I also find myself reaching out to others in ways I wouldn’t have expected and touching lives in ways I would never have thought possible. And all the while, I am blessed by those around me and the sincerity of their faith and the joy with which they live.

“In spite of all the danger” –– or at least the struggles and the challenges that we face –– joy, like grace, abounds. And when we are at our best it is because we have become a source of inspiration for one another and the world.

Prayer: Lord, may we each find such joy in your word that our lives become a source of comfort and hope to others as they seek to follow you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Yeah, Right

Exodus 32:21-34 1

Thessalonians 1:1-10

Aaron got caught red-handed. He had aided the people in their revolt against God but then he made excuses to his brother, Moses. “And Aaron said, ‘Do not let the anger of my lord burn hot; you know the people, that they are bent on evil. They said to me, 'Make us gods, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him. 'So I said to them, 'Whoever has gold, take it off'; so they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!’" (Exodus 32:22-24). Blame it on the people, he says, and the fire. They put in the gold and out came the calf, honest! Aaron comes off sounding like a child who broke a widow: “Don’t blame me. The ball did it.” But the truth is at the fist hint of trouble Aaron joined with those who rejected God in favor of something of their own creation.

The epistle lesson for today offers an interesting contrast to the Exodus passage. “For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God…” (1 Thessalonians 1:9). Here we find the gospel taking root among those who had previously worshiped false deities. The members of the Thessalonian church could have held onto their previous habits, could have hedged their bets by keeping an idol or two stashed nearby for emergencies. But they chose to serve a “living and true God.” Where we see Aaron all too quickly turning away from the Lord, these men and women have turned toward God – even in the face of persecution.

There is a challenge here for us. Do we remain faithful to the God by whose grace we live? Or do we turn away at the first opportunity, creating false realities for ourselves? Are we willing to face the hardships that come with steadfast faith? Or are we determined to follow Aaron down the path of idolatry? The choice is ours.

Prayer: Lord, help us to be faithful in all we do. In Jesus' name. Amen.