In one way or another you and I have received them - yes, even you young people.  And no doubt we have each sent them.  We receive and send them through the U.S. snail mail and, of course, now cyber-space email.   Notes. Missives. Letters.     Some sound nice, some terse.  Some hold a request for money, others demand money.  Some contain joyous news, some sad news.  And a written thank you for a deed or gift never is out of place and is timeless.   Other letters contain encouragement, some advice.  Some are filled with nothin' but love! 

 In the 60's and 70's, author Charlie Shedd, wrote his letters of love to his children in books entitled "Letters to Karen." and "Letters to Philip.", and "Promises to Peter."  and more.   Each is filled with advice, news, remembering, affection, encouragement and love.  Charlie Shedd allowed his relationships with his family - the good, the bad, the sometimes not so pretty - to be a working model for the rest of us and our relationships.  I think he may have learned from the Apostle Paul.

For it has been said that First Thessalonians is the Apostle Paul's most solicitous, affectionate letter.  In this letter the great apostle is not the warrior doing battle for the truth as in Galatians.  Nor is he the lawyer arguing a case, as in Romans.  He is not a firefighter rushing to extinguish a devastating blaze as we read about in First and Second Corinthians.  Here Paul is a tender shepherd of newborn lambs.  He is a pastor who lovingly feeds, protects and encourages the young.  Paul says of himself in this letter that he  is a nurse caring for children, and a father gently encouraging his little ones.  We sense his tenderness at its fullest here in verses 2 and 3.

What a loving way to begin a loving letter.  I so appreciate Paul's tone and content of these verses.  The people at Thessalonica have received Paul and the others.  More importantly the people have accepted and received the gospel message of Jesus Christ.  Right at the beginning, Paul tells these newborn Christians that he, Silas and Timothy - whether together, separately or both - (1) always thank God for them; (2) mention them in their prayers; and (3) continually remember them before God.  You and I do well to take this to heart. Perhaps part of our prayer needs to be for a better memory...I know I need that - all the more the older I get. 

Several times different ones of you have come up to me and ask that someone on the prayer list be identified to you.  As I indicate that person and move to introduce you, more times than not, you don't want to be introduced.  You want to know what the other person looks like, so you can have a face in mind as you pray.  When we remember people - their faces, names and needs - we are prompted both to thank God and to pray for them.   That is one reason I encourage you to keep the prayer list from the bulletin close to you during the week.  Tape it on your computer or refrigerator.  Keep it in your car or your day-timer..anywhere that will remind you to pray.  And many of you this morning,  know what it is like to be remembered before God!  And you have been encouraged by that fact. Here we see that Paul tells these new Christians that he remembers them and that he remembers them to God. How encouraging for these new Christians. And, look at what else Paul and the others especially remember about the Thessalonians.   What Paul especially remembers about them is their  FAITH, LOVE and HOPE.   When the people received and accepted the gospel message they did not stop there.  They responded to the gospel.  They responded in Faith.  They respond in Love.  They respond in Hope.   These are the three utmost Christian graces which characterize the Christian life - then and now.  As a side note: The Corinthians passage that I read earlier is where Paul elaborates on these three.   Paul also mentions faith, love and hope in his letter to the Galatians.  But here in this letter is their first occurrence in any of Paul's letters.

There is more than a feel-good, let's walk down memory lane going on here for Paul.  Paul is mightily using his God-given spiritual gift of encouragement.   Someone has said  that the "best way to eradicate a person's faults is to praise their virtues so that they will flower all the more."   Everyone reacts better to encouragement than to rebuke.  Here is another illustration about a person who got perhaps part of that right:  It was told that once the cook of the Duke of Wellington gave notice and left

him.  The cook was asked why he had left so honorable and well-paid a position.  His answer was, "When the dinner is good, the Duke never praises me and when it is bad, he never blames me; it was just not worth while."  Encouragement was lacking.  Indeed, a lesson for all of us.   And Paul, like a good psychologist and with true Christian tack, begins with praise (even when he means to move on to rebuke, as we see in later verses, in future sermons in this series).   Paul encourages these new believers by telling them of the strength they have in Christ-like qualities.   So very early in the Christian walk of these people, we see them being a working model for others.  These three, faith, love and hope are timeless Christian qualities.  These three are the essence of living out the character of Jesus. Let's take a closer look - each of these has two aspects.  Each is outgoing and each is productive.   The first -  "outgoing".that is they are not self-directed.   Paul tells these new believers that their faith is directed towards God.  Even in the face of persecution and false charges against Paul himself - of which these people are bearing the brunt - remember Paul is not there - nonetheless, these new Christians

keep looking to God for their renewing and fulfilling faith.  They do not return to idol worship.  They do not turn away from God.  They rest in God.  They stand firm in God.  They know that God holds them in the storms of life.  As Paul says, that these new Christians are working hard at their faith.   They are growing in Christ.  They are being true to God. At the same time the work they are doing - whatever it may be – anything from the daily, normal living to a survival routine, to sharing with others about their new life in Christ, is also inspired by that faith. It has been said that nothing tells more about a person than the way in which that person works.   A person may work in fear of the whip; or work for hope of gain.  We can work from a grim sense of duty; or work inspired by faith.  In a faith-filled person - that faith tells them that this is the task given by God and working at it is not for humans but for God.   Do we have the attitude of "me and mine?"  Are we putting ourselves first?  Do we do, whatever we do - for ourselves - or for God?   In the midst of the bad and the good - when we are feeling persecuted and worked over, and over worked, or when life is great, we are to direct our faith to God.   We are to always look to God to fill us; to lift us up; to be our strength and power. 

Paul also tells these new Christians that their love is directed to others.   Out of that fulfilling faith they are able to show others love.   They immediately share the good news, new life and love of Jesus

Christ with others.in their own neighborhood and village and then to the surrounding region.

This church - MPC - is very blessed in that every time you are asked to step up to the plate - or fill the plate, as the case may be – you respond bountifully.  Whether through the recent Pentecost Offering for Nick Chacon, money needed for the Deacon Fund, Mexico Mission Auction, items needed for the local Catholic Charities or other local or distant missions -  as well as caregiving needed right here within this

congregation and remembering others to God in prayer - right here, you respond. You direct your love to others, because of the love you receive from Jesus Christ.  You respond because of the love you receive from your brothers and sisters in Christ.  You make a committed choice to reach out to others, in all ways.  And, we are about to add additional parking spaces and to build a larger sanctuary.  Why?  So we can bring more people to Christ.  Why?  Because we are called to share our faith and love in Christ with those in our families, people next door and those down the street and up the street. Paul goes on to tell these new Christians that their hope is directed toward the future...yes, especially to the coming again of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Redeemer.   They understand they already are living their future.   Endurance is hope inspired by Jesus Christ.   My prayer is that each of you understands that eternity begins today - right here and now.   No matter what we are experiencing today our hope is in eternity. And we must continue always to look with hope to the future.  Yes, our hope is for the rest of this particular day as well as the single next day ahead.   And our hope is for when Jesus will return.

 With all of this, we can see already the second aspect of these Christian qualities.  You see, faith, love and hope - each is "productive."  These rather abstract sounding Christian qualities do have concrete and practical results.   Paul says that faith works, love labors and hope endures.  That is their faith shows itself in action, love results in labor, and hope produces great fortitude and endurance. So naturally, a true and growing faith in God leads to good works.  No, this is not a sermon dealing with the discussion of faith vs

works.nonetheless, let me say. For without works faith is dead.  Good works is prompted by love.   A true love for people leads to laboring - a working for others.  Otherwise, love folds in on itself into mere emotion or stale attitude.  And, of course, a true hope - one which looks expectantly for Jesus Christ's return, leads to endurance.  That endurance is patient fortitude, a steadfastness in the face of hardship, opposition and persecution - whatever that looks like to us today, illness, troubled relationships and death.

John Stott, author, commentator, pastor,  says that "Every Christian without exception is a believer, a lover and a hoper .. Faith, hope and love are thus sure evidences of regeneration by the Holy Spirit.  Together they completely reorient our lives, as we find ourselves being drawn up towards God in faith, out towards others in love and on towards the coming again of Christ in hope."  New birth in Christ means little or nothing if it does not pull us out of our fallen introversion and redirect us towards God, Christ and our fellow human beings."

You and I have the benefit of knowing that only the Holy Spirit enabled and sustained such a dramatic and lasting change in the lives of the infant Christians at Thessalonica.  That change and the depth of those qualities has been the foundation of the Christian Church these many centuries.  That ancient church continues to truly be a working model for us today.  Paul's words are what has been termed  "a brief definition of true Christianity."   Hear Paul's words again in a slightly different version:  "your work is produced by faith, your labor is prompted by love, and your endurance is inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ."   Herein lies the whole of Christianity.  Does it remain in theory only.  I hope not.

The letters that Charlie Shedd wrote would mean nothing and have no purpose if his children and children's children did not respond. They would stand for just another book if people did not respond to the advice and encouragement for their own relationships.   And as with any role model before us - firefighter, police officer, mom, dad, grandparent, big brother or sister, other Christian brothers and sisters, the gospel message - that working model means nothing if we do not respond and apply.  We do not want this "whole of Christianity" to remain in theory only.  Just as that ancient church responded to and applied the gospel of Jesus Christ - you and I need to respond.  Make the initial response.  Then we are to continue to respond the Christ's gospel message as we live out these Christ-like qualities.  We are to work on our faith, and grow our faith.  We are to  work out our love. That means to turn our good intentions into action.  And we are to know our endurance in all we do, as we experience eternity is knowing that each of our days is inspired by hope in the living God, Jesus Christ.