Letters from the new pastor- If I'm Not Careful...
"Be at peace among yourselves."
I Thessalonians 5:13b NRSV
Growing up, I learned things and didn't realize I had learned them. I can't recall my first steps, the first time I read something and understood it, or the first time I hugged my mom. But, just like every kid, I learned things and keep doing them to this day. One of those "learned behaviors" happened to me the other night- Shauna and I had been out and my parents offered to keep the kids, we had just picked them up and were backing out of the driveway when I recognized it- and this has happened dozens of times before, but, for some reason, I recognized it in a fresh way in this particular moment. As we backed down the driveway, the windows were rolled down, our arms were waving, and my parents were standing at the top of the driveway waving. My youngest screamed out the window, "Bye! We'll see you next time! Love you!" And we drove away slowly while my mom and dad watched us. They usually wait until we're down the road before they go back into the house.
This is exactly what happened when I was a kid when we visited my Grandma and Grandpa Drye- and my parents live in the same house today that my grandparents lived in! So, it’s a real memory- down to the waving and rolling down of windows- and it “just happens” with my kids when we leave. I’ve not sat my kids down and explained to them that we would act in this way, it's just a learned behavior and it's the way we do things. It's sweet. I wish all of my learned behaviors were so sweet (lol).
The Apostle Paul is on his way when he stops to make sure he says goodbye well to the Thessalonian church. It's as if he's rolling down the driveway with the windows down, screaming out his last-second goodbyes. And tucked in this laundry list of tiny rules and admonishments is the phrase from the scripture above, "be at peace among yourselves." This is no small directive; it is massive, actually. The early church is under persecution- they're having a hard time. I imagine, based on how Paul writes and from what he's already included in this particular letter to the Thessalonian church, that "being at peace" among the church was something that needed to be included- so much so, that Paul intentionally includes it.
Gang, if we're not careful, we'll just fall into living a certain way- a learned behavior- and that way can be filled with sweet intentions, or it can be something else entirely. And, as your pastor, I'm lovingly waving my hands, here, to get our attention. Bluntly, I pray we become more and more uncomfortable with the learned behaviors that often, unintentionally, push others away. On the surface, some of these things seem harmless; but if we are to "be at peace" among ourselves, I am convinced it will take much intention. You see, it is pretty normal for folks to become impatient and even rude during times of stress or pressure- I'm praying that instead of a heavy sigh or eye roll, I'll be more intentional in the ways of Christ and that I will more readily access the fruit of God's Spirit- kindness, patience, self-control.
With all the rush and rigor that already accompanies the Christmas season, we have to now include the unknown pressures of the global pandemic (and local ways of dealing with that), economic instability, health concerns and more- being kind to each other, exuding peace- this will take great intention in times of great uncertainty and stress. We are never in more danger of missing the ways of Jesus than when we Christians treat each other with contempt- intentional or not. The only way we can be at peace with each other is if we take great intention- and I can only do this more often when I pray. I've learned a sure thing in my life- when I don't regularly pray, I can be really mean.
So, pray 🙂
Be intentional in your dealings with each other, especially with the person who is new in your circle- the one who may be sitting alone or isn't yet connected. Be intentional about including others and let's work hard to break apart the dynamics of exclusion. I believe, if we can do this enough together, we may soon find ourselves backing down the driveway with the windows down, waving and screaming our love to one another- and it’ll be understood that this is the way things are around here. Yes and Amen.
