Sermon Text: 2 Thess. 2.16f, 3.5 Title: "A Few Choice Blessings"

Preached: November 8, 1998

Well, it's out. I saw it on the rack at the supermarket yesterday, so y'all can go and get it -- after worship.

People magazine has issued it's annual double issue of the Sexiest Man alive. In case you're wondering -- and I hope I'm not spoiling anyone's surprise -- it's not Gray Davis. Soon, I am sure, they'll publish a best and worst dressed issue, along with a year's most interesting people issue, and maybe a hottest new celebrities issue. Whoever they put on the cover they'll have an "-est" attached to their moniker: hot -est, hip -est, cool -est, pretti -est, rich -est, smart -est...

Our society -- United States secular society, top to bottom -- seems to be "superlative obsessed." We concentrate upon bests and worsts of everything, from diet colas to cities. We like the best and brightest and even the baddest. We may even have some ideas about where the best churches are located, and what the best denominations are. So: forgive me for thinking like an American here, but I wonder how we might decide, if we were a really hip group of Bay Area American Baptists, what would be the BEST blessing to get from God? Suppose someone was going to wish for God to bestow one best blessing upon you, what would you want them to say? What would be your best blessing?

We'll assume that we've read enough of first Timothy 6 to know that money is the root of all kinds of evils -- we know that God's best blessings have nothing to do with acquisition of worldly possessions. So: "May God allow you to win the power ball lottery," simply won't do. Likewise, any other kind of worldly blessing ought to be discounted. We might desire with all our hearts to possess great power, or sell our soul for total control; we might truly truly feel we need ever higher status; but we have to believe that Jesus' example in the gospels indicates that God wants better things for us than these mere pittances.

I suppose one "best" blessing might be: "May God give you good health." If you have your health, well, then you have everything, right? But health is fleeting. It, too, is part of our world; it disappears quickly, often, and finally. While good health is certainly a good blessing, it is better not to place too many hopes upon only good health.

A better blessing might be security. Wouldn't it be great to not have to worry about the dangers of the world, to have all risks taken care of and all anxieties removed? And yet, whenever we have nothing to worry about, when we have no anxiety, perplexity, confusion or doubt, those seem to be the times we lose track of our spirituality. We truly seem to learn more about God and ourselves when we have troubles. So maybe not security.

Family, perhaps? The blessing of a loving, caring family -- in every sense of family -- truly is a great blessing. A blessing that says "May your life be filled with parents and grand-parents of many generations and many places and may you have countless children of many colors walking beside you in joy." That would be a really good blessing, tough to beat. {Maybe that is the best blessing.}

I have been led to wondering about blessings this morning by re-reading the short Biblical letter, 2 Thessalonians. (Feel free to sit down and read the whole thing; it won't take long!) In the letter's three short chapters, there are, by my count, six blessings offered upon the church. In our scripture reading this morning, we heard two of them. They are intended, very clearly for all of the "Thessalonian" church, for the whole community, and were probably were intended for a wider audience, for several, perhaps many churches. Perhaps, if we are fortunate (and blessed!) one of these blessings is the best blessing for our church.

So let's hear the blessings. {2.16f: Now may our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father, who loved us, and through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word.} Let me add a quick translator's note. The word translated "strengthen" in my NRSV means, "establish" or "lay a foundation," so the second part might also be read: "May God lay a foundation [in your hearts] for every good work and word."

But listen again: "May God comfort your hearts and strengthen them for every good work and word." We find it difficult for us to find our comfort, really and truly in a powerful but invisible Creator, a loving but unknowable Parent. We tend to comfort ourselves with temporary things, with money, with insurance, with stuff. It would be an amazing blessing for us, even as a church, if we are able to have God, more than any worldly security, as the comfort for our hearts.

And then, having our hearts built up by God whenever we are doing something good, or saying something good... So often when I try to do good, I feel as if I'm not even being appreciated, much less built up. It would be great if every time we had a good deed or a good word it strengthened us. It would be wonderful if we all were built up in all of our hearts every time the church, through any member, did or said something good. May the heart of our congregation rest on the words and deeds of its members.

Yet, as much as I liked this first blessing, as much as I intended to concentrate upon it, it was the second shorter, simpler blessing which grew within me as the week progressed. It was the second blessing which began me thinking in terms of "best." For... well, just listen: {v. 3.5: "May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and the steadfastness of Christ."}

May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God. When we think of the love of God... We think of the love of God as encompassing -- it covers the whole earth, inundates everything, flows like water over our heads pouring down over us. We think of the love of God as inclusive -- it reaches out to young, old, every ethnicity and social class, to people we wouldn't dream of talking to, and even to us. We think of the love of God as unconditional -- not stopping at any self-imposed barriers, but finding a way to contact us, to embrace us, to appreciate us. We think of the love of God as creative -- building, seeking, doing things in new, unusual, amazing ways. We think of the love of God as forgiving, accepting, warm, open, eternal, everlasting. God's love is...

If we were truly blessed by this blessing our hearts would be directed to the love of God. We would love and be loved in all the amazing wonderful ways that we think of God loving. Our love would begin to be encompassing, and inclusive, and unconditional, and creative, and forgiving, and accepting and warm and open. If our church would be blessed by this blessing, we would be directed to this love, God's love. And we would find comfort, security, and family in the process. May our hearts be directed to the love of God...

and the steadfastness of Christ. When we think of Christ's steadfastness, we remember how faithful Christ was and obedient to God's leading. Even when God's leading meant extreme peril, when it threatened his life, when it brought him scorn and shame. We remember how courageous Christ was, to face powerful authorities with simple faith in God's power, and personal integrity. We remember how unselfish Christ was, how he lived sacrificially, always giving to those in need. And we remember how he did not swerve from God's plan, but walked past the desert's temptations, over the stormy waves, and through the lonesome valley.

If we were truly blessed by this blessing, our hearts would be fixed on the steadfastness of Christ. We would journey, together, with all of Christ's faithfulness and obedience, all Christ's courage, faith and integrity. We would live sacrificially and unselfishly, and walk past temptation, through the storm, to the other side of the shadowy valley, together. May our hearts be directed to the steadfastness of Christ.

Now I know I have been foolish in insinuating that there can be any best blessing, for individuals or for churches, any more than there really is any "sexiest man alive --" next year it will be Denzel Washington or Brad Pitt or who knows, maybe Gray Davis. But the church does exist by God's good blessings. If we live by them, and build hope upon them, and choose to accept them within our life together, then we will, very truly BE blessed. So then, people of God, may our hearts find their comfort in God and be built up upon our every good word and deed. And may the Lord direct our hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ. Amen.