The Miracle of Change: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

In college, I was a business major. I learned that the first three rules of business are location, location, location.

If you build it, there is no guarantee that they will come. You must be where your target customer is. This is why Leechburg is home to four dollar stores, a Big Lots, and an Ollie’s, but not a Nordstrom or Whole Foods.

What we find in the New Testament, however, is that the Apostles established churches in some of the worst places imaginable. One such church was in the city of Thessalonica, located in modern-day Greece. Thessalonica was the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia. Its citizens were fiercely loyal to the Rome and its gods.

Image by Rudy and Peter Skitterians from Pixabay

There was, however, a synagogue in Thessalonica. Paul visited and proclaimed that Jesus was the Messiah, and how it was necessary for him to suffer and rise from the dead. Numerous people come to faith, both Jews and non-Jews alike. But the religious establishment did not take this well. They arrested Paul and his partner, Silas, took them to the city’s magistrates, and accused them of treason for proclaiming Jesus Christ as King. After the believers bail them out of jail, they convince Paul and Silas to leave the city, because it was too dangerous for them to remain.

And yet, despite all this danger and turmoil, the church thrived. In Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, he is overflowing with gratitude for their faith, their love, and their resilience in the face of opposition and persecution. Not only that, he celebrates how they abandoned their idolatry, greed, and immorality to serve the living and true God. That’s a miracle.

In my opinion, it’s easier to heal the body than change the mind. When we are challenged to change, our instinct is to dig in our heels and to fight against it with all our might.

But these people changed—and it was the love of Jesus Christ and the hope of his resurrection which inspired them to embrace a whole new identity and way of life.

This same transforming power is present among us, in the Gospel, in the sacraments, and in the love we have for each other. There has not been a time, in most of our lifetimes, when this love and this hope has been needed more than it is right now. The need for our church and its ministries has never been greater than right now. But why are there so many empty pews?

For starters, I fear we are too comfortable being comfortable. The mission has never been a struggle until now. Gone are the days when we could open up our doors, hang up signs that say “welcome,” and people come to us.

Another reason is the pervasive influence of the gods of this world. We don’t want to miss out on owning all the cool stuff and having all the fun everyone else is having.

A third reason for the empty pews is that we are hurting the same hurts and fearing the same fears as everyone else. We need the love of Jesus, the peace of Jesus, and the righteousness of Jesus, but we aren’t seeking it. We’re being run ragged by all of life’s demands. We’re too tired to do the hard work of discipleship.

But the believers in Thessalonica are a shining example of the change Jesus brings about in less-than-ideal circumstances. Adversity doesn’t thwart the grace of God. It magnifies it. And the change that Jesus brings about begins in our brokenness, as well as our longings for something greater than the world can give.

The early church grew and flourished in the testimony of ordinary people who were so filled with joy over what Jesus was doing in their lives that they had to tell people. They had to share their stories. They had to extend Jesus’s love to the neighbor. And when the mission was hard and dangerous, they persevered in the grace that was given them, because doing anything less was more unimaginable than death.

This power to change is present here among us, in the Gospel, in the sacraments, and in the love we have for each other in Christ. There has not been a time, in most of our lifetimes, when this love and this hope has been needed more than it is right now. The need for our church and its ministries has never been greater than right now. If we are truly following Jesus, we’re on the move, just like Paul and Silas. We need to meet the people where they are. And unlike the Paul and the Thessalonian Christians, we will not put our lives in danger by doing God’s work. So, what are we waiting for?

The greatest miracle God will work in us is the miracle of change. Change and resurrection go hand-in-hand. We can do better, we can be better, and we can make tomorrow better, because Jesus is risen.