There is a rather noticeable shift in tone when we move into the second chapter of 1 Thessalonians, where Paul describes his ministry among the believers with surprising gentleness, the tenderness of a nursing mother. He paints a picture of Christian fellowship that goes far beyond the transmission of and coherent community around theological information, writing in 1 Thessalonians 2:8 (ESV), “So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.”
This is a beautiful reminder that the Gospel is entirely relational and cannot be effectively communicated at a safe, sterile distance where we remain untouched by the struggles of others.
Where we sit now in a society where “causing offence” is the greatest offence, there is a terrible temptation to keep our religion entirely private and to treat the church as merely a dispenser of spiritual goods that we visit for an hour on Sunday before hastily retreating to our individual lives. However, the parish functions best when it is alive as a genuine family where lives are intertwined through, loving support, common prayer and shared sacraments. When Paul speaks of sharing his very self, he is reflecting in a very real sense the profound vulnerability of the incarnation, where the Son of God did not shout instructions from the heavens but came down to dwell amongst us in the messiness of human existence, where Jesus embraced the fullness of our humanity so that we might learn how to truly embrace one another.
True encouragement flourishes when we drop our protective social masks and allow ourselves to be truly known by our brothers and sisters in Christ in secure knowledge that it goes nowhere outside the church, when confidentiality and support is baked in. It takes a certain amount of bravery to share our struggles, our doubts and our peculiar quirks with the person sharing our pew, yet this is the very soil in which the love of God takes root and begins to grow. We find our burdens significantly lightened when we realise we are surrounded by a community that is deeply invested in our spiritual wellbeing and, as we gather around the Lord’s table week by week, we are being knit together into one body, equipped by the Holy Spirit to offer ourselves completely in the service of one another and the world.
Pax
Shaun
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