The Lazy and Disruptive

Isaiah 65: 17-25
2 Thess 3: 6-13

There are  many people that make up the body of Christ. Many different personalities and many different ideas and ways of doing things. That is good and that is right. As the Apostle Paul tells us, not everyone can be head or neck of the church and not everyone should be an arm or leg. We need people with different gifts and ideas to make a church whole and healthy. Truth be told, not many churches are whole and healthy, and the one we read about in Thessalonica is no exception.

In the newly formed church of Thessalonica, there were people that were not doing as they should. They were lazy and they were disruptive. There were people that loved to listen to gossip and spread it to everyone who would listen. There were people who were doing too much work and others that were not doing enough. There were people who had forgotten that Jesus Christ is the head of the church, and not them. The author urges the people to remember the example that they had set when they began the church and to settle down.

Paul tells the people it is time to earn the food they eat. With the divisions in American politics being what it is, this has become a huge topic to republicans and democrats. How much should we help the poor? Should we help them at all? Do we help or harm the people when we extend unemployment benefits and food stamps? This is a problem that has been plaguing society for thousands of years.

We are called to help those that need it. We are also called to make sure people can stand on their own two feet. Sometimes, people will take advantage of our generosity and will take what we give whether they need it or not. As a church, as individuals, and as a nation we need to decide how much we're willing to give and when to say no more. Because Paul does tell us that it is okay to look at someone and tell them to get up and work for what they eat. Now, that does not mean there are not circumstances where a person absolutely cannot earn what they eat. However, we are told that sometimes it's okay to be discriminating in who we offer help to. If the person has two good hands and feet and an able mind - by all means urge them to find work.

This week there was a horrible fire that devastated a family's home. They lost almost everything. It is perfectly acceptable to give them help and Paul would be the first to urge us to give whatever we can to get the family back on their feet. If, in a year from now, the family continues to take things when they no longer need it - that is the issue Paul has with the people in Thessalonica. There is no excuse for laziness. He reminds the people they are taking the energy and resources we have away from those that need it when they refuse to contribute to building up the church.

There is another component to this passage. Paul talks about the busybodies. These are the people that can be idle gossip mongers or they can be people who think it is their job to know everything that goes on in the church and so they take on too much work. These people often do not realize the disruption they cause in the church body because they are too busy to notice. In this passage, Paul reminds us that it is not enough to work constantly for the church, but instead we must work together.

He says that although it was his right to do no work at all and eat whatever he wanted, he and his companions did work with the church body to build up the body of Christ and to teach them what is right and proper. Sometimes, we find ourselves getting so caught up in helping that we take on too much and hurt ourselves and others. When we constantly stand up to do a job, it makes others who are more hesitant and unsure of their gifts, recede into the background. They become idle in their work and faith because we have people that are working too hard.

The church is meant to be a working body. Each part has a function. Every person has a place. The church is not a social gathering place. It is not meant to be a place of idle chitchat. We are not to come here and expect everyone else to do all the work. We are not to come here and expect to do all the work. We are not to sit in our pews on Sunday and think that is the only worship and work that is required as a disciple of Christ. Paul tells us that if that is what you think - then you're thinking wrong.

Church is the place we worship God; our creator, savior and redeemer. Church is the place we congregate to make plans to help others. Church is the place where we get prayed over and we pray for others. Church is the place where a group of people with different gifts and abilities all strive to make our community better, healthier, and more in touch with Jesus Christ. It is not the place where idle gossip is exchanged. It is not the place where petty words and actions are committed. It is not the place where people are unable to forgive mistakes.

Because, Paul tells us, if that is what we are - then how are we any different from the outside world? What do we have to offer our community if we cannot get past such things like disagreements and differences in personality? How can we possibly share the love of Christ with strangers when we do not show the love of Christ to those within these walls?

Take a look around this sanctuary. There are people in here you like and respect. There are people you do not like, but you still treat them well. There are people who you have fought with and afterward you have made up with. There are people who you have shared tears of sorrow with at the loss of a friend or spouse. There are people here who you have helped to get back on their feet during a trying time.

If we want to be a healthy church, all of these things are needed and okay. What is not acceptable is when our dislike becomes disrespect. When we have a disagreement and we allow it to fester in our hearts. What is not acceptable is when we create an agenda that hurts the church and hurts our community because we think a certain person or certain group of people or a committee needs punished. That is when our actions and our words show how far we have turned away from the teaching of Christ. Jesus is the one who stood before his accusers and loved them even as they spouted lies and filth at him. The one who as he lay gasping for breath, bleeding and bloody on that cross, he cried out to God to forgive them for they do not understand what they have done.

That is the example we are called to follow. That is the ONLY way we are to treat each other. Anything else is an abomination of Christ's teaching and is a sin against God.

The good news is that there is time to change all of this. The great news is that despite our pettiness and idleness and gossip, Christ has never stopped loving us and believing in us. Each of you are God's beloved child, an heir to the Kingdom of God because Jesus died to make it so. That will never, ever change unless you deny your inheritance. That means no matter how far we stray from Christ's path that there is a way back. Jesus does not leave us alone even when we stop praying and stop acting like a Christian should.

Today we shall take Communion. We shall eat and drink with Jesus Christ, at his Father's table through the gift of the Holy Spirit. That means right now, we can let go of all the sinful thoughts and behaviors we have subjected ourselves and others to and accept forgiveness. We can start fresh; we will be clean and new and beautiful.

Paul's warning to Thessalonica is a warning to us all. Do not become idle in your faith and in your good works. Continually go back to Jesus Christ and accept his forgiveness and love. When we do that, we cannot stray from God's path for very long.

Amen.