The preacher should always wonder when the Revised Common Lectionary cuts and pastes when it comes to readings for the day. The preacher should wonder because one knows the members of the congregation who follow along in their bibles will most certainly read what the lectionary intentionally leaves out. When it comes to the first chapter of First Thessalonians what is cut from the assigned epistle reading for the first Sunday of November are the verses that tell of God’s judgment and vengeance. Judgment and vengeance described by Paul in apocalyptic proportions.

God repaying with affliction those who afflict you. The Lord Jesus with angels in flaming fire inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God. The punishment of eternal destruction. A degree of judgment that rivals anything in the Old Testament or the Book of Revelation and its right here in a New Testament epistle. In the structure of this ancient letter all this judgment stuff comes in the thanksgiving section. In biblical letters right after the salutation: “I give thanks to my God always for you, I thank my God every time I remember you, in our prayers for you we always thank God.”  Here in II Thessalonians: “We must always give thanks to God for you. . .”. (v.3) The startling imagery of vengeance comes right in the thanksgiving. As the writer tells of boasting to other churches about the steadfastness and faith of this congregation during all the persecutions and afflictions.

Persecution and affliction of a first century Christian community is not something easily imagined by a 21^st century believer. But in the pages of scripture, these riffs on judgment most often come in response to or with the prediction of a suffering of epic proportion. When affliction or persecution or struggle or suffering rises exponentially to a point beyond words, the people of God turn to language of judgement and vengeance in an effort to provide some framework for understanding and existence. It is the apocalyptic literature of the bible. Not just Revelation but in some of the sermons of Jesus and in Daniel and Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible, and even here, just a snippet, surprisingly tucked into the thanksgiving section of a New Testament epistle.

As the dust settles from the stampede of apocalyptic imagery, whether here in II Thessalonians or anywhere else in scripture, the takeaways are pretty clear and fairly simple. When the world shakes, the people of God yearn to affirm that God is control and that when all is said and done those on God’s side will prevail. In God, there will always be a future. God is in control. God conquers all evil. God has a future even when chaos abounds, God is present. Though it would seem contrary to experience, victory will still come for God. And in God there is always a future; even if in the kingdom to come.  Those theological attestations of the sacred page come in complex metaphors, vivid language, and uncomfortable portrayals of vengeance, so the takeaway probably translates better than the ancient literature itself. When life is crumbling around you or when the world seems so dark or when the suffering of someone you love becomes almost indescribable, there is this yearning to affirm that God is not absent, and that God’s side will prevail, and that in God, there will always be a future. At the end of the day, I don’t find the biblical language of judgement and vengeance all that palatable or consistent with the God I have come to know in the power of the Spirit and in my relationship to Christ the Savior. But those affirmations, those takeaways, about God and God’s future, the craving for that assurance is ever more timely and relevant in these difficult and complex times we find ourselves.

The use of apocalyptic language is, of course, not limited to the pages of scripture. In the political rhetoric of the day many draw on apocalyptic language invoke fiery judgment and vengeance to fuel fear. Apocalyptic fear is then used to stir up judgment and hatred and bigotry and division. But notice how for the Apostle Paul here in I Thessalonians, the reverse is true. The attempt to find meaning in the shaken world is there, the reference to God’s vengeance is there, but the response of the faithful, the behavior of the believer, what is being lauded among God’s people, well, that’s very different.

The expressed gratitude, the boasting, the thanksgiving is about their steadfastness and their persistent faith. Thanksgiving is offered for how even in struggle, their faith is growing abundantly, their love is increasing. “The love of everyone of you for one another is increasing.” (v.4) Amid that apocalyptic swirl; as mention of persecution and suffering mixes with talk of God’s fiery judgement, what is praised, the evidence of God’s righteousness is the steady increase of love. “We always pray that our God will make you worthy of the call and will fulfill by God’s power every good resolve and work of faith, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him. . . “. (v. 11) The commendation to the faithful amid their suffering is for the steadfast faith and ever-increasing love for one another, that honors Christ as Christ surely honors them, according to the grace of God and the Lord Jesus himself.

It is an interesting twist for the Sunday after All Saints Day. Those take aways from the fanciful literature of the bible; that God is in control, that God will be victorious over evil, that in God one always has a future; the affirmation of those apocalyptic threads, the attestation, the assurance, here in the thanksgiving portion of II Thessalonians, the assurance comes as much if not more, in the steadfast faith and increasing of the great cloud of witness. The increasing love among the community of faith should leap of the page more than the uncomfortable language of vengeance and judgement. Persistent and steadfast discipleship glorifying Christ and Christ glorifying us. Though the world shakes, faith growing abundantly and the love of every one increasing.

When I stop and think about the particular names and faces who have made an impact on my life of faith and my walk with God and my place in the church, what I remember, the people who come to mind, the folks who made a difference in my life showed love. In every generation the world shakes, nations teeter, and the powers and principalities of the present darkness rage. And still, the saints of God strive for increased love and persistent faith. By the grace of Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit, and as gift of God, it is the stewardship of the everyday witness of the Church of Jesus Christ.