1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
October 18, 2026
Do you think the movie, “Top Gun: Maverick” was better than the original “Top Gun” movie? Did all of the Jurassic Park sequels give us new information about the dinosaurs or was it just more of the same that we saw in the original “Jurassic Park” movie? Did “Avengers: Endgame,” the highest grossing movie sequel of all time, bring closure for you or are you anxious to see the next Avengers sequel coming out this December? Many times movie sequels tend to be disappointing. Often it seems like the movie producers are just trying to capitalize on the success of the first film in creating a sequel, not because there is a meaningful follow-up story that needs to be told.
I wonder if people look at the future return of Jesus like a movie sequel. They know the story of Jesus and how He came to this earth as a baby, died on a cross, rose from the dead, and lives today in heaven, but that was a long time ago and with the way things are going these days is He really going to return and make things better or will it just be more of the same? In our second lesson for today from 1 Thessalonians, Paul wanted the Christians in Thessalonica to remain strong in their faith, because someday Jesus would return to this earth, but not like another uninspiring movie sequel. Jesus would return in a very different, more powerful way and He promises to take all Christians with Him to live in heaven forever.
While many people came to faith through Paul’s work, unfortunately there were also many who were opposed to the faith which forced Paul and his companions to leave the area. As Paul left he was concerned for the Christians, because it did not look like the persecution would stop with his departure. So Paul sent them this letter, our second lesson for today, to encourage them in their faith. In particular, he did not want the Christians to think that suffering for the faith was a sign that God had left them. It was actually just the opposite. Whenever God allows a trial into our life He’s not challenging us to handle the situation on our own. Instead, He’s moving us to hold on to His promises that will see us through the difficulty. Trials and challenges in life are like a strong winter wind. The harder it blows, the more tightly it causes you to wrap your jacket around you, not throw it off. In the same way, God allows blustery challenges in our lives so that we will wrap ourselves more tightly in His love.
There is a story of a college student who came to see his pastor one day saying, “Pastor, sometimes I don’t think I am a Christian anymore. I just don’t seem to have the same interest and excitement that I once did. It’s not easy for me to remember God at college, to go to church, and to pray. It is too easy to find excuses to stay away from church. I know God hasn’t left me, but I feel as if I have left him.”
The pastor replied, “Remember when your dad was deployed to Iraq for a whole year when you were in middle school? Was it difficult for you to remember him?” “No, not at all,” said the young man. “He would write to me, we could talk on the computer, and he would send me gifts so I would remember him.”
“Suppose,” said the pastor, “that there were no letters, no computers, no cell phones, no gifts, and you never mentioned his name in a conversation at your house. Would you still remember him?” “That would have made a big difference,” said the college student, “it’s possible I might have forgotten about him if that had happened.”
“Well,” said the pastor, “that is the way it is with God. Sometimes it is tough to remember God. Sometimes it is tough to remain a Christian in this world. But God has given us His Word, like your father’s letters, to remember Him. God has given us His gifts of Communion and Baptism as a physical reminder of His love for us, like the gifts your father sent you. God also wants us to include Him in our conversations, not just on Sunday, but all throughout the week, so that we will remember Him. It’s tough to remain a Christian, it is tough to remember that God doesn’t leave you – especially when you are suffering or facing difficulties. It is tough to keep a relationship with God alive, exciting, and fresh. But God is working on His end and He wants you to continue to work on your end. He has given you all the tools necessary to keep the relationship strong, you just have to use the tools He gives you.” The college student agreed. He learned that if he is going to remain in the faith, he has to use the things God gives to him to keep that relationship strong, just as he used the things his dad gave to him (letters, calls, & presents) to keep their relationship strong while he was gone.
That story is a good illustration of our second lesson from 1 Thessalonians. Paul knows how difficult it is for these people to remain in Christ, so he prays for them saying in verse 2, “We give thinks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers.” And as he prays for these people, he remembers how they have worked to remain faithful to Jesus saying in verse 3, “Remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love, and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
As we consider our faith and our relationship with God in this challenging world in which we live, with all of the temptations to turn away from Him, we know that we need to pray for each other and encourage each other in our faith. Martin Luther wrote about this duel aspect to faith, how it is the work of the Holy Spirit and our work, when he explained that the 3rd article or part of the Apostles’ Creed which says, “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting” what that means, Luther wrote, is “I cannot by my own understanding or effort believe in Jesus, but it is the Holy Spirit who enables me to believe by calling me through the Gospel, enlightening me with His gifts, and keeping me in true faith.” So God’s Holy Spirit brings us to faith and has given us gifts to keep us in our faith, and we need to use those gifts, namely God’s Word and His Sacraments of Baptism and Communion. It is in these gifts and the faith of our fellow Christians that we are able to remain in the faith and walk as children of the light in our world darkened by sin.
Or think of it this way. Living a life of faith in Jesus is like two butterflies sitting on a tree, having just emerged from their chrysalis. “Come fly with me,” said the one. “Caterpillars can’t fly,” said the other. “But we’re not caterpillars anymore,” said the first, flexing his new wings. “Don’t be silly,” said the other, “we were born caterpillars and we will always be caterpillars.” “Well then, why did God give us these wings?” said the one. The other butterfly said, “I don’t know, but He did the same thing to the ostrich.” “But look at all the other butterflies,” said the first, “They’re flying.” “But it’s dangerous,” said the other, “I’ll just stick to crawling. It may be slow, but it’s safe.” “But it’s not natural,” said the first, “Butterflies fly. That’s the way God made us. We are supposed to soar and float, and we are to inspire awe and wonder for all to see.”
We need to be butterflies. It is not natural for us to hide our faith. We are to inspire awe and wonder with our faith in our loving God for all to see. We are to be people of faith who can see the endless possibilities in life with our God. We see, not dead ends, ways through the dark tunnels of life, knowing that our God is always with us. We use the tools God gives to us to strengthen our faith, because someday Jesus will return to this earth and His return will not be like a disappointing movie sequel. His return will be much more glorious than his first coming, when He was born in a stable as a baby. When Jesus returns He will present himself as He truly is, the King of kings and Lord of lords. “Wow!” That’s what everyone will be saying on that day whether you are a believer or unbeliever. I pray that you will share your faith in Jesus and strengthen that faith by being with others in worship and Bible study. That’s why this church was created 25 years ago, to strengthen our faith, so that on the day of Jesus’ return, which will come when we least expect it, our “Wow” will be an expression of great joy for all to see.
