Resurrection words?
Since Easter began, I’ve been taking a poll from many of you
all, my pastor friends: Have any of you ever read from 1 Thessalonians 4 at a
service of witness to the resurrection?
I have to admit that I’ve always shied away from this
passage from Paul although it is a clear witness to the resurrection in the early
church. Why? Because it scares the pants off of me!
It shows up in my much-loved, grape-juice spotted, P.C.
(U.S.A.) Book of Common Worship only once, in a four-line blurb under
“sentences of Scripture” in a service of witness to the resurrection.
This Easter season I’ve been challenging myself to work with
this passage more, to face my own fears about it and coming to see its power in
our work as people called to witness to the power of God over death in Christ’s
resurrection.
We know that grief permeates all human life; it spans ages
and reaches across the globe. We see people grieving in Syria, in Boston, in
West, Texas; we see people grieving in hospitals when we visit, in our pews on
Sunday morning and in our own homes. We are responsible not only for our own
grief but also take on the task of comforting members of our congregation when they
need comfort.
In my experience, the prayers and conversations that are
most helpful are those that acknowledge the reality of death and the pain that
comes with being parted from a loved one. We’ve all heard the “folk theology,”
(as my CPE supervisor called it) like “He’s in a better place,” or “God took
her because God needed another angel,” and “She’s looking down on you from
heaven.” These are words I’ve heard people fall back on in hospital rooms and
at gravesides, and they can provide comfort for people who are grasping for any
words of hope.
As pastors though, we have more in our back pockets than
just those words. In one of my favorite books from my time at Sibley Hospital, Standing in the Circle of Grief: Prayers and
Liturgies for Death and Dying, Blair Gilmer Meeks writes that we are called
to prayers and conversations that affirm a greater reality, the certainty that
Jesus was raised from the dead and that God’s power over death will bring life
to all believers (Meeks, 11). We know that Scripture can provide comfort in the
midst crisis and grief for Christian communities; the words of ancient
believers connect Christians in our communities with generations of witnesses
to God’s power over death.
A little New Testament review was required for me (so maybe
it’ll be the same for you?) as I started to fully engage with this passage: Paul’s
first letter to the Thessalonians is his earliest known writing, he was writing
at a time when the resurrection had just occurred, and many people believed
that the second coming of Christ, the final judgment, the parousia, was close
upon them. The resurrection language in Paul’s letters can make them very
comforting in times of grief or loss.
In this letter, Paul is pastoring a church grieving for members
who had recently died. The Thessalonians were confused when loved ones began
dying before this second coming; they seemed to have assumed that dead
Christians were just dead, that they did not get an afterlife. In this letter, Paul
calls them to encourage one another in their grief; and that their loved ones
will not miss out on a union with Jesus Christ.
Resurrection words!
First Thessalonians 4 is such an obvious resurrection
passage that I had a “duh” moment when I come across it in the lectionary, “the
dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be
caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so
we will be with the Lord forever.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16b-17, NRSV
translation). But that “duh” is easier said than acted on. A quick Google image
search of this passage brings up artistic renderings of people with angel’s
wings floating above cemeteries and empty beds with pajamas left behind in the
shape of a person who has been raptured into heaven. (See below).
Y’all, I think it’s time that we reclaim this passage. First
Thessalonians 4:13-18 is a prayer of hope. It affirms the eternal certainty
that we find in the gospel message: Christ is risen, Christ is risen indeed!
This joyful proclamation stands out against the despair of mourning, and we
have been saying it every Sunday at Ginter Park Presbyterian Church. Each week we
reassure ourselves that life comes again in Christ.
In this passage Paul is answering the Thessalonians’
question of what will happen to those in their community who died before the
parousia (Gaventa, 62-63). This question is still being asked, as people mourn
a loved one, and in this passage Paul recognizes the reality of Christians’
grief for that loss (Gaventa, 67). Recognizing this reality is something that we
are called to do when caring for people experiencing grief and loss, and this
passage can help us with that task. Paul also highlights the unique hope that we
Christians have, that God will bring with God those who have already died.
The pastoral passion behind all of Paul’s work is what makes
it so effective in grief counseling and congregational care. Paul meant his
letters as reassurance of salvation and God’s love. His constant references to
and reassurances of a life beyond death, a life in Jesus Christ are what make
his words so effective in pastoral care. When we are grieving, we are looking
for that reassurance; and Paul’s letters can give that to us.
So friends, I've challenged myself to use these words and this letter more in pastoral care... will you join me? I'd love to hear from you in the comments about what you think and how you might use Paul's letters in your church, particularly in this season of Easter!
Some books I have been reading during my Easter study of 1
Thessalonians are:
Meeks, Blair Gilmer. Standing
in the Circle of Grief: Prayers and Liturgies for Death and Dying.
Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2002.
(Y’all should really check this one out: prayers, scripture
and liturgies all for pastoring folks dealing with death and grief… super
helpful)
Gaventa, Beverly Roberts. First and Second Thessalonians. Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for
Teaching and Preaching. Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 1998.
Sanders, E.P. Paul: A
Very Short Introduction. Oxford, NY: Oxford University Press, 1991.
(Good and easy to read historical context for Paul’s
letters)
