An Easter Challenge from Shelby Etheridge

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)