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The twenty-seventh Sunday after Pentecost marks the last Sunday in five weeks of consecutive reading through Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians. In many respects, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 is one unit as Paul unpacks the life of the believer who has hope in the coming of Jesus Christ. There are several important connections between last week’s … Continue reading “1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 Commentary by Karoline Lewis”

Mr. Harold Camping, president of California’s Family Radio, predicted that three million people would be saved, the rest perish, on May 21, 2011. When that did not happen (though a “spiritual salvation” was subsequently alleged on that date), the End of the World was recalculated for October 21, 2011. A website, judgementday2011.com, offers the “Top … Continue reading “1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 Commentary by C. Clifton Black”

When Paul speaks about eschatology — how everything will happen at the end of time — he does so in order to bring comfort to his congregations. In 1 Thessalonians 4:18 and 5:1, at the bookends of this passage, he says so explicitly: comfort one another with these words. These teachings are meant to be … Continue reading “1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 Commentary by Amy L.B. Peeler”

Today’s text from 1 Thessalonians is the fourth lection in a series of five consecutive Sunday reading through the New Testament’s earliest extant writing. Given the opportunity to work through an entire writing like a letter of Paul, many preachers may already be preparing their fourth sermon on 1 Thessalonians. If this has not been … Continue reading “1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Commentary by Karoline Lewis”

We all long to hear a good word: a word that brings good news, a word that can sustain us, a word that can give us the vision and courage to make it through another day, a word that tells us God is with us. Precisely what that ‘good word’ is, what it says, will … Continue reading “1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Commentary by Holly Hearon”

Writing to a congregation of Gentile converts not long after he introduced them to the faith, Paul clarifies his teachings on a few points where the Thessalonians still remained cloudy. These include issues of eschatology, or what happens at the end of life and at the end of time. It seems that, since Paul’s departure, … Continue reading “1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Commentary by Amy L.B. Peeler”

Love epitomizes all social obligations. This may be the “take away” lesson from today’s epistle reading. Still, the organization of the reading is somewhat odd because 3:9-13 has two parts and comes at a transition in the letter to the Thessalonians. The first part, 3:9-10, represents the closing of an earlier part of the letter … Continue reading “1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 Commentary by Michael Joseph Brown”

Paul’s words of thanksgiving, admonition, and encouragement to the fledgling churches at Thessalonica reverberate with pastoral passion; nearly every sentence could end with an exclamation point! Those of us who have experienced (or endured) clinical pastoral education (CPE) might recognize something of Paul’s exuberance in some of our colleagues’ verbatims (or perhaps it was one … Continue reading “1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 Commentary by Jacob Myers”

At first reading three things leap out of this passage: thankfulness, love and relationship. Our passage begin with the words, “How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel … ” The passage continues with references to love that is increasing and abounding. Then there is the … Continue reading “1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 Commentary by Edward Pillar”

For additional lectionary resources on the assigned texts for All Saints, please see the Craft of Preaching articles. Throughout the second chapter of 1 Thessalonians, Paul seems somewhat defensive about his ministry in Thessalonica. Some scholars have suggested that Paul is responding to criticism that he and the other missionaries preached for financial gain, a … Continue reading “1 Thessalonians 2:9-13 Commentary by Richard Ascough”