To follow with confidence, to stand firm, to hold the traditions taught by Paul and Silas from the beginning of the Macedonian mission, is nothing more nor less than holding on to the Jesus who was handed over, standing firm on Jesus.
Jesus is coming back soon. Thanks be to God.
The Old Testament and Gospel that surround this precious epistle lesson punctuate the readings in the worship service with the promise that God is not the God of the dead but of the living. In the wake of All Saints’ Day last week, this is a great promise to hear repeated. And the life that saints living on earth have with the rest of the Church triumphant is now lived in great hope that we will be with them again in glory, knowing Jesus has not abandoned us. Do not be deceived (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3)! Also, know God has chosen us (2 Thessalonians 2:13) and called us to obtain the glory of Jesus Christ (2 Thessalonians 2:14). Just as Paul had previously written to comfort these Christians with assurance about the last things, the final judgment, and the second coming of Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17), He summarizes those promises here for the Thessalonians, for you, and for your hearer, so the Lord may “comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word” (2 Thessalonians 2:17) until that day finally comes.
In light of the spooky stuff that takes place at the end—wars and rumors of wars and all the admonition our Lord gives to His disciples (see also Luke 21, Mark 13, and the entire book of Revelation), as well as this epistle lesson’s specific warning about lawlessness, antichrist, and the trouble the Church will face until He is revealed and Christ returns—what is the Church to do? This is the center of the pericope, and ought to serve as the center of your message on the epistle this week. In light of the end, of persecution and tribulation, and of judgment and salvation to come, what ought the Church to do? What life goal ought the preacher to set for the hearer? 2 Thessalonians 2:15 becomes the most important verse in the chapter: So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.
Traditions are salutary things. The word means “handed down,” “handed over.” I invite you to call up the image of the baton in a relay race. What one generation has cherished and kept safe for the next is translated to a new one, wisdom from one age enlightening the next, and so on and so forth to the present age, passing the baton, passing the torch, so to speak. Just like your grandmother’s Christmas ornaments adorned her tree, and then the tree of your mother, so you have a treasure to share with your own home, your own children, your own grandchildren someday. It is like the special piece of jewelry, perhaps a wedding ring, a treasured possession, that gets handed from one generation to another, it is more than a connection to the past, such things become a connection to beauty, to love, and to stories of family and faithfulness. Such traditions are not cold ashes to be worshiped, but contain a flame to be preserved, especially when the story of the “why” is shared. Traditions like these become more than, “That’s just the way we do it, and we’ve always done it that way, so why change?” Rather, they pass the mantle of preservation and care to the living who know how precious it is to have received something so valuable that they want to pass it along to their own children and neighbors yet to be born.
[Traditions] pass the mantle of preservation and care to the living who know how precious it is to have received something so valuable that they want to pass it along to their own children and neighbors yet to be born.
“I received from the Lord and am handing over to you what was handed over to me,” says Paul in 1 Corinthians 11, when he is instructing (and correcting!) the Corinthian congregation about the practice of the Lord’s Supper. The Apostle did not just invent this stuff out of his own head! No stranger to ritual and remembrance, Paul carefully uses the language he does both to instill confidence in his readers and hearers in the integrity of his message, as well as to trace the Corinthians’ contemporary celebration of the Supper to Christ Himself, and to the meal where Jesus identifies Himself as the Passover feast, linking all of God’s salvation history to them as they eat and drink in the middle of the relay race. The best way, according to the apostles, to avoid error in the Christian Church is not some kind of strict or conservative legalism that avoids change or fails to drill in to the “why” of practices. Rather, it is to rest on the truth as it has been taught and handed down; not according to the traditions of men, but according to the Word of God as it has been shared (also refer to Ephesians 4:20, Colossians 2:7, 1 Corinthians 11:2, 2 John 8-11, 2 Timothy 3:10, and next week’s epistle lesson, 2 Thessalonians 3:6-7).
Tradition means handed down, handed over. But the word itself in the New Testament is not simply about teachings or material treasures. Consider the Jesus hook in Paul’s own 1 Corinthains 11:23 context: “I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when He was betrayed...” Delivered and betrayed, it is the same word in Greek (paradidōmi). Tradition and betrayal, the handing down and the handing over, they share the same word in Greek, and in Latin, which gives us words that share the same root in English. Paul is playing with words there in 1 Corinthians. However, we cannot but appreciate that the Jesus at the center of the handing over is also at the center of the tradition Paul encourages the Thessalonians to follow as they (and we) face the end of days. This is because to follow with confidence, to stand firm, to hold the traditions taught by Paul and Silas from the beginning of the Macedonian mission, is nothing more nor less than holding on to the Jesus who was handed over, standing firm on Jesus. On Christ the solid rock I stand; all other ground is shifting sand.
The betrayed Jesus, the Jesus of the Supper, this is the Jesus of the cross. This is the Jesus who will save the Corinthians. This is the Jesus who will preserve the Thessalonians. This is the Jesus who will be the Lord of Paul and the Lord of you and the Lord of your hearers this week. Hand over the Lord to them by handing over the teaching and traditions of the apostles, and when you do, the Lord they get will be the one who was handed over to Pilate, handed over to passion, and handed over to death on their behalf. This is done by delivering the Word preached and the Word in all its sacramental forms as well. It is the Word of forgiveness, the Word of His name in the water of baptism, and the Word in, with, and under the bread and wine, the body and blood, that says take and eat, take and drink, it is for you.
It is the Word of forgiveness, the Word of His name in the water of baptism, and the Word in, with, and under the bread and wine, the body and blood, that says take and eat, take and drink, it is for you.
Those gospel words, the Jesus delivered, is the precious gift that is guarded in the tradition and teaching Paul encourages of the Thessalonians. How can you encourage your people to do the same? It is worthwhile to talk about traditions of many kinds in your own situation. Challenge with the “why?” Why do we do these things, practice this way, talk this way? Positively reinforce the story we share to explain those traditions. Illustrations will abound in your own congregation, from things as simple and homey as what gets served at a potluck, to matters more pertinent to your worship service, including liturgical arts, paraments, candles, and other human traditions.
Also, as appropriate, do not forget about Veterans’ Day this week, and encourage your people to consider the “why” of commemorating those who serve as well. The stories told will inevitably discover an origin for practice and appreciate the debt the present owes to the past for good teaching and confidence in identity as God’s people. This is the perfect entree for the 2 Thessalonians 2 lesson, why we need that confidence, since we are beset by the signs of the times, the end times. Do not be distracted by fear, anxieties, or worry about the end. Do not be shaken in mind, do not be alarmed (2 Thessalonians 2:2). Christ is here, very present, indeed, handed from the apostles on down in tradition and teaching, to Paul, to the Thessalonians, and even to your people this week.
How best to survive the end? Stick to the teaching. Stick to the traditions. Run the relay race seriously, and hand over to the next generation the “why,” the stories, and, above all, the greatest story, the love of God in Christ who has the end in His hand. Deliver this to your hearer, and they will deliver it to their children and other neighbors. What a story to tell!
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Additional Resources:
Craft of Preaching-Check out 1517’s resources on 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8, 13-17.
Concordia Theology-Various helps from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO to assist you preaching 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8, 13-17.
Lectionary Kick-Start-Check out this fantastic podcast from Craft of Preaching authors Peter Nafzger and David Schmitt as they dig into the texts for this Sunday!
The Pastor’s Workshop-Check out all the great preaching resources from our friends at the Pastor’s Workshop!
