What Happened to My Happy Song? Reflections on Thessalonians 1:1-10

October 16, 2014 by Alyce McKenzie

Continued from Page 1

Life is not a continuous loop Happy Channel for the Thessalonians or for Paul in working with them, or for us.

The answer is not so easy as clicking "thumbs down," and never having to hear a minor key song again.

Life then, and now, includes challenges that we would never have chosen for ourselves, our loved ones, anyone. Unfortunately, we cannot hear the first few bars of a negative experience and banish it from our playlist forever.

Paul's response in this letter is to repeatedly click on a "thumbs up," the presence and imminent return of Christ who gives us joy in adversity and the stamina for harmonious life in community as we are a witness to the world.

"May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do this" (5:23-24).

Sources Consulted
Ben Witherington III, 1 and 2 Thessalonians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary

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About Alyce McKenzie

Alyce M. McKenzie is the George W. and Nell Ayers Le Van Professor of Preaching and Worship at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University.

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