The Third Sunday of Advent

Three Principles for Christian Living
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24


As I did last week, I ask you to imagine a scene with a child and a parent or other caregiver. It’s the child’s first day of kindergarten. Or maybe it’s the child’s first day of middle school or any other great endeavor. And the parent is giving her child last minute advice before the bus comes. Very important instructions for making the most of life… Basic principles to hang on to…

All of us have been the child in this scene. Many of you have also been the parent. What kernels of advice were you given or did you give? I recently asked one mom what advice she gave her daughter on the first day of school. Three things. Remember these three things, she said: Pay attention. Listen, especially to your teacher. Have fun. Good advice for a young student. Good principles to live by in kindergarten.

These sorts of principles are important. Parents pass them on to their children in the hope that the children will be more than just passive participants in life, but will flourish and make the most of life’s opportunities. They help us grow. Grow into who we are called to be.

In addition to the principles our parents may impart, there are many other sources of principles for living.

The boy scouts have twelve. That seems to me like too many to remember, and yet many scouts have remembered them and, to at least some degree, tried to live by them. A scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.

This time of year, many African Americans will soon be celebrating Kwanza. Central to that celebration is the affirmation of seven guiding principles for living. Unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, faith.

One more example. I’ve had Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute in my head all weekend. I don’t see the current production at Lyric until January, but once the music gets in your head, it stays. It is about the young hero’s journey towards love, purpose and fulfillment. Whenever he comes to a crisis or needs help, three young spirits appear to encourage and guide him. In their clear treble voices they sing: Sei standhaft! Duldsam! Und verschwiegen! Even if you don’t understand the German, they sound like laudable, vigorous principles. Be steadfast, patient and discreet, the spirits sing. These will enable you to achieve your goal.

None of these various collections of guiding principles are explicitly Christian. None are anti-Christian, but none speak specifically to living a Christian life. Thinking again of a child heading off to the first day of school, if we are the child and God is the parent, what instruction might we be given? What principles should we hang onto during the day so that we might be who we want to be, to live as Christians?

We have the ten commandments, of course. These precede the Christian witness, but are certainly worthwhile principles to live by. Jesus provides the summary of the law: you shall love God with your whole being and your neighbor as yourself. This is very important guidance, but could feel a bit abstract for daily living.

Then there’s Paul’s advice in the First Letter to the Thessalonians. I’m surprised we don’t repeat and emphasize these more. In the passage appointed for today, Paul is bringing his letter to a close. He is saying goodbye to the Thessalonians and giving them parting advice. Paul had just founded the Christian church in Thessalonica, and he had probably only been gone a month or two when he wrote this letter. Remember these are brand new Christians. They need basic, practical advice on how to be Christians. They live surrounded by pagan and secular pressures and temptations (as do we).

And Paul gives them three principles to live by: Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in all circumstances.

Paul gives the same advice in Romans, Colossians, and Ephesians. As one commentator says, these principles “belong essentially to the Christian life as Paul lived and taught it.”

Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in all circumstances.

One thing strikes me immediately as I consider this list. All three things happen all of the time. Paul does not say, rejoice when it’s your birthday. He does not say, pray when you are in trouble. He does not say, give thanks when you get an A or win the game. Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in all circumstances. There are no gaps. There is no time when you put the Christian life and identity aside.

Rejoice always. Rejoice in the gift of faith… the gifts of the spirit. Rejoice even in difficult times. The psalmist rejoiced in times of plenty and in times of trial. Paul rejoiced even in his suffering. Rejoice. Have fun. Rejoice because the spark of wonder and joy has been implanted in your heart by the Holy Spirit. On this third Sunday of Advent, our focus is often on Mary, although it’s not explicit in the Scripture readings this year. But remember the Magnificat, Mary’s great hymn of praise. My spirit rejoices in God my savior. My spirit rejoices in God. Always.

And pray without ceasing. This doesn’t mean we need to be on our knees reciting prayers from the Prayer Book 24/7. It does mean we should maintain our conversation, our connection, with God at all times. We should seek God’s presence and guidance and be open to God’s word to us in every aspect of our lives. Never let your focus on God wane or cease.

And give thanks in all things. Flip through the Book of Common Prayer and you will find many prayers of thanksgiving for all sorts of occasions and circumstances. This service that we participate in each Sunday, the Holy Eucharist, is a service of thanksgiving. In all circumstances, there is opportunity for thanksgiving. And we are called to be more than thank-ful; we are called to give thanks. One of the general thanksgivings in the Prayer Book concludes with a thanksgiving for the opportunity to know Christ and make Christ known. Give thanks in all circumstances for the opportunity to know Christ and make Christ known.

So every morning, when you embark on whatever your day holds, whether it is a grand new adventure or a day of mundane routine, hear Paul speak to you with these three important principles for Christian living: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances.”