Turned to Serve God
Return of the Jedi
· Rejoin the Rebel Alliance in their battle against the Empire
· Recurring theme with Luke – emperor wants to turn him to the dark side
· Empire seems to have the upper hand in all of their battles – greater military might (in sheer #s and better equipment), years of being in power, Darth Vader and his greater experience and mastery of the force
· Luke loyal to the aims of the alliance – and yet tempted so often – not to join the empire, but to give in to hate and fear, to turn to the power of the dark side to accomplish what he wants
o Nearly seduced by the Emperor and by Darth Vader to use anger and hatred to win out in battle with Vader, esp. when lives of friends is in danger, when Vader suggests that Leia will be the one to turn to the dark side
Church in Thessalonica deep in the heart of (Roman) empire as well
· Story from Acts sets the stage
o Paul and Silas/Silvanus (Latin version) traveling – kind of getting chased from city to city at this point in Acts; planting churches as they go and causing uproars along the way
o Goes to synagogue, seeking to persuade people that Jesus is the Messiah (which is a tough sell, because Messiahs are supposed to be strong and powerful – and this Jesus suffered and died! – and was raised)
· Thessalonica port city in northern Greece; a place steeped in imperial culture, with the emperor considered a god; idols everywhere – and not just a religious/spiritual thing, but part of social, economic, political life · Acts narrates conflict that comes when some people (Jews, Greeks, women) begin to believe – and Jewish leaders were “jealous” – righteously indignant (another translation) – protective of Jewish beliefs and tradition
o Set the city in an uproar, attack the house where they assume Paul and Silas were staying – and they flee to the next city under the cover of darkness
· 1 Thessalonians – Paul’s 1st letter (maybe oldest book we have in New Testament) o Writing back to church, reconnecting, sharing words of thanks and words of wisdom
o Mentions how they received the word with joy in spite of persecution
· Turning from idols to serve a living and true God o Turning from idols = turning from powers of empire; Loyalty to Jesus put them into conflict with surrounding community/culture/society (both Jewish and pagan) – rejection and accusation and anger
§ Perhaps, like Luke, tempted to turn back to idols for the sake of an easier life with less hardship…
Loyalty to Jesus will put us in conflict with the surrounding culture of empire too
· Turning from idols (whatever seeks to gain our trust above God) will make us stand out as those who are not in cahoots with the empire
o Not talking about empire as any particular government at any level or location – just the forces that would stand in the way of God
· We’re unlikely to be the focus of an uproar or be “persecuted” for our faith – but turning to God, acknowledging Jesus as “king” will mean that we will sometimes clash with the world around us o We will live differently, with different priorities, a different vision of how the world should be, how all of God’s beloved people and creation should be treated, as we seek to be a part of bringing God’s kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven, as we pray in the prayer Jesus taught us to pray
· And the forces of the empire never like that o And we may find ourselves tempted at times, as Luke was, to use the methods of the empire to achieve a higher aim
o To allow ourselves to just be part of the reigning power structure so that our lives may not be disturbed
· And the sneakiness of the deception that sometimes convinces us that we are following Jesus when in fact we are in bed with the powers of the empire o Ex. Much of religious life in America for past several decades is intertwined with the desire and quest for power and influence and has sometimes led whole movements to compromise beliefs and stances in order to be positioned to make a difference – not realizing how that can poison us and our witness, turning us into what we thought we were fighting against…
Despite temptation (again and again), Luke turns (again and again) away from the dark side of the force to the light
· I imagine this was not a once and done thing, but something that had to be done multiple times
· But their lives and their living are transformed, so that their faith is spoken about throughout the region
· They receive the word with joy, despite persecution and struggle
· They imitate the apostles and Jesus – and themselves become an example to all of the believers in that part of the world
· Paul gives thanks for their work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in Jesus
· Their lives are changed as they seek to serve God and wait for Jesus who has been raised from the dead – something more powerful than empire is at work!
The Holy Spirit turns us to serve a living and true God too!
· When we are tempted by the powers of empire, the Holy Spirit reminds us that Jesus is more powerful than the empire and strengthens us to continue “re-turning” to serve God
· The empire’s empty promises of power and security if only we will serve the empire are washed away in the waters of baptism, as we are raised to follow Jesus
· We are people transformed and sent to transform a hurting world with acts of faith and labors of love and steadfastness of hope
· Working to be part of building a new kingdom as we wait for Jesus to return to fulfill God's vision for a world redeemed
May we be bold and courageous as we turn from empire to serve God who is living and true!
Amen.
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