First Community Church 11.19.23 Glen Miles -Sermon How To Dress For The End Of The World Part 2

Worship this Sunday This Sunday, November 19, I will conclude my sermon series, How to Dress for the End of the World, with Part Two - "Wrap Yourselves in Faith, Hope, and Love," based on 1 Thessalonians 5: 1-11. We read the first half of the reading last week, where Paul invites them to recognize they are "children of the light." In other words, they will not be shaped by fear and anxiety. They will not let the pressures of the world form them. It is a beautiful demonstration of brilliant pastoral skill. Instead of criticizing them for their fear and worry, he lifts them beyond these feelings to a new way of seeing their situation. In the second half of the reading, which we will read on Sunday, he highlights the three great gifts they have received and are already putting into practice: faith, hope, and love. Their faith is in the goodness of God's love. Their hope is seen in the ongoing promise of God's presence in their lives. And their love is embodied in how they care for each other and the world. At first glance, it feels like a text about the end of the world (it still sort of is), but Paul assures them of this: they already have all they need to take on whatever happens next!