22nd Sunday after Pentecost
Proper 27, Year C
Nov. 9, 2025
2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17
In 1938, people across the country tuned into the Orson Welles radio program Mercury Theatre on the Air converting the 40-year-old novel War of the Worlds into a fake news bulletin describing a Martian invasion of New Jersey and chaos ensued. Police logs from that year document a national panic attack as folks thought the story was a true newscast. And we all can recall what was happening in the world in 1938. Of course people then were less accustomed to fake news than we are in 2025, and a tremendous amount of energy and damage control had to go into getting folks calmed down and back on track that year. Truth be told, though, we still fall for fear mongering just as easily today.
And even though Jesus himself said neither he nor any of the rest of us would know when his return and the end of this age would happen, false prophets continue to perpetuate hysteria by claiming to have found the secret formula hidden in the scriptures that depict the day and hour of the world’s end. Some throughout history have sold their homes and given up their livelihoods to go stand on a hilltop in a white garment waiting for the Jesus spaceship to pick them up, only to have to return to their towns and ask for their houses back.
Not long after Jesus’ death and resurrection, Paul and his community wrote a letter to the Thessalonians to calm them of similar anxiety. They had believed, as had Paul, that Jesus’ return was imminent. While Paul did write the first letter to the Thessalonians, it is most likely that someone else from his community wrote the second letter.
This letter sounds very much like a parent writing to their children away at college who are getting mixed up in the wrong crowd. The author finds it necessary to recenter and anchor them by reminding the Thessalonians of who they are and what they know. The letter seeks to clarify some misconceptions about the return of Christ and to pull the church away from hysteria that causes division and tribalism.
Now, it’s not like the Thessalonians are making all this up. They are hyper-fixated on the end time predictions that Paul made, but Jesus himself made, too. Chapter 13 of Mark’s Gospel gives us a passionate oration by Jesus describing the signs of the end of the age: “There will be suffering, such as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now” (Mark 13:19). “Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds” (Mark 13:26).
We encounter the church at Thessalonica struggling with some rumors that the day of Christ is at hand, like any day now. People were just as prone to pulling bits and pieces out of what they’ve read or heard or been told through the rumor mill. Understandably, panic set in and anxiety rose for those not grounded in love and compassion that Christ encouraged. It still happens today. And yes, it is also understandable that the new church would worry about what was going to happen to them, they were under some serious persecution and were paying a high price for following the Jesus Way. They would have liked those four winds to come and gather them right there and then.
Imagine the anxiety early believers at Thessalonica must have felt when the rumor of the end times spread through their community. Daily life and worship were disrupted with concerns over how to wait, how to prepare, who would be “taken up” and who would be left behind. We’re living in a similar time of uncertainty. People are worried about their jobs, putting food on the table, priests in our Diocese are getting picked up by ICE, and even concerns about tomorrow in our own church. Fear makes people feel vulnerable and they become easy to exploit. The “what if” phenomena starts to hold more power than one’s belief and faith that we are actually cared for by a power greater than the sum of the deeds of evil and held in a Love that cannot be defeated.
The Thessalonians are understandably feeling disoriented and confused and the letter is written to try and quell the anxiety and calm these reactions, assuring the congregation that they will know for certain of the return of Christ when it happens and that the return will be victorious. The author seeks to soothe them “Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless one is revealed, the one destined for destruction. He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, declaring himself to be God. Do you not remember that I told you these things when I was still with you?”
The harbingers of doom are all around us, telling us that the end is near. But we are to hold on to the faith we have in Jesus Christ. We are resurrection people. This doom is not the last word. Death has already been defeated and Love will prevail. And that is a pattern we also can see throughout history. There is a battle raging. This evil is a permeating presence but we often want to make it a person or some sort of super power avatar, like in this letter–it is named “the lawless one.” There is evil at work in the world–a force that invades our institutions and systems that seeks to oppress and harm the very people God has created. But here’s the thing we need to hear–and what the letter to these anxious Thessalonians was about– “brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.” This rich phrase is rooted in texts all the way back to Exodus, at the very pivotal moment of the exodus. Our God is a God who makes a way where there is no way. We need not fear, only believe and let our hearts be strengthened “in every good work and word” (v. 17). As resurrection people, our hope is in the Kingdom of God that is here now and we are to be involved in the work of the Kingdom to come.
How do we live for that tomorrow? Do we put on our long white robes and sit on the hill to wait? Escapism is sure tempting. And even if we don’t sit on the hill, we might be tempted to escape through alcohol, pills, doom scrolling, or shouting into the void, “Beam me up, Scotty!” But we are not abandoned, left alone to wander and wonder what we are to do. How do we live for that tomorrow? By staying in the present moment.
Let me remind you of the promises to which we have been given, since it is indeed hard to remember them in times of distress.
From the prophet Isaiah:
Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
From Paul:
Ephesians 3:20-21 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
And most importantly from Jesus:
Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
John 14:1-3 Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
Gratitude and encouragement are antidotes to fear. This letter offers up thanksgiving for the faith of the people and their receptivity to the good news preached among them. There is an intentional shift on the writer’s part to take inventory of what is right in the life of the community. He reminds them of their calling and their inheritance in the glory of Christ. We are not called to run in fear that the sky is falling. We are called to be the sons and daughters of Christ.
So remember daughters and sons of Jesus the Christ, you do not walk this path alone. Christ goes with you and before you. The Holy Spirit guides, strengthens, and comforts you. Lean into that which you have professed to be true and know in the depths of your being that this Love is a power and force that will overcome. The Church is the body of Christ and we do this together. And the church should never lose its focus no matter how troubled the waters become, because Jesus will calm those waters even if you only have but a little faith. We go on doing the work of the Kingdom here and now and show the world that Love is alive. We continue the work of Jesus’ apostles and Paul’s communities of faith and we will feed the hungry, visit the prisoner, heal the sick, welcome the stranger, and comfort one another. Our God will care for you. Our God is the god of Love and we are to be that love in the world today. Take courage and be of good cheer, for Christ is with you now and always.
Magdalena's Musings 