Do you know the name Pablo Casals? He was a world class cellist. He lived and played the cello into his 90s, and I heard a wonderful story about him, while in his 90s. Someone came to visit Casals, and he was in the studio playing his instrument. I supposed the visitor was expecting to hear him play some cello masterpiece. Perhaps that is why he was surprised to hear the great man playing scales.

"The highest does not stand without the lowest." Greatness never escapes its foundations. Running scales sounds monotonous, and it can feel tedious to the musician. But the fingering for every note will be ready, when the time comes to play a Bach suite for cello.

The same principle applies to spiritual maturity. Daily prayer of some kind, weekly worship with the people of Christ, and obedience, even in small things, when no one is looking, can feel monotonous and tedious. But the habits of holiness prepare us for those periods in life, when we feel overwhelmed by adversity, and God seems far away.

It seems to me that this principle is embedded in the last chapter of this jewel of a letter that we have been reading since May. Would you turn with me to 1 Thessalonians 5, and I'll show you what I mean?

People of the Light and People of the Day
Chapter four ended as every chapter in this letter ends: with a reference to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Chapter five opens with a comparatively long treatment of this theme, eleven verses. Verse one gives us a strong clue as to what prompted Paul to spend this much time on it.

Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you. But I guarantee you they wished he had written something about times and dates. Wouldn't we all? "Paul, tell us when Jesus will return. We can't wait, and we want to know." Paul artfully dodged any temptation to speculate about the times and dates of the Second Coming. We do well to follow his example.

He warded off any innocent folly about times and dates by wrapping the Second Coming in mystery. Verses two and three say: for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the might. While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

The day of the Lord is an Old Testament phrase that captured the imagination of biblical writers and can even waken something deep inside the souls of contemporary man. Paul did not stop to comment on that phrase, and neither should we and for the same reason. There is something present and pressing about ourselves that matters more than times and dates or lengthy explanations. Verse four states what that is, and we come to the principle with which this sermon began.

But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. Don't msis what he is saying here. When the day of the Lord comes upon the earth unexpectedly, like a thief in the night, with its inescapable agony, we can be ready for it, even though we don't have a clue as to its time and date.

We can be ready for it, as Casals was ready for Bach by running scales; as you can be ready for fire by having fire drills; as pilots can be ready for air emergencies by practicing in simulators; habits of holiness prepare us for the day of the Lord.

Paul didn't mention these habits at first. He used picture language in verses 5-6 to capture readiness for the day of the Lord. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. He didn't say anything about how to be alert and self-controlled here. That will come later in the chapter. Here he continues with his picture language in verses 7-8.

For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. The practices of faith, love and hope give us ways to be alert and self-controlled for the day of the Lord. more specifics await later in the chapter. You can see how far he had taken the Thessalonian believers away from their curiosity about times and dates and focused their attention on how they could live in such a way as to be ready for the Second Coming, whenever it happened.

But verses 9-10 make it clear that the way they lived was not the basis of their hope of salvation. Here is how Paul said it. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. God and God alone is our hope of salvation. His purpose and His purpose alone is that hope. Christ and His death and nothing else is that hope.

By all means be alert and self-controlled. But our alertness and self-control may waver. Our hope is that God will compensate for our wavering and protect us, when the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night.

Therefore, says verse 11, encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. What follows in the next eleven verses are habits we are to encourage and build each other up to develop. They are habits of holiness that prepare us for the day of the Lord, as we work them into our daily lives.

Habits of Holiness
Very little commentary on these habits in necessary. What is necessary is practice, practice, practice. As we read through this litany of faith, love, and hope, try to imagine the BVBC congregation's effort to live this way together.

We begin in verses 12-13. Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work.

I am grateful for the affection and trust that this congregation extends to staff, board, and other church officers. I am grateful for its patience with leaders who at times are unsure of themselves spiritually and who at times fail spiritually. This church is not a religious hothouse. It is a community of flawed people who help each other.

Finish verse 13. Live in peace with each other. That takes a lot of restraint, but it doesn't mean that a congregation falls silent, when it needs to speak. Verse 14 shows that. And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. But we are to warn and encourage in a way that maintains a bond of peace. I am grateful for the peace that we experience. It gives us a respite for the battles of our weekday lives, but it doesn't hinder us from speaking our mind respectfully about the issues we face.

Verse 15: Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. Jesus said that. Peter said that. Paul said it more than once. The encouragement not to get even but to respond with unexpected kindness was a big deal in the churches of the New Testament era.

Maybe we haven't been tested, but I don't sense here a spirit of striking back at people who wrong us. The patience I mentioned earlier extends to people who wrong us. I can't measure the forgiveness that takes place among us. I do sense a willingness of people to accept responsibility for the way they mistreat another person. That makes forgiveness easier.

The next three verses ought to be in somebody's hall of fame somewhere. Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. I am grateful for the joy and prayer that mark our life together. I am grateful that we are grateful to God for His blessing on our lives.

The apostle's vision for congregational life also included enthusiasm with discernment. he spoke of the enthusiasm in verses 19-20. Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Part of what he called prophecies we call preaching. In verses 21-22 he spoke of discernment. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.

Although we are "the quiet congregation," the Holy Spirit's fire burns within us. It may not erupt like a volcano; it is more like sap rising in spring and clothing all nature in leaf and color. We respect the Word of God. We respect new ideas, but we also test them to see if they conform to the orthodox faith of the Church down the centuries and to the inescapable call to love one another.

Across 20 centuries, the family likeness between the experiences Paul envisioned for the Thessalonian congregation and that of BVBC is plainly visible. I cannot make too much of this family likeness. God has created that likeness across time and space. As eith everything else He does, He has acted with embarrassing generosity.

This is a good place to be. God makes it good. Let's continue on and do these things more and more; and should the day of the Lord come like a thief in the night in our generation, we'll be ready for it by our Pablo-Casals-like effort to work these habits of holiness into our spiritual DNA.

Verses 23-24 spoke another benediction over the Thessalonian congregation. May God himsel,f the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

The Pastoral Center of Gravity
The apostle Paul was not assigned to one congregation. He was an apostle to the non-Jewish world and church plater par excellence. He set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire. Nearly half the New Testament bears his signature. The Church owes him a deep debt of gratitude, and I for one am glad to pay it.

I love this letter that Mark and I have reflected on and which we have read together for three months. Mark has one more reflection next Sunday, and then I will ofer two final sermons in August. 1 Thessalonians speaks to me with unusual immediacy, because it reflects personal concerns and patoral care at least as well as any other letter Paul wrote.

First, on a personal note, the unfeigned pastoral affection between Paul and the Thessalonian congregation shines through on every page, as when he said in chapter 2:8, you had become so dear to us. Without hesitation, I can tell you that that is the default setting of my heart toward you, and I sense it throughout the staff, as we talk about and pray for the congregation every week.

Also on a personal note, Paul's concern with his own reputation and integrity reflect an on-going concern of most pastors like myself. Also like us, Paul experienced and spoke freely about a great anxiety. Remember in chapter three, when he said concerning the unknown fate of the persecuted Thessalonian church: when I could stand it no longer. I'm glad the great apostle should acknowledge a powerful and not altogether flattering anxiety that most pastors experience many times. I know I do.

As to pastoral care, maybe the following anecdote will communicate the tie that binds thougsands of pastors to the apostle's experience in Thessalonica. My wife's mom died two years ago.  Recently, among her mome's effects, Carole found letters she had written to her mom and dad. They reflect events in our early years of ministry at Easter Hills Bible Church in Manlius, NY. In one of those letters we came across the following blast from the past.

"A fellow and gal eloped, and we felt strongly that they were making a big mistake. We had some leads as to where they might have gone; so, we made several long distance calls to put out the word that Bo wanted to talk to them before they got married.

"We caught up with them in Connecticut, and we asked the Lord to lead them to answer our request and call us ... They called Wednesday night, and Bo talked to them for over half an hour. They would never on the phone agree not to be married. Bo told them before he hung up that he wanted them to leave CT the next morning and drive to Syracuse, and we would be expecting them at our house for dinner.

"We had done all we could, so, we told the Lord we were trusting him to get them here for dinner, unmarried , the next night ... The next night came, and I had dinner all ready and no guests. By 6:15 they still were not here. So, we went ahead to eat, still trusting that they would arrive later.

At 10:45 p.m. we heard a knock on the door, and there they were. So we got the good out of the refrigerator, and they ate dinner. We thanked the Lord for an answered prayer. They still plan to get married but ... under better conditions."

The Thessalonians were a congregation with similar practical concerns. It is not hard to imagine a perplexed, new believer want to say to Paul, "My brother became a Christian before me, and he died last month. When Christ comes, what will happen to him? Can you tell us anything about the times and dates of Jesus' return?" Paul needed down-to-earth answers.

Paul, the pastor, expressed some very practical concerns in this letter with no guarantee of how the congregation would respond. Avoid sexual immorality. Love each other more and more. Be responsible for your work habits. Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks. Don't put out the Spirit's fire. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.

Many years ago, a Chinese Christian, Watchman Nee, wrote a book called The Normal Christian Life. As measured by the experience of thousands of pastors and thousands of congregations for hundreds of years, 1 Thessalonians reflects the normal Christian life that we can easily recognize right here in our own life together.