We are all familiar with the pastor who says that he is "landing the plane," but then proceeds to make five more points about tangential material to the topic. "This is my last point" (subtext: there are 10 more things I would like to say...). In defense of the pastor, who does not serve at the River.., he may argue that he is landing the plane, just in a long, slow descent. In some ways, this is what the end of Paul's letter to the Thessalonians feels like. It reads like a letter with multiple endings, like it is drawn out. While we do not always appreciate the gradual decline of a lengthy sermon, I believe we ought to love Paul's concluding remarks to the Thessalonians. In this final section, Paul is intentionally giving pithy commands to the growing community. Paul prays that God will sanctify them wholly and completely, and the commands he gives are intended to guide them in this sanctification process. I believe we also have a lot to learn from this section of the letter, as we too are a community that God is sanctifying.
Luke
