Keep Calm and Carry On Preached at Wollaston Congregational Church On November 10th 2019 Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17 I’m just back from the United Kingdom, where I enjoyed visiting with family and taking in the northern English late autumn. We retreated for a few days to a place at the foot of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, where the fall colors are more mellow than New England but beautiful in their own way. But the bright red slogan “keep calm and carry on” on coffee cups, T shirts, and tea pots that I saw in tourist shops was not so mellow. “Keep Calm and Carry On” is an expression is taken from a World War II propaganda poster that was never widely distributed. The posters would have been displayed if a Nazi invasion had been imminent. The intent was to encourage people of Britain to remain calm and go about their business. Fortunately the invasion did not happen. But, for better or worse, Britons generally do keep calm and carry on in the face of adversity. Our epistle passage this morning is an extract of a letter to the early church. This letter was written at a time when the apostles were attempting to maintain consistent teaching in the many new churches of Asia minor. False teachings had the potential to send a church community into panic. And it seems that this is the case in the Thessalonian church to whom this letter is addressed. Someone has been going about saying that the return of Christ has already happened. And this is causing great anxiety. The author of second Thessalonians essentially writes “keep calm and carry on.” He reminds the church that the dramatic events anticipated before Christ’s return have not yet come about. He tells them to “not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, [to] stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that [they] were taught … by word of mouth or by … letter.” Then he blesses them, praying that their hearts will be comforted and strengthened “in every good work and word.” The Bible, as we know it, had not yet been put together at this time. And the traditions of this early church looked quite different from our own. Their teaching came by word of mouth and letters. And they most probably gathered in the home of a wealthy church member for worship and a communal meal eaten together. This was a counter-cultural movement, with many women in leadership, with men and women, slaves and free people, eating and worshiping together. The author of today’s letter reminds the church members that they live in an already-and-not-yet time. Jesus has already been to live among humanity, showing them and us what God-in-flesh looks like. Now he has returned to the Father, and the fulfillment of all things has not yet come about. It’s funny to look back now and imagine that the Thessalonians think that they have somehow missed the return of Christ. They think that the sky had fallen and somehow they didn’t notice it. On the other hand we go on without very much thought for Christ’s return. We’ve become complacent, living in these in-between times. We forget that 2,000 years is the mere blink of an eye when it comes to the history of the universe. And yet we do still live in the already-and-not-yet era. And if we had an early church mother of father writing to us, the instructions would be much the same. We would be reminded not to be distracted by rumors that the sky is falling and to continue in the good works to which we are called. Sometimes our daily news seems full of apocalyptic-type events that impact our world. We hear that we are close to the point of no return, as climate change accelerates and global temperatures rise. Species, like the polar bear, are threatened. Those who live in the most fragile environments, most often the very poor, are already suffering terribly. We hear that former alliances and political systems are breaking down. Britain’s exit from the European union has repercussions in that continent and around the world. While leaders struggle to work out a deal, many people struggle in the uncertainty and fears of probable depravations. And we hear stories of displaced people from many lands migrating to countries that seem safer and more prosperous. In 2018 more than 10 million people migrated permanently or temporarily to G20[1] countries. We know that many of these immigrants and migrants have perilous journeys. And they are often refused entry at their destination. Indeed, it is important that we pay attention to what is going on in our world. We are called, as Christians, to notice when the poor and marginalized are threatened and when creation is being abused. We are called to pray, to act, and to influence decisions with God’s purposes in mind. And still, we are not called to panic. Instead we are reminded to keep calm and carry on doing the good work to which we are called. Keeping calm, if possible, is a good strategy. It enables us to think clearly both as individuals and as a group. If we panic, our fight or flight response will engage our amygdala or reptilian brain. This helps us to evade danger in the short term. But remaining calm will allow us to access our more developed brain and provide us with creative responses to a given situation. Speaking spiritually, this allows us to listen to one another and to discern God’s purposes for us and our congregation. This week we have reached step 10 in the 12 step process of our fall sermon series. Step 10 says “[that we] continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.” In many ways step 10 says “carry on doing what we were already doing. It is not yet over.” We are to keep on doing the good work of personal inventory and self-awareness. Keep on examining our lives, and confessing when we are in the wrong. Sometimes, though, carrying on is not the best strategy. Continuing doing the same thing is helpful if that thing is working: if we are progressing toward a particular goal. The mistake we often make, as humans, is to keep doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome. Some say that this is a definition of insanity. And carrying on doing the same thing that is not working is also a definition of an addictive behavior. Carrying on doing the same thing that is not working is often the product of anxiety. We don’t know what else to do. We are not calm enough to take the time to discern God’s purposes, and so we do the same thing to fill the void. Along with our sermon series here at Wollaston Congregational Church, we have been holding congregational discussions on the reality of our church’s situation. We have been looking from the perspective of finance, the church building, and attendance. This is a kind of congregational personal inventory. We need to check in with ourselves, with one another and with God, and ask: Are we still doing the good work we are called to in this community? Or are some of the things we keep doing leading to the same disappointing outcome? We meet for worship each week on Sunday morning, with the provision of sermon, power-point presentation and a professional standard of musical accompaniment. We gather in this substantial sanctuary that was designed to accommodate hundreds of worshipers. We go downstairs for coffee in hall designed for 100-200 people and we heat the entire building during the chilly winter months. And still, we serve somewhere between 16 and 25 worshipers most Sundays. Some members have been concerned that raising these issues may cause anxiety. It’s true that if we adopt an alarmist “the sky is falling” attitude, people might get anxious. And yet it is necessary for us to face reality. It is important for us to enter into our discussions calmly, and resist the temptation to panic. Our best thinking, as well as our best spiritual discernment, is always done from a place of calmness. If we find anxiety rising up, we can tackle it with spiritual practices such as slow breathing and meditation. Do not fear, I have a whole toolkit of practices to help with this. We may look at taking a personal inventory from an individual level or a communal level. On an individual level, I have noticed that people in their later years are drawn to the work they need to do in order to complete their life journey. Often they feel the need to tell the stories they haven’t told before. During my time as a chaplain to people in eldercare, my advisor suggested I encouraged some residents to make an “ethical will.” This is something the elders would write for loved ones in order to pass along their personal values and stories as well as confessing their regrets. It is something like a personal inventory. On my next visit I asked a woman in her late nineties if she had an interest in making this kind of life review. I offered to serve as secretary in the process, as she had difficulties with her vision. She chuckled a little and seemed to think it was a strange suggestion. But, then, her eyes drifted to a different time and place. She told me a story of the time in her 20’s when she went on strike from her factory job for better pay and conditions. I imagined her grandchildren and great grandchildren would be quite surprised to learn that their petite matriarch had had the courage to go on strike! It was clear that she had some important experiences and values to pass on to those young ones. On a communal level, as a congregation, we may be thinking along these lines. We may wish to review our life together both in living memory and what came before. We may remember the good work that was done through ministries that no longer exist. And we may identify the strong ministries that still are working, such as provisions for recovery groups, hosting of youth missions trips, and the All Hands In sewing ministry for formerly trafficked women. We may see these as the things that will be passed down to future generations. Friends, the church addressed in our reading today no longer exists in its first century form. But there is certainly a great Christian presence in Thessalonica and Greece as a whole. And the Church of Jesus Christ lives on around the world. Perhaps we can credit the Thessalonians for keeping calm and carrying on, in the midst of anxiety provoking rumors. They continued doing the good work they were called to do for their generation. And so may we continue doing the good work we are called to do for this generation. May all God’s people say Amen [1] https://www.oecd.org/migration/mig/G20-migration-and-displacement-trends-and-policies-report-2019.pdf
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