Sermon Prepared for Messiah Lutheran Church

8:30 & 11:00 AM traditional services – 11/18/01

by Gregory S. Kaurin

Associate Pastor for Spiritual Care and Development

 

Text: 2^nd Thessalonians 3:6-13

 

Qui non laborate non manducet

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I can’t remember which comic strip it was, but the scene was a child’s bedroom.  Toys, books, clothes, crafts, and stuffed animals, were all piled and heaped upon the bed and dresser; some were even tacked to the walls.  The floor was spotless.

Mom was standing in middle of the room scolding the unfortunate child, “When I said that I wanted to see everything picked up from this floor, this is not what I meant!”

 

St. Paul knew exactly what parents go through.  It is the reason for this second letter to the Thessalonians, our second lesson and text for today’s message.  St. Paul wrote this letter shortly after the first.  It says many of the same things that the first letter did, but this one is harsher, more defining, and redirecting.  It was obvious to Paul that they didn’t get it the first time around.

They had carried out some things to the letter, but missed the major points and used some of it as an excuse to laze about.  Our lesson said that some were living in something called “idleness.”  I like Moffat’s old translation of this passage; he said that they were “loafing about.”

 

I am not totally sure what living in “idleness” is, but I do know everything about loafing.  Just ask my mom.  I put more effort into loafing than my two older brothers did in their chores…and there was nothing idle about it! 

Sometimes I even saved tasks that I would rather do, in order to get out of doing the chores I knew I was supposed to do. 

See if this sounds familiar on a Sunday afternoon: “Greg, I told you to clean this room.”

 “But Dad, I don’t have time now! I’ve got this research paper due in English class tomorrow!”

…Nobody worked harder at loafing than me!

 

Talk about playing one parent off the other, every child learns how to play the school and homework card against the parents!  Or church activities, or soccer, or band.  Because, “What good parent would allow home life and mere chores to stand in the way of such noble things as these life-enriching activities?”

 

Now, I know that worship, congregational life, and well-written English papers are more important than vacuumed living rooms, and washed dishes, but when we manipulate the one to avoid the other, we might fool each other, sometimes we can even distract our parents, but we never fool the One who really knows.

 

And now, think of moral causes, theology, and even grace.  Even the grace of God has been used as a moral excuse for laziness, and carefree religion.

 

In his first letter, Paul tried to motivate the Thessalonians by warning them that Christ was probably coming for them very soon.  But they also knew about grace and used it as an excuse to loaf around while they waited.  If Christ was coming so soon, what was the use of taking up insignificant tasks, chores, family life, or caring for this or that person?  It’s all going to end soon, right?

Instead, many were only trying to watch their squeaky clean images, worship a lot, and preach to each other a lot…as well as casually shrugging off any shortcomings by applying a thick coating of grace.  They made it their primary business, to simply wait for the kingdom. 

Since they were so sure of themselves, it left a lot of extra time to think and talk about everyone else.  More specifically, it left time for gossip.

So, Paul wrote sadly, “We hear that some of you are loafing around, mere busybodies, not doing any work.”  I think it is interesting that the Greek and our English word, “busybody” both mean exactly the same.  In both languages, a busybody is a gossip, a person who uses everyone else’s lives and rumors in order to distract himself or herself, and in order to distract others from their own lives. 

A busybody might be like the Pharisee in the Temple, thanking God that he is so much more pious than that loose lady over there, more religious than that vulgar fellow over there, and more honest than that tax-collector back there.  Worse than the Pharisee, a busybody also makes sure to share their thoughts—not just with God—but everyone else.  The goal is to look and feel superior, more knowledgeable, as if we can somehow stay clean while we relish in someone else’s scandal and lowliness.

 

As busy as gossip may be, or as busy as distraction and running around loudly doing last minute tasks, and work, and activities might look—all of this—Paul would tell you—is actually “loafing.”

 

I just finished reading Victor Hugo’s Hunchback of Notre Dame this weekend.  In the book, the priestly Claude was scolding his younger wayward brother.  And with a great and pious breath, Father Claude said to his young brother, “Qui non laborate, non manducet.”  It is a Latin quote from our second lesson, which translated means, “The one who is unwilling to work, should not eat.”

This little piece of wisdom is not a weapon to be used against social aid, food stamps, rent assistance or food banks.  The context is against idle Christianity.

Martin Luther was once preaching to the rich German nobility.  Many of the rich were taking advantage of the nobility system, to merely enjoy life, exchange philosophies with each other, to go hunting, and to talk about very important things like books, religion and politics, …while the peasants worked their sweat and blood into the ground.  The nobility, as often happens still today, lined their pockets with the labor of their impoverished peasants.

I love how Luther used this passage from Second Thessalonians against them.  And he added, “God has not decreed that any one should live solely off another’s property and labor, …save only the clergy—who preach and have a parish to care for.”[1]

Really, however, there should be no idle Christianity, not among any of his people, including us clergy.  The irony in the hunchback book, is that the Priestly Claude was himself busy, busy, busy with everything but the tasks to which he was actually called: Christian love, respect, humility, charity, and human involvement.

 

Idle Christianity.  Loafing about.  We say that Christ is the Word, but he is always more than just words.  He is the living active Word.

God said, “Let there be light.”  And there was light.  God’s Word is always active, and visible.

God said, “Let there be grace and salvation for my people!”  And there was Jesus Christ.  A living active Word …even right now.

 

As I was preparing for this morning’s adult Bible Study class on Baptism, I read from a theologian who pointed out that we are not only baptized into Christ’s death, resurrection and salvation.  We are baptized into his life and ministry, and his active Word.

I take nothing back that I have ever said about God’s grace.  It is unearned and an undeserved gift of forgiveness and salvation.  It is also a new life.  It is Christ, wrapped around and living through each of us.  And Christ is not a loafer.

He’s not just words.  As important as it might be to discuss our theology and faith, the words are not ends in themselves.

There is a reason I step up to this pulpit week after week, and it’s not just to tell you all my thoughts on God.  It’s to bear news to those who are feeling guilty and petrified, news that will ease our fears, and will thus motivate us all to reflect the life of Christ—in action.

This is how we feast on all that God has to offer: when each we use our studies, prayers, and words with the goal and intention of being his Word, active and alive “on earth as in heaven.”

 

Those unwilling to work, do not, are not eating.  They aren’t even listening to the invitation.  Those who are willing to live out their new lives in Christ are constantly feasting on the banquet of heaven.

 

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