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“AN UNLIKELY SAINT”
Based on 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5, 13-17
He seemed a most unlikely
saint, Saul who would in time
become known as Paul, the
great apostle. A dashing and
daring young man, with an
education to boot, growing up
on the right side of the tracks in
the right part of town. He was
physically impressive; well
connected to people of power
and influence; an ego that made
his head swell and the ladies
swoon. Saul had discovered that
at his time and place in history,
there was money to be made as
a biblical version of “Dog the
Bounty Hunter!” He was Dog,
and Christians were the bounty.
With his brazen attitude and
letters from Rome giving him
authority, he quickly made a
name for himself. If this was all
you had known of Paul’s story,
then you might agree: a most
unlikely saint.
But we know that Paul’s story
took a very different turn of
events. A life changing
experience on the Road to
Damascus stopped him in his
tracks; an abrupt re-evaluation
of his purpose in life; his
actions, his thinking. Much to
the dismay of the Romans, Paul
became in time, one of the
greatest advocates for the
Christian church. Not only did
Paul push back against Roman
authority, he challenged
Christian leaders of the day as
well, forcing them to reconsider
that Christ’s message was a
message for the world, not just
the Jewish people. At the time,
this was radical, rebellious
thinking. It landed him in
prison, courtesy of the Romans.
It landed him in hot water with
the early Christian leaders. But
you and I are here worshipping
today, in part, because of Paul.
A most likely saint.
At first glance, it may seem
surprising that God chooses the
most unlikely of people for
what may seem, to be the most
impossible tasks, unlikely
saints. A brief Google search
will quickly list off men and
woman, largely from the
Medieval period, who, lived
quiet lives of dedicated service,
often from the confines of
monastic communities, some
choosing extreme lives of
purity, or with little food or
shelter as signs of their devotion
to God. Some Saints were
warriors, taking their faith to the
battlefield or battled with the
pen, leaving us writings of
Christian spirituality to
contemplate to today. But to be
honest, the lives and work of
the Saints seems to be out of
reach for most of us to even
consider. Even the work of
recently Sainted Mother Teresa
is overwhelming. Imagine a life
dedicated with such single
minded purpose: finding food
for orphaned children, goading
bureaucrats for funds, touring
the world to raise awareness for
the needs of others. “Too much
for me,” you might say.
But my friends, God continues
to pick the most unlikely of
people to be His Saints. He
picked you. Yes, you. You’re
not perfect, no. You’ve had a
few bumps and bruises along
the way, spiritually speaking.
There is some baggage, yes. But
you have a purpose in God’s
plan. No, it’s not likely that God
wishes you to take over an
orphanage in India like Mother
Teresa. No, it’s not likely that
God wishes you to lock yourself
in a small room and eat only
bread and water while you
record your visions on paper
like Teresa of Avila. It is not
likely that God wishes you to
put on battle armour and lead
the troops into battle like Joan
of Arc. But God does wish you
to be His Saint, and he does
wish you to go into a battle of
sorts: because the world
continues to have its dark
places.
Paul wrote to the Thessalonians
in a darkening time for the
Christian people. The Romans
were beginning to plan the
elimination of this new religious
thinking, and infighting within
the Christian world itself both
threatened the survival of
Christian thought. Paul told his
listeners to:
“Do not to become easily
unsettled or alarmed.”(v2)
Instead he said,
“Stand firm and hold fast to the
teachings we passed on to
you.” (v13)
Friends, in a dark time of
history, God used and unlikely
Saint, Paul to ensure the
teachings of Christ did not
perish. Today we honoured
those who served our country
over the generations, and the
families who kept the home
fires burning for our soldiers, to
have a home to come home to.
In difficult times of our national
history, God has called unlikely
Saints to protect our freedom, to
pray fervently for peace, to keep
Christian values alive in our
communities.
Our world today is a most
wonderful place to live, with so
many choices and opportunities
to learn and laugh, but the dark
corners remain: there are social
problems, there is radical
religious thinking, violence,
mistrust and fear. Today, our
God calls upon some most
unlikely Saints to ‘stand firm’
and hold the line on His behalf.
He calls you. He calls me. We
must not let the dark shadows
penetrate our hearts or our
thinking. We must be bold as a
church, and stand strong for our
beliefs. We must accept that
often it feels like we are one of
only a few beacons of light in a
dark world. But friends, we
must keep these lights burning
bright, because there are some
out there, lost in the darkness of
depression or disgrace or
disillusion, who are desperately
searching for a light. We must
be that light. We must be those
unlikely Saints.
Paul must have been
discouraged from time to time
about his predicament and the
stubbornness of leadership
within the church. In difficult
times of wartime days, there
must have been seasons of
hopelessness and worry. Today,
there is much on the media to
encourage you to lose sight of
what is good and true. Paul did
not turn his back on Christ, but
sang hymns instead from this
prison cell. Soldiers of today,
and the past have not given up
on our country. Don’t give up
on yourself, your God, or your
sainthood. For you are an
unlikely saint. God needs you to
‘stand firm’ and ‘hold the line.’
May our Lord Jesus Christ
himself and God our Father,
who loved us and by his grace
gave us eternal encouragement
and good hope, encourage your
hearts and strengthen you in
every good deed and word.
(v16, 17)