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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)