ninth Sunday after Creation Sunday (NT)

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, 

To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: 

Grace to you and peace. 

² We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, ³ remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁴ For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, ⁵ because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. ⁶ And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, ⁷ so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. ⁸ For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. ⁹ For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, ¹⁰ and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. 

St Paul is giving thanks for the church of God. He continues to give thanks to God for the many ways in which he strengthens and enlightens the people of God. But even here he reminds us, "For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you." You are the chosen people of God in a specific location.

You know the Love of God. You know the will of God. You even know the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, St Paul provides us with an example of how we are to live our lives. We are to follow in the affliction, and faith of those saints before us. It is time for us to hear the Word of the Lord.

The Word of the Lord both brings us the gracious gift of God, the Forgiveness of Sins. It also brings with it the hard truth that we are to suffer on account of our faith. The wages of Sin is death. God will judge us for all the wickedness we have done.

Thanks be to God, and let us continue to give thanks and praise to God for Jesus Christ our Lord. He has died for the forgiveness of all your sins. He has claimed you to be his very own. He has delivered you from slaver to sin and made you his own treasure.