Belonging to One Another
I vividly remember sitting on a gray cushioned chair in the front row of a small classroom at a church 3 years ago. I was taking a leadership class, and this was our last gathering after meeting for several weeks. That day, one of the leaders wanted to share a new worship song that had just been released, and she played it on the two small screens in the room. As I sat there and listened to the words of “The Blessing” for the first time, I let the tears run down my cheeks and the words wash over me. This was in March of 2020, and news of a virus had begun shifting from other parts of the world ever nearer to our world and lives. The months and years after that class brought unimaginable challenges, uncertainty, and loss to so many, and we personally were entering what would be the most difficult two years of our lives so far. Looking back, the timing of the song “The Blessing” being released into the world and into the church is a beautiful picture of the grace of God and the ways that He strengthens His people. That day as I sat in that classroom, the words from Numbers 6:24-26 in song brought strength, hope, and grace to my soul, even in preparation for the days that the Lord knew were ahead.
Right in the middle of the book of 1 Thessalonians, Paul pauses and prays a blessing over the Thessalonian church:
“Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you. And may the Lord cause you to increase and overflow with love for one another and for everyone, just as we do for you. May he make your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. Amen.” (1 Thessalonians 3:11-13, CSB)
The Thessalonians were facing persecution and hardship, and Paul likely knew that they would experience still more in the days to come. Prayer is the right response in the face of human suffering, weakness, and limitations. Even as he writes to encourage them and instruct them, Paul pauses here, recognizing that they need the supernatural work of God to accomplish what only He could do.
I imagine what Paul was feeling and what the believers were experiencing as they read these words and I’m struck by the unabashed affection expressed by Paul not just in this prayer but in the first three chapters of this book so far. Take a look at these words:
“We always thank God for you.”
“Loved by God.”
“We cared so much for you.”
“Dear to us.”
“Like a father with his own children.”
“Brothers and sisters.”
“We greatly desired to see you.”
“We wanted to come to you.”
“You are our glory and joy!”
“You long to see us, and we long to see you.”
“All the joy we experienced before our God because of you.”
As I think about these words and imagine hearing them spoken to me or speaking them myself to others, I realize just how unusual they are, perhaps, especially to our American ears. If we truly stop to think about the kind of love these words reveal, probably many of us would admit that they are not what we experience with our brothers and sisters in Christ. In our cultural climate, we are part of an American church heavily influenced by independence and self-reliance. Many in our churches have been left disillusioned, disappointed, and hurt. Affection and words of love and friendship may not be descriptive of many of us. Affection denotes tenderness, trust, and vulnerability that are necessary in deep relationships, and these are the kinds of relationships we are to pursue within the body of Christ. Expressing affection for others is an act of love itself. It’s a giving, with no guarantee of how it will be received.
May we ask the Lord to do the same for us that Paul prayed that God would do for the Thessalonians. “May the Lord cause you to increase and overflow with love for one another and for everyone, just as we do for you.” Yes, Lord. Cause our love and affection for one another to increase and overflow, to shift the places in the church hardened by disagreement or disunity, fear or hurt. Let us see Your love as a force that unites us and joins us.
The Thessalonian church needed instruction, absolutely. In the final two chapters of this book, needed instruction would be given. Yet they also needed encouragement, prayer, and affection. Paul understood that their faith belonged in the context of the family of God, as does ours. We need each other, and the love of Christ is expressed through us in our love for one another.
Brother or sister in Christ, you are loved and you belong in the Body of Christ. Receive the love and affection, prayers and blessings, of those in your church and in your faith family. Give those freely to others as well, following Paul’s example. God has placed us in a family, belonging to one another as we follow Christ.
