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November 17, 2002
Sermon: "Children of the Light"
Scripture: I Thessalonians 5:1-11
Reverend Larry Gerber

When flying, you want to avoid objects - like geese, mountains, buildings, television towers or other aircraft. There's a real peril to proximity, whether you are on a commercial flight or on a journey of faith.

In todays scripture, Paul speaks of persons such as ourselves, as Children of the Light. There are objects that can get in the way of our faith journey. These obstacles can lure us into darkness, and alter our course, if we are not standing upright.

Last summer, in early July, two pilots for a major U.S. airline, from the Phoenix, AZ. area, attempted to get through security with two cups of coffee. This was no longer allowed, they were told, because of new security restrictions.

The pilots threw a couple hissy fits, and that's when security personnel noticed not only the unprofessional behavior, but also the flushed faces and red eyes. These guys were three sheets to the wind, and were about to step - or stagger - into the cockpit.
In fact, they did get their plane away from the gate and were making for the runway when the tower, alerted to their condition, ordered them back to the gate. The inebriated pilots were jailed, posted bond and could face up to five years in prison.

I think, 5 years in prison for endangering the lives of all the people on board that commercial flight. 5 Years in prison for not being Children of the Light. 5 years in prison for not even considering that they might not be capable of flying the plane safely. 5 years in prison for not being responsible for the hundreds of lives aboard that flight. And we wonder why people are leary of flying. We trust our lives to people tha we do not know, because we trust that they have our safety, and our well being in their hands and in their head. It is one think to have a drink or two, or three. It is an other thing to have a drink or two, and take the responsibility of flying an airplane, and then ..........to have a hissy fit when caught. Thank God for the alert security personal.

Scientists and engineers have developed some great new gee-whiz technology that is nothing less than mind-boggling. Pilots will soon be able to peer through clouds and fog, follow moving maps in poor weather, and see where their plane is flying relative to nearby mountains, using such gizmos as the Vertical Situation Display, the Enhanced Ground Proximity System and the Enhanced Vision System. It's like playing with a virtual Nintendo system, as one pilot put it. But, if the pilot is not alert, and sober, I am not sure how good this new system will work.

Wouldn't it be great to be able to see through the fog of life and be warned when we're in danger of crashing? Wouldn't it be great to have an Enhanced Vision System (EVS) for daily living, something to steer us through the clouds that so often surround us?

Yet, that's exactly what we have, according to the apostle Paul. In 1 Thessalonians, we are given a spiritual EVS that promises to get us safely through the proximity perils we face each day. The apostle Paul gives us some devices that don't have a lot of hi-tech, but lots of hi-effect, every bit as reliable as the gee-whiz gizmos being installed in cockpits today.

The first proximity peril is the coming judgment. The "day of the Lord" (5:2) will come like a thief in the night, every bit as surprising as an unexpected aircraft on the runway in front of you. This is the day of judgment, according to Paul, that day in which the righteous of the world will be vindicated, and the unrighteous will be judged. Sudden destruction will come upon the unrighteous, he predicts, "as labor pains come upon a pregnant women, and there will be no escape" (v. 3).

But is this the fate of the righteous as well? Not at all, according to Paul. Those who believe in Jesus Christ and who have a right relationship with God have a spiritual EVS. Notice his use of darkness and light imagery. You Thessalonians "are not in darkness," he points out, "for that day to surprise you like a thief; for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness" (vv. 4-5).

To be in darkness is to be focused on the peace and security of the secular world, while to be in the light is to find our peace and security in God. To be in the night is to be unaware of what the Lord is doing in the world, but to be in the day is to be sensitive to his involvement in human life. Since believers in Christ are not in a state of darkness, and are not living in the night, they have no reason to fear the day of the Lord. They have a vision system that enables them to see God's activity through the fog and the darkness of day-to-day difficulties.

On high-tech aircraft, this vision is made possible by infrared sensors. In Christian life, on the other hand, this vision is made possible by faith - by a willingness to trust Jesus Christ to bring you forgiveness, and peace, and security, and everlasting life with God. When you look at life with the eyes of faith, you see a world in which the Lord is at work to bring healing to the ill, comfort to the grieving, hope to the despondent and liberation to the oppressed. You see a slice of reality that is completely invisible to those who look only to the world for their security and peace.

The second proximity peril is fatigue and unawareness. Stay vertical, Paul suggests. If we don't stay awake, we're bound to bounce off all sorts of moral bumps and objects. "So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober" (v. 6). Paul wants us to remain vigilant, awake, alert and free of impairment by drugs and alcohol. God wants us to be flying high - but not on drugs or booze. Drunkenness is not conducive to godliness, and being stoned is not the same as being spiritual.

With all the new technology intact, and two inebriated pilots, the plane is not safe!

Paul clearly and consistently condemns substance abuse: "Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery" (Ephesians 5:18); "let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness" (Romans 13:13); and among those things that are works of the flesh and keep people out of the kingdom of God: drunkenness (Galatians 5:21). So if you want to avoid hitting the ground, remain vertical.

The third proximity peril is our vulnerability. "Put on the breastplate of faith and love," advises Paul, "and for a helmet the hope of salvation" (v. 8). These are features that can keep us out of danger as we fly through the many trials and temptations and tribulations of daily life: faith in Christ, love for God and neighbor and hope of everlasting salvation. This trio can keep us sailing smoothly on the course that God desires for us, far from the earthly obstacles that can rise up and threaten to destroy us.

Why are we given this protective system? Because God doesn't want us to crash. "God has destined us not for wrath," writes Paul, "but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ" (v. 9).

Bottom line: We live in the world, and the dangers to our spiritual health and life are real and proximate. But when we start the day, we can be confident that God has given us all the guidance systems we need to make a safe journey, not only for the day time, but for a lifetime.

We, as Christians, are entrusted to be Children of the Light: we are to SHARE GOD'S GIFTS - THE GIFT OF LOVE, COMPASSION, OUTREACH TO THE POOR AND NEEDY, OFFER PRAYER FOR GUIDANCE, MINISTER TO THOSE WHO ARE HURTING, STAND STRAIGHT.

WE HAVE BEEN ENTRUSTED WITH GOD'S GIFT. WE MUST NOT SNEER AT THE SECURITY GUARD OF OUR LIFE (GOD). WE HAVE BEEN ENTRUSTED WITH LIFE, CAN WE DO NOTHING BUT STAND TALL, BE PROUD, AND SHARE THAT GIFT OF LIFE AS A CHILD OF THE LIGHT.

WE, AS MEMBERS OF THIS CHURCH, HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH GOD'S LOVE. WE MUST SHARE THAT GIFT, THROUGH OUR SUPPORT OF THE MANY MINISTRIES THAT WE HAVE BEEN CALLED TO DO, THROUGH OUR TALENT, TIME, SERVICE, AND MONEY. WHEN YOU FILL OUT YOUR PLEDEGE CARD FOR 2003, PRAY THAT YOU MIGHT PASS THROUGH THE SECURITY CHECK POINT, STANDING TALL.
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Source:
Phillips, Don. "Gee-whiz future of aviation is arriving now," The Washington Post, April 22, 2002, A9.

Let me know what you think. The church Email is: slumc@direcway.com, Phone: 480.895.8766