2 Thess. 3:6-13; November 16, 2025; 23rd Sunday after Pentecost
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If you’ve been here for a while, you’ve come to know that we are a lectionary-based church. What that means is that we frame our worship services around scripture that was pre-selected and paired for us years in advance. We use something called the Revised Common Lectionary which was created in 1992 by an ecumenical group of scholars and church reps.
One of the benefits of the lectionary, I think, is that it takes autonomy out of the hands of the preacher. We can’t just pick and pluck any old text that might support what we want to say on a given Sunday. Rather, we must wrestle with the texts given to us, searching for what the Spirit is saying to us, discerning what God might want us to interpret for everyone to hear.
On the surface, this might seem like an odd thing for me to celebrate. After all, we minister-types like self-governance, don’t we? I mean, I certainly do! And yet, even those of us who wear the cloth would do well to remember that our voice and opinion isn’t the only one that matters, and that we too are a part of a larger community all working, if not struggling, together to create a more holistic experience for the collective body of Christ. Amen?
The lectionary readings for today, and for most Sundays, usually total four. A Psalm; an Old Testament text; a Gospel text; and generally, an Epistle text. Normally, we here at Grace employ the Psalm as our Call to Worship, as evidenced today. Then, we choose which of the remaining three will be read and proclaimed, while the other two might be used elsewhere in prayers, or saved for another time altogether.
Now ironically, I had originally decided NOT to use 2 Thessalonians today, the text which Pastor Janel just read for us.
I mean, after all, today is the first Sunday after Pledge Sunday, where you all responded so generously (thank you, truly!); it’s the morning when our friends from Cedar Park are here (Praise be to God!), and tonight, the Eagles play the Lions and may or may not use AJ Brown in the passing game. I mean, it’s a celebratory day for most people, even if not for him. So, why preach on a text that is telling people like him that if they don’t get the ball thrown their way, it’s not okay to just sit on the sidelines and read their book? That if you don’t work, you can’t eat?
Doesn’t exactly seem like the cheeriest of lectionary texts to preach on, you know what I mean? But then the Spirit nudged me and said the very reasons why you want to avoid it, pastor, are the very reasons I want you to preach it. To address it. For there is a lot here to address. Especially the problems this text highlights in the church and in our community.
But let’s first address the misaddressing, shall we? A misinterpretation that would be easy on the surface to make.
For one might wrongly read this passage and come away with a contradictory understanding of the gospel mandate – that the poor in money and spirit are not to be assisted, and that we should do nothing to help them if they are not also helping us. But that would be a gross misinterpretation.
I mean, should our friend Leno, from the Jenkintown Food Cupboard, investigate every person and family that comes by on Tuesday, asking to see their documentation of employment before providing them with food and necessities? Should he himself put them to work so they can eat?
No, that would be ungenerous and would render the gospel incoherent; especially where Jesus tells us in Matthew 25 that if we do not give water to the thirsty, and food to the hungry, then we are also not serving and loving him. Nowhere in there does Jesus add qualifiers and asterisks saying this only applies to people who work 9-5.
So, that misinterpretation out of the way, let’s look at what 2 Thessalonians is trying to say to folks like us who oscillate too freely between acting too busy and behaving too lazily.
Starting with the latter, our text strongly admonishes those of us with the means and ability who would rather just sit on the sidelines while everyone else gets things done. Well, Bob’s got it. Sue’s in charge. No room for me or even reason to try, so I’ll just tilt my chair back here, arms behind my head, legs on my desk, and watch. Yeah, this is not going to fly according to Thessalonians. And if you try, well, no cookies or coffee for you after worship.
But even worse, I think, is when we are the very first to complain about others doing the very things that we refuse to do. Ever know someone like this, my friends? They’ve got all the ideas and critiques in the world, but when it’s show time, they are comfortably watching another show somewhere else. You’ve got to put up or shut your pie hole up, Thessalonians is saying, more or less. For we all have a part to play, and a charge to pitch in.
But…it’s also saying this: that it better not be that sort of pitching in that’s not really pitching in, you know what I mean? That sort of pitching in that’s more like meddling, which only causes more work, and more meetings, and more conversations, more emails, more decks, and more slacks, and more exhaustion, more frustration, and more resentment.
You know, the very things that lead to an unhealthy and broken sort of community, of which no one wants to be a part.
Verse 11 in our NRSV translation reads: “We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies.” The NET translation of the same verse reads as: “For we hear that some among you are living an undisciplined life, not doing their own work but meddling in the work of others.”
Mmm, mmm, mmm…
And you know what, in the original Greek it’s just as provocative. In a play on words, it admonishes those who are literally: “working at nothing, but working around everything.” I both like that and hate that at the same time. Lol.
To further emphasize the point, the Greek utilizes a single a long word to describe this mess: περιεργαζομαι, pronounced: per-ee-er-gad’-zom-ahee. Which looks and sounds as messy as the situation it is describing.
This word is used all of 1 time in all scripture – this time – which to me signals not only its importance, but that it needed to almost be invented in order to describe the otherwise indescribable. It literally means: “to bustle about uselessly, to busy one’s self about trifling, needless, useless matters.”
To bustle about uselessly about useless matters.
Anyone here watch Seinfeld? One of the greatest comedies of all-time, right? Well, there’s this one episode where George Costanza (the most fitting name ever) is asked by his friend Elaine, “what do you do all day [at work]?” He answers, “Not that much. Right now, I sit around pretending that I’m busy.” Which prompts his friend Jerry to ask, “How do you pull that off?” To which George responds, “I always look annoyed. When you look annoyed all the time, people think that you’re busy.”
Yup, that about sums it up, doesn’t it? For this is exactly who Thessalonians has in mind, alright.
The George Costanzas among us, who aren’t contributing anything, but who are only pretending, and worst of all, who are looking annoyed and frustrating everyone at the same time. I mean, if you’re not going to help, can you at least put a smile on and be cheerful about it?
My friends, our lectionary is telling us all today to not to be like George Costanza. Nor today or tomorrow. That dastardly combination where lazy meets “busy.”
Rather, it’s asking each of us to find that healthier balance where we all legitimately pitch in, in voice and action, so that everyone can feel more satisfied as partners in this community.
The most equal and equitable community there is, by the way…
Christ’s community.
Amen.
