I was delighted to preach at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Burnsville, MN on July 13 and 14, 2024. They have a great production team, so enjoy the video from the livestream above. The manuscript is below.

Theme: Glory – The Jesus Way

Text: 1 Thessalonians 2:17-20

Greetings

Good morning Prince of Peace!

Grace to you, and peace from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

And, Greetings from Luther Seminary where I serve as a professor of spiritual formation and discipleship.

You are getting a double whammy of Luther Faculty. I heard great reports from my friend and colleague, Tim Coltvet, who was with you last week.

Thanks for treating him well.

I was very glad to receive the invitation from Pastor Paul to cover for him while he is on a mission trip and you are waiting for new pastors to arrive.

I pray that your transition goes well.

It is good to be with you today.

Can we take a moment to center ourselves and get ready to hear something from God’s Word?

Let’s take a couple deep breaths together.

In, Out.

In, Out.

Gracious God, we thank you for this moment that you have invited us into. Give us ears to hear. Give us eyes to see. Give us hearts that are open and give us courage to step into what you are inviting us to become.

Introduction

Let’s play a little game.

I’ll say a phrase and you fill in the last word.

Are you ready?

No guts, No ________.

What is it?

Glory!

Yes!

What comes to your mind when you hear the word GLORY.

Turn to a neighbor and tell them what comes to your mind when you hear the word glory.

——-

Yes. Glory, hallelujah!

I did a little research on this phrase and learned:

The expression no guts, no glory can be traced to one man: American Air Force Major General Frederick Corbin Blesse, who wrote a manual about air-to-air combat in 1955 that he entitled, No Guts, No Glory. The manual is still considered a primer on air combat.

The phrase no guts, no glory emphasizes the idea that one must be willing to take risks, show courage, or push beyond their limits to achieve exceptional results. It suggests that success or achievement requires the willingness to face challenges and persevere in the face of adversity.

This weekend we are sandwiched between two events that are dripping with the word GLORY.

What was last weekend?

The Fourth of July.

We call our flag Old Glory.

We sing the Battle Hymn of the Republic where our eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

People fight for the glory of our nation. No guts, no glory.

Then, what is coming up at the end of the month?

The Olympics.

Here we see world class athletes coming together in intense competition, all with their eyes on one thing. The Gold.

No Guts. No Glory. No Gold.

It is easy to get caught up in the intensity of these events, yes?

Prince of Peace is a Lutheran Church, right?

I must confess. I have been a pastor for 30 years, but I have only been a Lutheran pastor since 2010.

One of the many things that drew me to Lutheran theology is the fact that Lutherans aren’t supposed to like the idea of GLORY.

There’s a whole thing about contrasting a Theology of Glory with the Theology of the Cross.

A Theology of Glory is where we think we can do something to earn our salvation. I have to follow these rules. Or I have to pray a certain prayer and decide to follow Jesus before I can receive salvation.

It’s all about me. That’s glory.

The theology of the cross says that there is nothing that I can do to earn my salvation. There is nothing that I can do to make God love me more.

God’s love is demonstrated by Jesus giving up his life in self-sacrifice.

God did all the work.

It’s not my glory, it’s Jesus’ cross that is my salvation.

Sound familiar?

Yes?

Good. We’re Lutherans.

No Glory.

Now, imagine my surprise when I received an email from Pastor Paul and read the theme for this weekend’s sermon:

Glory.

What?!?

And then I read the text and got more confused.

The Text

Let’s read it together.

1 Thessalonians 2:17–20 NRSV

As for us, brothers and sisters, when, for a short time, we were made orphans by being separated from you—in person, not in heart—we longed with great eagerness to see you face to face. For we wanted to come to you—certainly I, Paul, wanted to again and again—but Satan blocked our way. For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? Yes, you are our glory and joy!

Did you catch it?

It happens twice.

Paul is boasting…what?

And, Paul is reveling in glory?

Hold on.

This is the Apostle Paul. Isn’t he the guy that told is in multiple places that pride and boasting is a bad thing?

Yet, here he does it.

So, what’s going on in this text, and why should we care?

Here’s what I want to give you today.

I’ve got two things.

First, I want us to see the difference between Human Glory and God’s Glory.

HUMAN GLORY says: Look at me, I’m awesome.

The word that is translated glory in the Greek literally means “good reputation” or “to be well known and honored.”

Human glory says, “I will do whatever takes to become the best and to win.”

No guts, No glory.

———–

The Apostle Paul is talking about a different kind of glory, and a different reason to boast.

Let’s look at the context of this passage.

These three verses come from a letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to his friends in a city called Thessalonica. It is located in a region called Macedonia. It is just north of Greece.

We can read the story of when Paul met the Thessalonians in the book of Acts, in chapter 17.

Paul went to the synagogue in Thessalonica, like he did in every town. A synagogue is the meeting place for the Jewish people. He went there and taught from the Hebrew scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah that the Jewish people had been waiting for.

Some of the people believed Paul’s teaching and became disciples of Jesus. There were also Greek people who listened to Paul and started following Jesus. A church was formed where Jewish and Gentile people were working together to live in the Way of Jesus.

This got some of the synagogue leaders really angry. They thought Paul was a heretic and couldn’t stomach the idea of Jews and Gentiles commingling. So, it says in Acts 17:5-6

Acts 17:5–6 (NRSV)

But the Jews became jealous, and with the help of some ruffians in the marketplaces they formed a mob and set the city in an uproar.

While they were searching for Paul and Silas to bring them out to the assembly, they attacked Jason’s house. When they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some believers before the city authorities, shouting, “These people who have been turning the world upside down have come here also,

in Acts 17:10

Acts 17:10 NRSV

That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas off to Beroea; and when they arrived, they went to the Jewish synagogue.

Paul is separated from his friends, and he knows that they are being physically persecuted for being disciples of Jesus.

 

What is Paul boasting about? What makes him proud? What is his glory?

It is the fact that his students stood strong and endured persecution for the name of Jesus.

Let’s look at another place where Paul talks about boasting and glory:

In Romans 5:2-6

Romans 5:2–6 (NRSV)

we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

in Romans 5:11

Romans 5:11 NRSV

But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

For Paul, his boasting and glory is in what God has done for us in Jesus, on the cross, and the perseverance his people have in the face of suffering.

Paul isn’t making this up.

He’s following the teaching of Jesus.

In John 17 Jesus prays for his people and he talks a lot about glory.

In John 17:10

John 17:10 NRSV

All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them.

The Glory of Jesus shines in his relationship with his disciples.

Here’s what I think God’s glory looks like:

GOD’S GLORY is when God’s Creation Thrives

Will you say that with me.

GOD’S GLORY

is when

All Creation Thrives.

It’s all about relationships and looking out for the other.

God’s creation is an interwoven ecosystem where every part matters and when every part is doing what it is supposed to be doing, and contributing to the good of the whole, then everything thrives.

Do you see the difference between HUMAN Glory and GOD’S glory?

  • HUMAN glory says, Look at me, I’m awesome. I did whatever it took to be on top. I’m proud of me.
  • GOD’s Glory says, Look at you, you’re awesome. Together, we all can thrive. I’m proud of you.

I said I want to give you two things.

The first was to know the difference between human glory and God’s glory.

The second is a question:

Who is your glory?

A few months ago, I was sitting in the dining room at Luther Seminary and I look up to see one of our new students. Then I realized that this was a young man who had been a teenager in our youth group where I served as his pastor.

Now he is in seminary and working at the church as the director of youth and family.

He is my glory.

My oldest daughter works as a PCA, a personal Care Assistant for a young woman with a very rare genetic condition that leaves her unable to speak, or stand, or feed herself.

My daughter works with this young woman full time.

When I watch my daughter with her, I am astounded. She treats this woman with such dignity and care. She talks to her like she would talk to anyone else. She plays with her, sings to her, reads to her, feeds her.

This is my daughter.

When I see that way that she cares for another human being with this level of respect, my heart bursts with pride.

Prince of Peace. You are called to be forming disciples of Jesus to walk in the way of Jesus to love God and love our neighbors.

Who is your Thessalonian?

Who is your pride, your joy, and your glory in whom you are leaving a legacy of God’s love?

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