1 Thessalonians 1: 1-10 (links validated 9/5/23)

The kind of imitation that Paul commends in 1 Thessalonians 1:6 has been called the “sincerest form of flattery.” But sometimes flattery can also be downright dangerous. In his book, The Giant Book of Strange But True Sports Stories, Howard Liss writes about the golf trick-shot specialist Paul Hahn. He could, writes Liss, “hit the ball two-hundred yards with a club head attached to a length of garden hose. [However], Hahn had one trick which caused some trouble. He used a beautiful girl; she lay flat on the ground with a golf ball neatly resting on her lips. Hahn swung and hit the ball without touching the girl. But,” Liss concludes, Hahn “soon had to give up showing that trick, when he found out that some youngsters were trying to copy the trick using their own girlfriends.” A moral of the story: if you’re going to pattern your life or actions after someone, you’d better be very careful about who and what you choose to imitate.

In her November 28, 2003 article entitled, “Gratitude Grows as Salutary Habit,” Jane Lampman writes about thanksgiving: “For many Americans, Thanksgiving is their favorite holiday. Gathering at the table with family and friends in memory-filled tradition. Plenty of soul-satisfying food. And, the special feeling that comes from sharing gratitude. “‘Thanksgiving has always been a favorite: It’s a time for gratitude and a holiday we haven’t messed up!’ says Susan Kirby, a California mother of two. That feeling is garnering a lot more attention these days, and not just during the fourth week of November. A universal experience and a component of many religious traditions for centuries, gratitude is being recognized not simply as a desirable virtue, but also as an essential element to wholeness and well-being. “As latecomers to the concept, scientists are now engaged in long-term research that has already confirmed a host of beneficial outcomes, from healthier, more satisfying lives to greater vitality and more generous outreach to help others...

Some years ago a major denomination in Canada was faced with some devastating, potentially bankrupting lawsuits that tied in with some things the church had done in years past. It looked like the church was going to lose everything: its buildings, cathedrals, property, retirement accounts, investments. In the face of all this a reporter asked one of the church’s highest officials what it would do if the worst happened. He replied, “In the end all we need is the Word of God, a little water, a little bread, a little wine and we will be fine to continue our work.”...