The Right Word

By Rev. Heidi L. Barham |  November 1, 2026

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Read: 1 Thessalonians 2:9 – 13 (NIV)

The morning after I submitted this week’s bulletin with the title and text for today’s sermon, “THE RIGHT WORD,” we had a situation come up… and I am not proud to admit that the words that came out of my mouth were definitely NOT the right words.
 
All I will say is that our puppy, Kya, had an encounter with a skunk at 5:00 in the morning.  I will leave it to your imagination to guess what wrong words might have come out of my mouth.  The good news is that Kya is doing better and does not smell nearly as skunky as she did Tuesday morning.  [Thank you, Ron!]
 
Now, turning our attention to today’s New Testament lesson… it comes from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church at Thessalonica.  This is a church that Paul established around the year A.D. 51 during his second missionary journey. 
 
This letter, which Paul wrote only a short time after the church was established, offers words of encouragement to the Thessalonians along with words of reassurance regarding Paul’s love for them as well as words of hope in the promise of the Savior’s return.
 
As we consider this passage so many centuries and generations later, we find that it provides us with words of guidance regarding how we should live our lives as witnesses to the world. 
 
Words of encouragement, words of reassurance, words of hope, words of guidance… all very good words that just may be THE RIGHT WORD that we need for today.
 
Now, as we prepare to take a closer look at this text which calls for our attention… it might be helpful for us to put it into context.
 
Although Paul wrote this letter to the Thessalonians as a way of encouraging them… he also wrote it to refute any claims that the motives of Paul and his companions were anything less than pure and honorable.
 
There were many false teachers going around spreading misinformation and disinformation about the gospel.  And some of those false teachers devised and utilized tricks and schemes that were meant to defraud unsuspecting people. 
 
And as tempting as it may be, I will not compare the actions of these false teachers to what we see happening within the political arena… I will not do it… so please don’t ask me to!
 
Now, Paul makes a point of reminding the Thessalonians of how he and his fellow apostles were not like those false teachers.  They provided for themselves and did not depend on the believers in Thessalonica to support them.  In fact, they had done everything that they could so they would not be a burden to the Thessalonians.
 
Careful inspection of this letter reveals details about the ways Paul and his compadres took care of the Thessalonians in much the same way that a parent would care for a child… providing nurture, guidance and encouragement… out of love and concern… all so the Thessalonians could grow and mature in their faith.
 
And as we consider this text in light of our current conditions… it should serve as a reminder that we, as the church, have also been called to provide nurture, guidance and encouragement to new believers… we have a responsibility to help them grow and mature in their faith… even as we encourage one another.
 
Without that… what would be the purpose for the church?
 
However, if we are being honest with ourselves, being the church in this present day and age… in a world that is filled with chaos and confusion… can be more than a little challenging.  Then again, it is probably fair to say that being the church has always been a little challenging. 
 
Just think about what Paul and his companions endured.  Take for example how many of Paul’s writings that are found in the New Testament were actually written while Paul was sitting in a jail cell…  just in case you are unsure about how many that may be… there are a total of five… Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon and 2 Timothy.
 
But as we can see through Paul’s witness… just because some of us may be going through hardships and challenges... it does not relieve us of our responsibility to BE the church. 
 
So, regardless of how high gas prices may be… and how tempting it might be to just stay at home rather than drive anywhere…  we are still called to BE the church… and there is still work for us to do.
 
And in spite of… or perhaps I should say… in light of our world being more divided than ever… it is that much more critical for us to BE the church that God has called us to be… to shine the light of Christ in a dark and dying world.
 
But just how do we do that in these difficult times?
 
We do that by relying on the truths that we find in the Word of God which is… beyond a shadow of a doubt… THE RIGHT WORD for such a time as this.
 
Now, if we were to back up to the verse just before our text for today, we would read, “Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.”
 
If we seek to follow Paul’s example… it means that despite any differences that may exist across socioeconomic statuses, political affiliations, or ethnic and cultural backgrounds… we still need to find ways to share our lives as we share the Gospel with others. 
 
If there is one reasonably positive thing that came about as a result of the COVID pandemic… it would be that we found ways to utilize technology that we might not have previously considered… and to this day, there are a variety of platforms and social media outlets that are being used for good… to help spread the good news about Jesus.
 
On the flip side of that, I am sure we have all seen how much political rhetoric and hate speech is constantly being spewed across cyberspace… but just imagine what would happen if we… as the church… the body of believers… made an intentional commitment to post just one message about Jesus’ love and salvation for every negative ad or article we see. 
 
Talk about making something go viral! 
 
Sadly, however, people are generally much quicker to showcase negativity than they are to share the Good News… although that is not a particularly new phenomenon.  Paul found himself encountering the same thing; but he did not let that prevent him from fulfilling his mission.
 
Much of what Paul wrote to each of the churches was written to counteract the false and negative teachings of others.  So, like Paul, we need to stay the course and spread the Good News about Jesus because at the end of the day, that is THE RIGHT WORD.
 
 Now, as we continue our examination of the text… we read about how hard Paul and his colleagues worked to lead lives that were holy, righteous and blameless while they were among the Thessalonians. 
 
In other words, they made it a point to be good role models. 
 
Believe it or not, it was over thirty years ago that basketball star, Charles Barkley, made a Nike ad in which he declared that he was not a role model.  The ad created quite a bit of controversy at the time, but it also generated some much-needed dialogue about who we hold up as role models for our children and even for ourselves.  (Source: The story behind Charles Barkley declaring he is not a role model - Yahoo Sports)
 
And when it comes to matters of faith… we definitely need to be careful about who we consider to be our role models.  In fact, just this past week there was quite a stir caused by a local pastor and his wife when it was revealed that they are involved in a polygamous relationship.
 
But I digress…
 
Paul made it quite clear that he was not the real role model… the example he was setting for them was to follow the example of Christ… the greatest role model anyone could ever follow. 
 
In fact, in 1 Corinthians 11:1 Paul wrote, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”  And in Ephesians 5:1 we read, “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
 
Paul’s word of encouragement to follow the example of Christ and to follow the example of God is still THE RIGHT WORD for us today.  It is at the foundation of the question, “What Would Jesus Do?” which was popularized many years ago when the acronym WWJD showed up on bracelets, t-shirts, and all types of paraphernalia. 
 
It is a question that we should ask ourselves as we take a moment (or two or twelve) to think carefully before we act… so that we can be sure that whatever we do, it will align with the example that Jesus set for us.
 
That driver cuts you off in traffic and causes you to get stopped at a red light…  Ask yourself, “What would Jesus do?”
 
A customer jumps in front of you to get to the cashier in the grocery store…  Ask yourself, “What would Jesus do?”
 
The company gives you your notice the day before the holiday… and after you have just maxed out all your credit cards on gifts for the children…  Ask yourself, “What would Jesus do?”
 
Let me suggest that in any of those given scenarios… unlike how you or I might be inclined to respond, there is one colorful four-letter word that Jesus would use and that word is L-O-V-E.
 
And that is because LOVE is literally THE RIGHT WORD.
 
Love is what causes us to stop and consider the possible challenges that other driver, that store customer or that company manager may have been facing that led to their actions. 
 
Love is what makes it possible for us to respond with grace and compassion rather than sounding off in anger and frustration. 
 
Love is what calls us to remember that Jesus taught us to forgive as we have been forgiven.
 
The heart of the Gospel that Paul preached regularly… is the sacrificial love and forgiveness of Jesus… Christ’s crucifixion as payment for our sins… the love that went to a cross at Calvary which Jesus is alluding to in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
 
Paul explained it like this in his letter to the Corinthian Church where he wrote:

And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.  For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.  

He went on to say:

I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling.  My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.  (1 Corinthians 2:1-5).

These words to the Corinthians echo what Paul had written previously to the Thessalonians which we find in the last verse of our text:

And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.

Paul commended the Thessalonians and the Corinthians for recognizing the true source of what he and his companions had been preaching to them… assuring them that it was the Word of God and it was absolutely THE RIGHT WORD that they needed to hear.
 
We, too, have an opportunity to do as Paul and his comrades did… to share the Good News about Jesus in both word and deed… telling others about the love of Christ as we demonstrate that love through our actions…
 
And let me assure you… it does not require grand gestures.
 
We can show and tell of Christ’s love by doing something as simple as picking up the phone and checking on a neighbor or sending someone a card with a note of encouragement…
 
In fact, you would be surprised how your words of kindness and compassion can make a world of difference to someone who feels alone or thinks that God has forgotten about them… it just may be THE RIGHT WORD that they need in that moment.
 
As they say, every little bit helps… and in the words of Saint Teresa, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
 
So, let us purpose in our hearts to do as Paul writes in verse 12 of our text… “live lives worthy of God, who calls [us] into his kingdom and glory.”   
 
And let us make it our mission to do all that we can to BE the church… to spread the Good News about our living Savior… Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God… who is by far the absolute BEST Word.
 
In fact, the verse of the day in the YouVersion Bible App for today is John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  Talk about confirmation!
 
We have been given the Word of God to live by… not just for this present day… but for all eternity…

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him (John 3:16 – 17)

Jesus is not only THE RIGHT WORD… Jesus is the BEST Word because Jesus IS the Word… and as long as we have Jesus, we have the blessed assurance that we get to spend eternity in the kingdom of God… what better word is there than that?
 
And if the promise of eternal life with God fills your heart with joy and gladness and hope… I want to invite you to stand now and join in singing our Hymn of Discipleship: Blessed Assurance #543.

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