Written by Richelle Thompson
1 Thessalonians 1:6-7 (NRSV) And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.
Hammer Man, my dad called. And I stepped right up, offering the hammer from my little hands to his, large and calloused. A handy man, my dad often called us into the garage to help him with his latest project. Having such an important job made me feel valued and loved. It took years before I realized that he didn’t need someone to hand him a hammer. He wanted to spend time together to talk and listen, to teach the importance of hard work, to be an example and role model.
That’s what Saint Paul entreats of the people of Thessalonica. In this letter, probably the first of Paul’s many, the words are designed to comfort and encourage. Be an example, he writes. Keep up your steady and faithful work as we await the coming again of Christ. Let your actions be a living example of a life of faith. Twelve centuries later, a similar message is attributed to Saint Francis: “Preach the gospel, and if necessary, use words.” In another eight hundred years, a loving father expresses the gospel this way: Hammer Man.
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