Read: 1 Thessalonians 2:17 - 3:5

Have you ever felt very sad that you had to leave someone? You would feel even worse if you suddenly had to leave and didn’t know when you would be coming back to your loved ones. The apostle Paul had to suddenly leave the Thessalonians and he said that it made him very upset. It broke Paul’s heart to have to leave them.

Paul was struggling that much with being gone from the Thessalonians that in the end it became too much for him, and he sent his beloved friend Timothy to go to them. Sending Timothy was a very hard thing for Paul to do. It meant that he no longer had the company of Timothy or the help of Timothy for his work in Athens. He was left doing the work all on his own. And yet Paul still sent Timothy. He loved the Thessalonians that much that he was willing to give up Timothy to help them.

This reminds us of Someone else who gave up so much for the people he loved. Actually, he gave up even much more than Paul did. He gave his beloved Son to suffer and to die for the people he loved. Yes, we are talking about our Father in heaven. Even though we were his enemies, God sent his beloved Son to earth for us. And the Son himself, our Lord Jesus Christ, was willing to leave the glories of heaven to come to earth to die for us. What a great sacrifice that was. And what a great display of God’s love for us.

It is this great miracle of God’s love that made Paul show love to the Thessalonians. And it’s this miracle of God’s love for us that should also make us show love to those around us. We too must be willing to give up things that we love to help others. When we think about how much God gave up for us, we should be encouraged to give up things for others as well.

Reflection with your child:

Think of something that you can give up today to show your love for someone else.

Source: Sermon by Rev. H. Alkema