This week, instead of my usual podcasts, I listened to the Bible on my headphones while I was out and about. It was something new for me, and I’ll come back to that below in connection with part of our section of Thessalonians for this week.
Click here to read 1 Thessalonians 2.9-16, or click here to listen to the whole chapter.
In the first half of this section Paul continues to remind his readers how he, Silvanus and Timothy behaved when they were in Thessalonica. In particular they did not make demands of the people and acted well.
Paul also says that “we dealt with each of you like a father with his children.” This is complementary to the section a few verses earlier, which we read last week, where Paul used a maternal metaphor referring to a nurse or mother caring for her children.
Paul characterises ‘mothering’ as cherishing and caring deeply for children; he characterises ‘fathering’ as urging children on and encouraging them to live lives well. And he says that he has done both!
Children growing up, and disciples of Jesus, need both. We need the love of God that cares for our needs and cherishes us deeply. And we need the love of God that urges us on and encourages us to grow in faith and action.
Paul’s example last week showed us that ‘mothering’ is not restricted to women, and likewise ‘fathering’ is not restricted to men, and so this challenges us to consider who we are showing these aspects of God’s love to, and who shows those aspects to us.
In the second half of today’s section, Paul speaks of the Thessalonians as having heard the word of God from Paul and his companions.
When do you hear the word of God? Perhaps the readings we have in church are the only times we hear with our ears rather than reading with our eyes.
As I mentioned, this week I chose to listen rather than read. I listened to John’s gospel as I was doing other things, and I found it was a very different experience from reading, either for devotion or study.
I had to listen to the whole text! I couldn’t skip past a bit where the action seemed to be moving slowly, or a section I thought I knew well. This meant that I noticed aspects of the gospel that I hadn’t before, such as how John’s thought is structured and how much of the gospel is devoted to the last week of Jesus’ life.
Why don’t you try the same? There are various apps that require a subscription that have a range of voices reading the Bible, with background music or sound effects. You can also listen for free at Bible Gateway.
This is a Bible Gateway link to the beginning of 1 Thessalonians, which will then play through the rest of the book too.
This is a Bible Gateway link to the beginning of John’s gospel. At either link you can select other passages to listen to, as well choose from a range of different recordings.
What do you make of them?