"Comfort Yourselves Together"

October 21, 2001

"Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as ye also do." -- --1 Thessalonians 5:11

Modern biblical translations have the benefit of scholarly accuracy, but often that accuracy comes at the expense of poetry. A case in point is the text I have chosen for my title this morning. Where the King James Version has the poetic, “Wherefore comfort yourselves together,” the New Revised Standard Version has the prosaic, “Therefore encourage one another.” “Encouragement” is no doubt the more accurate translation of the original Greek, but “comfort” speaks more intimately to the heart of the reader. Encouragement we all need from time to time, but comfort is the fruit of all our desires.

If this is true in normal times, how much more so in these times which try our souls.

The translators of the King James Version of the Bible, of course, lacked the almost 400 years of linguistic, literary, archeological, historical, theological, and religious knowledge that have been compiled since their work was completed in 1611. On the other hand, their work was done at a time which most historians of the English language consider to have been its flowering, during the Elizabethan Age. Shakespeare was a contemporary of the King James Version; need more be said?

Of the many current English translations of the Bible, only the New Revised Standard Version of 1989 is based directly on the familiar cadences of the King James Version. Indeed, the “NRSV,” as it is called, is actually a “revision” of the King James Version, following in the footsteps of earlier such revisions beginning with British Revised Version in 1885, the American Standard Version in 1901, and the Revised Standard Version in 1946.

Along the way, archaisms such as “thee” and “thou” and “ye” and “yea” have been removed, along with the suffixes which give the King James Version its memorable melodies, even as they twist our tongues:

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths
of righteousness for his name’s sake.

The New Revised Standard Version sought also to deal with the whole issue of gender and language, a worthy endeavor if one almost always fraught with controversy.

The end result is a revision of the King James Version which is more accurate and scholarly and less gender-offensive, while maintaining as much as possible of the original translation.

Gone, however, are such beautiful and familiar passages as that found in 1 Corinthians 13: 12, “For now we see through a glass darkly,” which since at least the Revised Standard Version has been translated, “For now we see in a mirror dimly”--the justification seeming to be that most people today would be ignorant of the archaic use of “glass” to mean “mirror,” or of “darkly” to mean a lack of clarity or “dimness.” In other words, the poetry and suggestiveness of the phrase “through a glass darkly” have been sacrificed to accuracy, but along the way, we must admit, something wonderful has been lost.

What is true in general is true specifically in the passage which I have chosen for my text this morning. In his first letter to the Thessalonian church, Paul admonishes his listeners (for these letters were meant to be heard, not read) with a course in social conduct. His words are a primer for life in community. My colleague Roy Phillips, in his book Transforming Liberal Congregations for the New Millenium, has even suggested the use of this passage as a program, or at least as a seed, for spiritual growth.

Speaking to his own uncertain times, a time not unlike our own when he says “destruction” comes suddenly upon those who say “there is peace and security,” Paul first issues the traditional kerygma, the summary or “kernel” or confession of the faith, reminding the early Christian community:

“For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him.” (NRSV)

In the meantime, however, or at least until the Second Coming, we must continue to live in the world, and with one another. This has ever been our burden to bear, and all the generations have borne it.

Given this reality of life in the world as it is, and not as it is to be, Paul offers a few suggestions for living which are still valid today, almost two thousand years after he proposed them. Here, in both the New Revised Standard and King James Versions, are those suggestions:

“Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.” (NRSV )
Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. (KJV)

“. . .respect those who labor among you, and have charge of you in the Lord, and admonish you; esteem them very highly in love because of their work.” (NRSV)
. . . know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; (KJV)

“Be at peace among yourselves.” (NRSV)
And be at peace among yourselves. (KJV)

“. . .admonish the idlers, encourage the faint hearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them.” (NRSV)
. . .warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. (KJV)

“See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and all.” (NRSV) See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. (KJV)

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Jesus Christ for you.” (NRSV)
Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Jesus Christ concerning you. (KJV)

“Do not quench the Spirit.” (NRSV)
Quench not the Spirit. (KJV)

“Do not despise the words of the prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil.” (NRSV)
Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. (KJV)

One need not be a Christian to grasp the value of Paul’s program for survival in an uncertain world. If only we could follow his advice I am certain that the world, and the church within the world, would be a far better place. And one need not be a Christian to take comfort in the words of hope and comfort with which he concludes his admonition: “May the God of peace sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound. . . .” (NRSV) And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless. (KJV)

Who would not be sound and blameless in times such as these?

How we yearn for goodness when we have felt the touch of evil. How we long for the true word to be spoken amidst the cacophony of lies, of wars and rumors of wars. The spirit flickers and threatens to be extinguished at such times, and yet we know that we must fan its flame and keep it bright, for others are depending upon us. In times like these it is more important than ever to give thanks for every gift and blessing which we have received: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. . . . To pray without ceasing is to be in constant awareness of all that inspires and upholds us and gives us the courage and the strength to go on, even when our steps falter and we would prefer to lay the burden down. Can anyone who is alive today, whose loved ones are safe and sound, not rejoice and give thanks, and should we not do so for evermore? And what if we were actually to render good for evil? And what if we were to truly support the poor and weak of this world?

Obviously, this is a platform of spiritual growth not for only an hour or even a day, but for a whole lifetime. It is what we must strive toward, and it is what we must try to become, though we may never reach our goal. But in our striving and our becoming we must never forget that we are not alone. There are others who can help us along the difficult journey of life: Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. . . .

“Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another,” wrote St. Paul. We are called to help each other along the way. To encourage, yes, to instruct even, but more important I believe we are called to comfort each another. For to comfort is “to sooth in time of grief or fear.” It suggests consolation--something that all of us will need eventually, if we haven’t needed it already--and it suggests solace for our souls discontent.

The last few weeks have shown us in new ways that we need one another, that we need the comfort of one another’s presence. For some of us, this is a new revelation. But I want to tell you that it is true even in the most mundane of times. That is why I say to you each week that “it is good to be together.” I mean it. The world has always been a dangerous and an uncertain place. Paul knew this truth when he wrote his letter to the Thessalonians in the middle of the first century:

But of the times and the seasons, brethren, I have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. (KJV)

Paul believed that the special knowledge about Jesus Christ which he was called to share would ultimately save the Christian community. I do not believe in such special knowledge. But I do believe in what some have called “saving knowledge.” I believe that this saving knowledge is to be found in the materials which are right at hand. I believe that the most important thing we can offer to each other during these uncertain times, or at any time, is our presence and our comfort. That this saving knowledge has begun to dawn upon us, perhaps for the first time, is perhaps the small beginning of a great good that might come out of the evil of recent events. I truly hope and pray that it might be so.

Most of us need the comfort of others just to make it through the most common days of our lives. This is what, at its most fundamental level, the church exists for. Believe me, both a liberal theology and a liberal philosophy, though important, are secondary to our need for comfort.

May we discover the comfort of being in this community, and may we carry it with us into the world, in all we do, in all of the days still to come. May it give us the courage to carry on. I pray that it may be so for each and every one of us. Amen.

The Rev. Harold E. Babcock