Dear Christian friends:

About two weeks ago the city of Pasadena chose the 1982 Queen of Roses, Kathryn Potthast. On the TV news that evening it showed her surprise and joy when the judges announced her name. Perhaps a few of you during the past were chosen for a similar honor and you know the joy that comes to you when that happens. Perhaps most of us have never been chosen for such a high honor. But we Christians, all of us, have been chosen for an honor greater than any other. God has chosen us to be His people (John 15:16). That is the greatest honor and joy anyone can receive. Jesus told His disciples: “Rejoice because your names are written in God's book." (Luke 10:20)

Is that really true? Has God really chosen us for heaven? Are our names written in His book? How can we know?

St. Paul knew that God had chosen the Christians at Thessalonica. He writes, "Christian friends, we know God loves you and that God has chosen you because the Good News we spoke to you, you received not only words, but you received words with power and the Holy Spirit." (vv 4-5) St.Paul could see God's Spirit and power working in the Christians at Thessalonica. That is one reason why he knew God had chosen them for heaven.

Has God chosen you and me, too? Well, is God's power and Spirit working in you? Have you received Baptism in the name of the triune God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit? Have you transferred from Satan's kingdom to God's kingdom? Do you have new birth and new life worked in you by the Gospel? If you can answer, "Yes," to these questions, God has chosen you.

Here are more questions to help you: Do you often think and remember that you are baptized? Do you desire, yes hunger, to go to the Lord's Supper often? Do you hunger to hear the preaching of the cross each Sunday at church? Do you read your Bible often to find God's promises that he loves you and forgives your sins in Jesus? If you can answer, "Yes," to these questions, God has chosen you.

When you do wrong or break one of the Ten Commandments, how do you do with your guilt? Do you try to hide your wrong or make excuses, beautiful excuses? Do you try to forget your wrong and guilt by drinking too much or by other pleasures or too much work? When you become very ill or have other serious problems, do you think God is angry against you and punishing you for past wrongs? If you do these ways with your guilt it would seem that God has not chosen you. You are still living under the law and not under God's grace.

If God has chosen you, and if His Word and Spirit have been active in you, then when you sin or break a Commandment, you do not try to hide it or excuse it or forget it in drinking, but you confess your sin and guilt and believe that God shows mercy to sinners and forgives sinners because of His Son Jesus who obeyed the Ten Commandments for all men and who suffered the guilt and punishment of all men's sins upon the Cross.

You can know that God has chosen you because His mighty Word and Spirit have been active in your heart. That is how St. Paul knew that the Christians at Thessalonica had been chosen by God.

There was another reason why Paul knew that God had chosen the Christians at Thessalonica. They showed their faith in Jesus by their love and their hope.

Paul writes, "We always thank God for you and we pray for you. While praying to God our Father, we always remember the way you showed your faith, the loving things you did, and your continuing hope in the Lord Jesus." (vv 2-3)

If we read this whole letter here which Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, we see their many loving deeds. They loved their pastors, Paul, Silas and others. They loved the poor and shared food, clothes and houses with them. The husbands loved their wives, not because they were sexy and had beautiful bodies, but because they were beautiful minds and spirits in Christ Jesus. The husbands did not divorce their wives when they became older and less sexy like the non-Christian men did. (CH. 4:1-5) They loved one another and did not cheat or steal from one another. (Ch. 4:6-12)

So you and I can know that God has chosen us, also, because we show our faith in Jesus by our deeds of love and kindness. True, we are not perfect in this and often fail, but when we fail we are sorry and look to God's grace in Jesus for forgiveness and for power to improve. If God has chosen us, we will show our faith in Jesus by trying to do deeds of love.

Also, we know that God has chosen us because we have hope in Jesus. (v.3) We do not despair like the unbelievers who have no real hope in times of losses and trouble. We know that all things happen to us because our Father in heaven permits them to happen and they are for our good, also the troubles. Even in time of death we Christians have hope. We do not sorrow as others who have no hope when a loved one dies. (Ch. 4:13) We believe and we hope that we shall see our loved one again in heaven. We have hope for the resurrection of the body and eternal life.(Ch. 4:13-18)

Yes, in us Christians, same as in the Christians of Thessalonica, the powerful Gospel is working and our faith is showing. Therefore, we know God has chosen us for heaven. Our names are written in His book! This is our great honor and joy!

Amen