February 21, 2021 - What Will the Post-Pandemic World Look Like?

 

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I am grateful to be back with you today.  I very much appreciate Jordan and David preaching in my absence, and for everyone’s involvement in the worship services.  

     

At the end of January, I completed my most recent series of messages – A New Heart for A New Year. Next week I will begin a new series of messages I have titled Rebooting Life.  This morning’s message is somewhat of a bridge to that series, as the title for today is What Will A Post-Pandemic World Look Like?

     

Obviously, I have no definitive answer to that question.  And, I should add, neither does anyone else.  But everyone wants to know – when can we once again do all the things the pandemic has kept us from doing?  When will schools be fully open?  When can we have family gatherings and get-togethers with our friends?  When can we have our Fellowship Meals again?  When will life be back to normal, and will it be the normal to which we had grown accustomed?  Will it be different?  Most definitely.  Will it be greatly different?  Who knows? In what ways will it be different? Who knows?  

     

But aren’t we all wondering about what the world will be like when the pandemic ends (and when it ends is quite a big and unsettled question in and of itself)?  We all wish we could envisage what will be different – or the same – about the world when we come out of the pandemic.  Obviously, no one can answer the question of what a post-pandemic world will look like with any specificity.  

     

Our Scripture text for today comes from Matthew’s gospel, and the context is one that is not terribly different from the one in which we find ourselves.  The context was this – the disciples were curious, and quite concerned, about the future (the Scripture reading comes from a long passage, of which I am using only a small portion.  The entirety of the passage fills chapters 24 and 25).  We too, are very curious, and concerned, about the future.  The disciples lived in a time when the future held more questions than it did answers, as do we.  

     

One of the concerns the disciples had about the future concerned their status as a nation occupied by the Roman Empire.  I imagine the disciples were hoping for a word of encouragement from Jesus on this matter, a word that they would soon be free of the shackles of Rome.  What Jesus had to say, however, was anything but encouraging.  

     

When reading this passage of Scripture – especially the full text of chapters 24 and 25) it is very important to understand that as Jesus answered the question about the future, he speaks about two future events – the near-term future and the long-term future. In terms of the near-term future, Jesus had some very disconcerting words to offer to the disciples.  Hoping, no doubt, that Jesus would tell them that the Romans would either leave – or be expelled from – their land, Jesus instead offered the disciples a very ominous prediction.  Jesus spoke about a devastating event that would take place not long after their lifetimes, in the year 70 AD.  The Romans, having grown weary of the repeated uprisings and resistance from the Jewish people, destroyed the city of Jerusalem, including the temple.  It was an almost total and complete annihilation, ending the existence of Israel, as a nation, until the year 1948.

     

The second event of which Jesus spoke was the end of all things, when God would bring history to a conclusion.  Unlike the end-of-time preachers in our era who feel compelled to set dates, however, Jesus reminded the disciples that no one possessed the knowledge of when that event would take place, including himself (no one knows about the day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father– 24:36). He also provided the reminder that it will take place when no one is expecting it (the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him– 24:44).  Not all was discouraging, however, as Jesus also offered these words – Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away(24:35).

     

Follow along with me as I read some verses from that long passage in Matthew’s gospel.  Matthew 24:3-8, 32-35 – 

 

³ As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

⁴ Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 

⁵ For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 

⁶ You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 

⁷ Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 

⁸ All these are the beginning of birth pains.

³² “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 

³³ Even so, when you see all these things, you know that itis near, right at the door. 

³⁴ Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.

³⁵ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

 

So, in spite of the fact that I said it is not possible accurately predict what the future holds, allow me to offer a few thoughts about the world after the pandemic ends.

 

1.  The post-pandemic world will be an increasingly digital world, and in spite of legitimate concerns about the digital world, churches must embrace it.

     

I had never heard of Zoom before the pandemic.  Never. Heard.  Of.  It.  When it’s over, I’ll be happy to be away from it. If we are away from it.

     

Let me say this – the digital world is no longer an option for churches; it is a necessity.  I do not understand the churches unwilling to embrace the digital world.  I understand the shortcomings and problems of the digital world – especially social media – but the pandemic has proven the digital world is a reality that is now indispensable.  

     

The digital revolution is a revolution greater than the printing press, and the printing press revolutionized the world, including the religious world.  Can you imagine not having a Bible to read?  I remember several years ago, when I began to notice people beginning to look at their phones in worship more than usual, I complained about it once and I received some very interesting responses.  One person told me, I’m looking at mine because I’m using my Bible app.  Another person said, I was sending out a tweet about something you said in your message.  Another person said, I was taking notes on my phone.  Okay.  Lesson learned.  I now use the Bible app on my phone more than I use a printed version.  I love the fact that I can carry, in my pocket, almost every version of the Bible.  That doesn’t mean I’m in love with the digital world, and I am certainly not in love with my latest version of the iPhone.  And just in case Tim Cook – the CEO of Apple – somehow manages to hear this – Mr. Cook, I’d love to tell you what I think is wrong with this phone.  For one, using facial recognition as a way to open your phone during a pandemic, when we’re all wearing masks, is a really bad idea.  Just bring back the home button, okay?  Please? Call me so we can talk about it.  502-939-1299.  And please, have your watch stop telling me every single day to check my steps because they are lower than normal.  I had Covid, okay.  You don’t take many steps when you have Covid.  So call me when you have a few minutes, okay Mr. Cook? 502-939-1299.  I’m going to get so many prank calls now.

     

I guess I need to get back to my point.  I am very grateful for our livestream.  Watching the livestream the past two Sundays made me even more grateful we are able to be online with our worship services.  I have heard from churches and ministers on a number of occasions, asking how to do a livestream, and before I say much of anything, they tell me why they can’t do one, such as we don’t have the personnel or the equipment.  Well, not everyone has a Wizard like we do – and you can’t have him, by the way – but it doesn’t mean you can’t be online.  You need to be online!  And if you want a statistic to help convince you, how about this one – the churches with some kind of digital presence last year – YouTube, livestreams, etc. – as a group saw 533% more donations than those without.  533%!  Should I say that again?  533%!  

(https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/02/the-digital-divide-is-giving-american-churches-hell/)

Now, financial reasons are not our motivation for doing a livestream, let me be very clear about that.  Our motivation for doing a livestream is to provide people who cannot be at church the opportunity to worship with their congregation, and to be open to people around our community and beyond to worship with us as well.

 

2.  The post-pandemic world is one in which faith must conquer fear.

     

When you read through chapters 24 and 25 of Matthew, and your read the words of the disciples, you can sense the fear in their voices.  And, to be very honest, they had a lot of reasons to be afraid, just as we do today.  If you are worried not only about the future, but about the present, let me say this by way of acknowledgement – you have a right to be worried.  There are a lot of reasons to be afraid today, and when we come out of the pandemic, those reasons are not going away.  If anything, they are likely to intensify.  Being afraid is understandable, but do not – do not – let fear control your life.  Faith must conquer fear.  It must.

     

I vividly remember my first trip to Kroger right as the pandemic hit, and the shutdowns began.  Do you remember that moment?  Do you remember the uncertainty and the fear that you felt? I walked into Kroger and felt as though I had stumbled onto the set of a zombie movie.  I didn’t know if I was in Kroger or an episode of The Walking Dead.  People were grabbing whatever they could get their hands on, and the fear was so very palpable.  I went looking for eggs, and they were long gone.  I made several circles around the store, and on one of my circlings, I walked to the dairy section just as they brought out an entire pallet of eggs.  Before the guy could cut the plastic wrap around the pallet, people were shredding it and making off with the eggs as though it was a pallet of money free for the taking.  I hit that pallet of eggs and went off with a carton under my arm like it was a gold bar.  And if it had been a gold bar, I could have purchased a roll of toilet paper.  Then I went to the cereal aisle and started grabbing boxes of cereal I didn’t even like.  I was grabbing tofu oat cereal and crazy stuff because the Captain Crunch was all gone.  So, I got my dozen eggs and whatever else I could and was out of there.  As much as I tried to keep my head, the fear in that moment was so real that it was absolutely contagious.  I walked into the store nice and relaxed, with my list in my hand, and I came out of there like a character in The Hunger Games.

     

There is a real fear in groups when uncertainty strikes.  One person is fearful, and then you have two people who are afraid, and then three, and the fear increases exponentially.  It doubles, and triples, and before you know it, you have a pandemic of fear.

     

There is going to be uncertainty in the post-pandemic world, because there is always going to be uncertainty. What we have learned is the reality that we are not immune to uncertainty.  Science has brought us vaccines, and for that we are all very thankful, but we are still uncertain.  Are they effective enough?  Will the mutations mean they lose their effectiveness?  Who knows at this point?  

     

Here is what we do know – uncertainty is something we have to live with, and there is simply no way around that truth.  We have entered into uncharted waters in the history of humanity, and I am not saying that to be dramatic or to create fear.  I’m saying it because I believe it to be true.  If you are worried, you are not wrong to be concerned.  And when we enter into uncharted territory, we need something that is going to guide us through.  I believe science can help us, but science cannot solve every problem; in fact, science creates some problems and dilemmas.  I’m not a skeptic of science, certainly, and I am grateful for what science is doing to get us through this pandemic.  At some point, however, we have to acknowledge that science cannot overcome every challenge and cannot solve every problem.  Science will help us through this time, but not without the incalculable losses that we have suffered.  We have lost scores of people, the economy has been devastated, and tremendous upheaval has come to our lives and to the world.  And what do we do with all the suffering?  What happens when we cannot overcome the challenges that the universe throws at us?  What happens when the results of those challenges bring us such suffering? I believe – we believe – you better have something else if you are going to overcome it.  There is something greater than science.  There is something greater than fear.  What the world offers can only take us so far, but we have the presence, the promises, and the power of God.  God, who created this universe, is the one who will determine the course of history and when history will come to a conclusion.  That is what we can hold to.  That is the something that, when everything else hits its end and can go no further, will continue, and that is God.  Faith will be what conquers fear, faith is what will see us through the remainder of this pandemic, and faith is what will carry us through whatever challenges come next.  Jesus told his disciples that while difficult days were coming, they could also be assured that heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.  There is one true constant, one true reality, and that is the presence of God in this world and in our lives. 

 

3.  The post-pandemic world will need love more than ever.

     

I realize the title of this message is a bit deceiving, because it asks the question of what the post-pandemic world will look like.  Obviously, I have not given much of an answer to that question, so it might have been more accurate if I titled it What the Post-Pandemic World Will Need.

     

We talk about love so much in our society, and that is great; I am certainly glad that we do.  But we see those proclamations about love contradicted with the level of contentiousness that surrounds us.  Throughout the pandemic, I have thought about love a great deal. I believed, at the beginning of the pandemic, that such an incredible challenge would pull us together.  Those of us who lived through 9/11 – which was not that long ago; twenty years is not that long ago historically but it seems several lifetimes ago in comparison to our context today – remember how it   pulled people together.  Do you remember the sense of unity, and coming together, that existed in that moment?  In the community where we were living at the time, we put together a service for that evening, as I’m sure that happened here in Shelbyville.  There was a coming together, as tragedy, and upheaval, and difficulty has historically done.  It was a reminder that there is something greater than what divides us, and something that can pull us together to remind us of our oneness.  That has not happened in this pandemic.  There are glimpses of it, and those glimpses tend to be isolated to the point that when they happen, they become newsworthy.  

     

What has made this past year so difficult is not just the pandemic, but the harsh reality that it has been an unrelenting series of challenges that have frayed our collective nerves.  It has pulled at our social fabric in a way unlike anything in my lifetime.  I had high hopes at the beginning of the pandemic that it would pull us together.  In spite of all the suffering that would come, the pandemic and other challenges would bring out the better angels of our nature, but it has not.  Why is that?  Are we that divided?  Are we that separated?  The problem, I believe, is that for all of our talk about love, love remains more of a concept than a reality.  When I think about the ministry of Jesus, for instance, I am reminded this has always been the case.  In Jesus, after all, was God in human flesh; the Creator entering the creation.  What did he do?  He healed.  He loved. And what happened?  He was crucified!  Jesus was crucified in spite of the fact that he was the very embodiment of love. Unfortunately, that has been the way of the world for far too long.  It doesn’t seem that love is accepted and welcomed, as much as the world claims otherwise.  When this is all over, whenever that is, we are going to need love more than ever in this world.  There will be so much to put back together.  There is much to do for those who have lost so much.  People have lost loved ones, their businesses, their homes, and have reached the point where they feel they cannot continue.  They need love to help them put their lives back together.  But there will be those voices who will push back, and say no, they don’t agree with us, or they are on the other side of the political aisle from us, or whatever the differences may be.  There is a narrative now that says if you aren’t like me, if you don’t agree with me, if we are not in agreement about politics or religion then we cannot walk together, we cannot fellowship together, and we cannot be friends. Isn’t that sad?  I reject that kind of thinking outright.  We don’t have to agree on everything.  We can have significant differences, but we must remember that love raises our vision higher, to a higher purpose, to a higher calling, to be able to see beyond what divides us.  That’s exactly what Jesus did throughout his ministry, and we are called to do the same. When Jesus said to love our enemies, he gave a very concrete and specific example.  Jesus said if a person was asked to go one mile, they should go two. What he was referencing was the requirement that a Roman soldier could compel someone to carry their pack and their equipment for up to one mile.  It did not matter if it would make the person late for work or inconvenience them in any way; it was a requirement they were compelled to follow.  Jesus said that when they completed that one mile, they should be willing to go on for another mile.  Imagine the reaction of his listeners.  The despised Romans, the soldiers who occupied their land, and Jesus told his followers to go an extra mile in carrying their pack and equipment.  I don’t imagine he got many amensfor that recommendation.  For Jesus, loving one’s enemies wasn’t an ivory tower concept; it was a concrete and tangible command.  But for love to truly triumph, at some point we have to say, I’m going to lay down my bitterness.  I’m going to lay down my hatred.  I’m going to lay down all my propensity for division, and no longer say that I cannot walk with others because we disagree.  And I’m going to take up a visible expression of love for my enemies. Love is tough, but love is absolutely necessary if our world is going to be better, and do better.  And that is the biggest challenge facing us in the post-pandemic world, and it is our calling.    

     

I think we are all a bit uneasy about what the future holds, but let us be hopeful as well, as we know that whatever happens, we remain in God’s hands.  Always.

 

January 31, 2021 A New Heart for A New Year: Give Me Trust to Console Me

 

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This morning, we conclude the series of messages titled A New Heart for A New Year.  The series comes from a Celtic prayer, titledLord of My Heart.  As I have not been sharing the prayer the past few weeks, I will share it with you one final time – 

 

Lord of my heart, give me vision to inspire me,that working or resting, I may always think of you.

Lord of my heart, give me light to guide me,

that at home or abroad I may always walk in your way.

Lord of my heart, give me wisdom to direct me, that thinking or acting, I may always discern right from wrong.

Lord of my heart, give me courage to strengthen me, that amongst friends or enemies, I may always proclaim your justice.

Lord of my heart, give me trust to console me,

that hungry or well-fed, I may always rely on your mercy.

Lord of my heart, save me from empty praise,

that I may always boast of you.

Lord of my heart, save me from worldly wealth,that I may always look to the riches of heaven.

Lord of my heart, save me from military prowess,

that I may always seek your protection.

Lord of my heart, save me from vain knowledge,

that I may always studyyour word.

Lord of my heart, save me from unnatural pleasures,

that I may always find joy in your wonderful creation.

Heart of my own heart, whatever befall me,

rule over my thoughts and feelings, my words and actions.

 

I love that prayer, and I keep it nearby to read on a regular basis.  In this series, we have studied five themes from the prayer – vision, light,wisdom, courage, and trust.  Today’s message is on the theme of trust.  The line from the prayer is, Lord of my heart, give me trust to console me, that hungry or well-fed, I may always rely on your mercy.

     

This morning’s Scripture text comes from Jeremiah 17:5-8. Follow along with me as I read – 

 

⁵ This is what the Lord says:

“Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord.

⁶ That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see 

prosperity when it comes.  They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.

⁷ “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.

⁸ They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.  It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

 

As I began thinking about this message, it was hard for me to narrow the theme of trust.  Trust is a really big theme.  The difficulty in beginning a message is narrowing it down to a manageable amount of information, so you don’t bury everyone.  But then I started to think more about the line from the prayer, which is very specific when speaking about trust – Lord of my heart, give me trust to console me, that hungry or well-fed, I may always rely on your mercy.  I think that is a great line.  I love that line, so let’s dig into it this morning.

     

I want to focus especially on one word in that line – consolation.  Consolation is an interesting word to pair with the word trust.  The prayer asks that God would give us trust in order that we would receive consolation.  Consolation is a word that means to comfort in a time of sadness or grief, especially a time of great sadness or great grief.  Do you think that the past year qualifies as such a time?  I think we can all agree that the past year has been a time of great sadness and grief for a combination of reasons.  Everyone has lost someone or something during the pandemic, and in such a time of sadness and grief, we need, specifically, to trust in order to find the comfort we need.  So how is it that trust can serve as a consolation, or comfort, to us?

     

Well, let’s look to Jeremiah to see how trustbrought him a sense of consolation.  

     

Jeremiah was one of the major prophets of the Old Testament and he began his ministry in the 7^thcentury BC.  Jeremiah was a prophet in the southern kingdom of Judah (the nation of Israel had split into two kingdoms many years before – Israel in the north, and Judah in the south).  Jeremiah is sometimes called the weeping prophet because of the calamities he pronounced that were to come upon the southern kingdom.  The kingdom had turned far away from the law of God and had devolved to the point of offering child sacrifices to the god Moloch.  Because Jeremiah opposed such practices, and because he preached of the judgment that would come upon the kingdom because of their idolatry, he was not a very popular figure.  In fact, Jeremiah found his life in danger because of his message.  When Jeremiah complained to God about the persecution he faced, Jeremiah is not given much encouragement; in fact, instead of telling him that things will get better, God tells Jeremiah he will face even worse circumstances.  Because of the difficulties he faces, Jeremiah decides he might be better off if he were to remain silent, but he finds that God’s word burns within him and he cannot remain silent.  As he says in 20:9, But if I say, “I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.

     

So how does trust bring consolation to Jeremiah, or to anyone?

     

Well, let’s take a look at that question.

 

1.  Trusting God will not take away our difficulties, but it will bring us consolation because of the guarantee that we are doing what is right.     

     

Jeremiah did not receive a life of ease; in fact, he didn’t even get a break from God when he complained to God about the threats that were made against him.  What did he receive?  God said, things are about to get worse.  I imagine Jeremiah said, or at least wondered, is that supposed to make me feel better?  But it is important to understand that God was not trying to discourage Jeremiah; just the opposite, actually.  God was telling Jeremiah that his circumstances were difficult not because he had done anything wrong; no, his circumstances were difficult because he was doing what was right.

     

That is a message that also came to other Biblical characters, and it reminds us that what we sometimes need is not the promise that life will get better, or our circumstances are going to get better.  What we need is the promise – the reminder – that we are doing the right thing, even when our lives suffer for doing what is right.  Anyone has ever been involved in athletics, for example, knows that conditioning for a sport is not easy.  I was never a skilled athlete, but I did participate in a few scholastic sports.  I was on my high school crew team my junior and senior years.  Each season, we spent six weeks in physical conditioning.  Each day, our workout consisted of an hour of calisthenics, an hour of lifting weights, and a run of between three and five miles.  It was difficult, to say the least, and I couldn’t wait to finally get on the river, thinking it would be a breeze compared to the conditioning. I was certainly wrong about that! After our first time on the river, I felt like I had never exercised a day in my life!  One of the ways our coach helped us was not just in the way he pushed us, but how he encouraged us.  He never said it was going to get better, or easier, but said we were doing what we needed to do in order to excel at the sport.  It was difficult, but it was what was needed.

     

God never makes the promise that our circumstances are going to get better, just as he didn’t promise the prophets.  What God did, and does, is offer the reminder that we are to do what is right, and in the process of doing what is right, sometimes life gets difficult.  Jeremiah was a lone voice as a prophet, which was difficult. He was up against many false prophets who were encouraging the wrong direction in the life of the nation.  It would have been easy for him to think, am I wrong?  I’m the one dissenting voice.  Who am I to say that I am right against all others? Jeremiah needed the consolation that he was indeed right, and that he was doing the right thing, just as we need that reminder.

     

On more than one occasion, I have asked God why I can’t do something other than ministry. I hope it doesn’t bother you to hear me say that I have, more than once, asked God if it was okay for me to do something else with my life.  Ministry has its moments, and I’ve asked God if there weren’t something else that I could do.  Surely there is a teaching position, or another vocation out there for me.  There were plenty of Biblical characters who had the same desire, a desire to do something else with their lives, and a desire to live a simpler life (and I’m not comparing myself with any of the Biblical characters, except for this one area of life).  They simply wanted to live their life unencumbered from the worry and stress of their calling.  Now, here’s the crazy, ridiculous, kind of pitiful part of my desire to do something other than ministry – how in any way can I compare my circumstances to those characters?  When I get to feeling sorry for myself, wishing I could do something else, the Spirit will prompt me to ask, Dave is it really so bad?  Think aboutJeremiah, who had people who wanted to take his life.  Well, I’vereceived some harsh mail over the years, and I’ve had people get mad at me, and I’ve had people in other locations who wanted to get rid of me, but Moses had to flee for his life.  David fled for his life.  Peter lost his life – he was crucified!  Paul lost his life – he was executed by the Roman government!  What do I have to worry about?  I have health insurance and a pension plan! What’s the worst that could happen to me, that I might have to find another place of employment because some people might not like me?

     

Life is not always easy, and sometimes it is not easy because it is not easy to do the right thing.  That’s how it was for Jeremiah.  The message that Jeremiah received from God was basically this – Jeremiah, you’re not suffering because you’re wrong, or because you are doing what is wrong; you are suffering because you are doing what is right! You’re dealing with people who are sacrificing children!  What do you think they would do to you?  Of course it is going to be difficult, especially when you speak against their actions!  Jeremiah needed a reminder and the encouragement – the consolation – that he was doing what was right, because when you are facing that level of opposition, it is almost impossible to avoid questioning whether or not you are right.

     

It has never been easy to do what is right.  What has been interesting about this past year is not just that we have faced the pandemic, but there has been a great deal of social unrest as well.  As difficult and painful as the social unrest has been, it has also been a positive experience, because it has brought about much needed change.  And it’s not a recent movement.  There have always been movements for equality and justice, and there certainly have been in our country.  I think about the people who have marched for important and needed causes over the years – people who have marched for equality, people who have marched for peace, and people who, in their marching, often faced violent opposition and so many other difficulties.  But they had the courage to stand up and do what was right.  I think about those who marched on Bloody Sunday, on March 7, 1965. A group of people, marching for civil rights, walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, where they were met with a violent response from those in power.  The powerful did not want to grant equality, they did not want to grant equal rights, and they did not want justice to prevail.  I imagine the marchers needed to hear the reminder that were in the right, they needed to hear someone tell them, don’t give up, and they needed to hear keep going, don’t stop!  Don’t stop!

     

Doing what is right is never easy; Jeremiah certainly discovered that reality.  But trust brings the consolation of knowing you are doing what is right and that you are doing what is necessary.

 

2.  Trust will console us by giving us peace in our circumstances.

     

Lord of my heart, give me trust to console me, that hungry or well-fed, I may always rely on your mercy.  That hungry or well-fed, I may always rely on your mercy.

     

Now, these two points that I have so far offered sound similar, but they are different.  The first is a reminder that our circumstances can be difficult because we are doing what is right, while the other encourages us to find peace in the difficult circumstances that come our way, especially when those difficult circumstances come about because of doing what is right. One says to not be surprised that we will experience difficulties; the other reminds us that trust in God gives us the power to overcome those difficulties.

     

The passage that Jordan read from the Sermon On the Mount is one of my favorites, and for many, many years I really struggled with that passage, and I imagine you have as well.  I struggled with it because I thought I was doing something wrong by worrying and by failing to overcome a sense of anxiety. Jesus does say, after all, do not worry about your life (Matthew 6:25) and do not worry about tomorrow (Matthew 6:34).  For many years, I thought Jesus was asking and expecting that we would never worry or have anxiety.  I believed I should not worry about what was going to happen tomorrow, or next week, or next month, or that I should not worry about what was happening in my life, or the lives of friends or loved ones, but that’s not what Jesus is saying. Jesus is not talking about doing away with the emotion or the feeling of worry or anxiety; instead, he is encouraging us to have confidence in those circumstances because God is with us.  We often define trust as something that will solve our problems and make life better, but trust doesn’t guarantee that. Trust does not promise to make our lives better or promise to change our circumstances; what trust promises to change is how we react to our circumstances.  Let me say that again – trust does not promise to change our circumstances, but promises to change how we react to our circumstances. That’s why Paul’s words in Philippians 4:11 – 13 have such power (¹¹ I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹² I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³ I can do all this through him who gives me strength), because even though his trust does not change his circumstances, his trust changes him.  That was the real key for Paul.  It wasn’t that trust changed his circumstances, but that his trust changed him and enabled him to overcome his circumstances.  The person that can do that – the person that can overcome their circumstances – is the person who has really learned how to trust God.  I have a strong sense that when Paul was led out of prison for the final time, on the day he was executed, it was one of those moments where, in spite of all the power of Rome that surrounded him, in spite of the authority of the emperor, in spite of Paul being in chains, everyone there knew that Paul was actually the most powerful person present.  Paul demonstrated a greater degree of power than all the assembled powers of Rome, because of his trust in God.  Paul was not changed by his circumstances, but overcame them, and that is a power that is greater than any we see in any of the powers of this earth. What is the greater power – the one who can change our earthly circumstances or the one who gives us the power to overcome our circumstances, no matter what they might be?  The people who have been held down by the powers of the world, the people who have been punished by the powers of the world because they dared to speak out, and dared to stand up for equality, and dared to stand up for justice, and dared to stand up for freedom prove the greater power. It is not in those who can force one into prison or control our outer circumstances, but it is in those who did what was right in spite of what happened to them.  That is real power!  Jeremiah was able to prove that power.  He was in very difficult circumstances, but he did not give in to those circumstances and he did not allow those circumstances to triumph over him.  He knew so many were against him and he knew his life as in danger.  Jeremiah did consider remaining quiet – for a moment.  Again, however, as he said in 20:9, But if I say, “I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.

     

What can be more consoling – more comforting – than being at peace regardless of our circumstances?  

 

3.  Take consolation that your trust is rewarded.

     

I don’t know how many times I have said, over the past year, that it has been a tough stretch of time, hasn’t it?  I’ve said that a lot of times, and you’ve thought about it a lot of times.  It’s been tough.  Really tough. But we have to acknowledge how tough it has been, and to face the reality that we still have some time yet to go.  

     

And yet, let us remember that our trust is rewarded. I have read, so many times over the years, Romans chapter 8.  I have used that passage countless times in funerals and memorial services, and it always speaks powerfully to me.  In verses 38 and 39 of that chapter, Paul reminds us of this – ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Nothing. Not even death can separate us from God’s love.  What I love so much about this passage is that Paul reminds us that our trust is rewarded.  We have placed our confidence and our hope in something that is real and in something that we can trust.  Because when it comes right down to it, what is there that we can really trust in this world?  What is harder – to trust God or trust what is in this world that will not, in the end, console us?  How many people have trusted in power over the ages?  The greatest of powers have eventually passed.  Power can be gone in a moment’s notice.  A person can command the greatest army, but it can be taken away. A person can have all the riches the world has to offer and believe that whatever comes along they have what they need to take care of them.  But riches, like power, can be gone in a moment.  Whatever it is that one may cling to – even other people – can be gone in a moment.  Yes, even people can let us down.  What is it that we can trust without fail?  God.  We can trust absolutely in God’s goodness, God’s mercy, and God’s love.  

     

Yes, life may be tough, and our circumstances might be difficult, but God promises to change us in those circumstances and we can overcome whatever difficulty might come to us.  I find that very comforting, and very consoling.  Amen