Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
If you think that the world is harsh and broken, you are right. But the world of the Apostle Paul 2000 years ago would be unrecognizable to us. Poverty, squalor, and oppression by the iron fist of Rome; Jesus was crucified and so were thousands more. The church was mostly non-existent, those who followed the ways of Jesus did so at the risk of persecution; Paul was jailed and executed.
If you think the world is harsh and broken, you are right. The common human experience from the garden of Eden to 2026 has been one of trials, tribulation, famine, natural disaster and the drumbeat of war echoing from generation to generation. 2000 years ago, life expectancy was just 35 years. By 1800 that average had not really changed. We are mortal and in the end, since the dawn of creation, everyone dies.
The realities of this brokenness sometimes leave us with grief, an impending sense of doom, depression, anxiety and despair. But we are reminded in the Bible that though grief is a part of the human experience, as Christians we do not grieve as those who have no hope. Somewhere around the year 60 AD the Apostle Paul was in a dark, dank prison cell in Rome. Confined by the power of the empire, he wrote these words:
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4
When we gather on Sunday morning we bathe in God’s grace, we claim God’s promises, we celebrate the resurrection, we break bread and taste wine, we share our lives in story, song and at a festive coffee hour. Our gathering does not deny the problems that exist in our families or in our troubled world. But we are people of hope, we are called to Christian ministry in the unique settings of our daily lives. Trinity must be a safe place to cry and laugh. Perhaps our worship is most authentic when we do both.
Rejoice! Rejoice always. May God open our eyes to the beauty of this world and the beauty of the humans who share this journey with us. We have been blessed beyond the measure. The Apostle Paul would marvel at our full refrigerators, the comfort of our homes and travel. We live better, longer and healthier than the Kings and Queens of previous generations.
Rejoice! May our worship reflect the hope that we share and the gratitude that we have for the life we have been given. Rejoice! Saint Teresa of Avila tired of joyless Christians said, “From silly devotions and sour-faced saints, good Lord, deliver us!”
Rejoice! Receive and extend grace and then go forth to change the world for the better. Blessed to be a Blessing.
One beggar telling another beggar where to find bread, I am your,
Pastor Jim
