Cowardice, Comfort or Christlike?

We all have a choice.  We face it every single day.  We face it in every situation.  In every relationship.  In every community in which we are part of.  In every place of study or work or worship.  Will we embrace cowardice, comfort or be Christlike?

We're working through Matthew at the moment on Sunday mornings and preparing the sermon series is proving challenging.  It challenges our church culture, our family culture and my personal culture.  It continually calls me to see my cowardice and turn from it, to see my overwhelming attachment to my comfort and disavow it and my aversion to true Christlikeness and repent of it.

My cowardice is confronted as in chapter 4 Christ leaves the Judean desert when John the Baptist is arrested and goes to Galilee, not because he wants a lakeside country retreat but to go into the heart of darkness.  To go to the place knows little of God his promises and his covenants.  To go to a people who need to hear the gospel.  Will I carry to gospel deliberately into the darkest places spiritually?  As i look at an area where so few know the gospel what will I do about it.  Jesus preaches and proclaims the kingdom come and repentance needed not in the safety of a church building but beside a lake, on a mountainside, wherever the people are.  Will I?  Or will I cower in the church preaching boldly but to those who already have the light?

Secondly it confronts my comfort.  I like knowing what is coming and when it is coming.  I like having a certain shape to my day.  I like to avoid what I don't like - be that avocado's or antagonism from those who don't like Christianity or are offended by what the Bible says about sin or sexuality or identity.  Jesus is continually leaving his comfort behind, from the moment he leaves the splendour and glories of heaven to the moment he embraces the cross.  Will I?  Where are the places God wants to discomfort me in my ministry both within the church and without?

Thirdly it challenges my Christlikeness.  In short I've been reminded again and again that Jesus is Holy.  He is Immanuel - God with us and that means he is thrice holy - Holy, Holy, Holy.  He is the one who fulfils all righteousness.  He is the one who fights Satan, who resists temptation because he is Holy.  And the call to his people, to me, is to repent of my sin and trust in his holiness on my behalf, yes, and the wonder of that must never grow old because that's what causes love and devotion to well up in our hearts.  But his call is also to be Holy, that is why he preaches the beatitudes, the household rules of the family of God.  And I am reminded that my version of holiness is all too often maxed out at a slightly better than average niceness.  But Jesus is Holy for me and calls me to be holy after him as his follower.

Christmas: where dreams die

I don't know if you've noticed but Christmas is incredibly costly to those involved in it.  As Mary, after her visitation by the angel, says "I am the Lord's servant, may it be to me according to your word." it costs her.  The first Christmas is not about Mary's dreams being fulfilled, it is about Mary's dreams dying so that she can be part of something bigger.  All of Mary's dreams; of a white wedding, a joy and excitement filled lead up to her wedding to Joseph, her reputation in the community as a godly young woman, all of those die as she submits to God's word to her.

She will no longer be the godly young woman she is the teenage harlot who just couldn't wait, or who went behind Joseph's back.  Those rumours would follow her into Jesus adulthood.  Imagine the cost to her relationship to Joseph, he has in mind to divorce her, and takes an angelic visitation to change his mind.  As Mary bursts into God honouring praise in the Magnificat it is because she has wrestled with the death of her dreams and accepted that God's promise and plan is better.

Christmas asks us whether we have wrestled with that very issue?  Have my dreams died in order for me to follow Jesus?  Accepting Jesus as Lord means the death of my worldly dreams in order to be involved in God's greater plan to save a lost world through the good news of his Son.  And it is not a one off wrestle.  Proclaiming Jesus as Lord means bowing the knee, submitting to his way not my way, daily.

All our dreams of significance, ease, wealth, achievement need to be given over to Jesus and they may well die in order for us to do what he has for us to do in pursuit of his glory.  Our society calls us again and again and again to adopt and pursue its dreams.  Christmas challenges us with the call that following Jesus means submitting to him, even our dreams, and echoing Mary's words "I am the Lord's servant, may it be to me according to your word."

Ministry hurts

Ministry hurts, that is the truth.  It is the harsh reality.  It is the heartbreaking truth we experience again and again.  After a refreshing week on holiday this weeks return has been hard.  Sometimes the reality of the brokenness of the world seems to crash over your head again and again like a series of waves trying their best to pummel you and drag you under, and coming up for air is merely a momentary, quickly gasped relief, before the next wave tries with all it might to suck you under.

And if I'm honest it's not just the last few days.  Sometimes ministry takes place on the sunlit, grass rich, water plentiful uplands, but at other times ministry just seems like one long fearful foray through the valley of the shadow of death.  It's in the light of that that God providentially drove me to study Psalm 77 this week.

I cried out to God for help;
    I cried out to God to hear me.
2 When I was in distress, I sought the Lord;
    at night I stretched out untiring hands,
    and I would not be comforted.

3 I remembered you, God, and I groaned;
    I meditated, and my spirit grew faint.
4 You kept my eyes from closing;
    I was too troubled to speak.
5 I thought about the former days,
    the years of long ago;
6 I remembered my songs in the night.
    My heart meditated and my spirit asked:

7 ‘Will the Lord reject for ever?
    Will he never show his favour again?
8 Has his unfailing love vanished for ever?
    Has his promise failed for all time?
9 Has God forgotten to be merciful?
    Has he in anger withheld his compassion?’

10 Then I thought, ‘To this I will appeal:
    the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand.
11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
    yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
12 I will consider all your works
    and meditate on all your mighty deeds.’

13 Your ways, God, are holy.
    What god is as great as our God?
14 You are the God who performs miracles;
    you display your power among the peoples.
15 With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,
    the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.

16 The waters saw you, God,
    the waters saw you and writhed;
    the very depths were convulsed.
17 The clouds poured down water,
    the heavens resounded with thunder;
    your arrows flashed back and forth.
18 Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,
    your lightning lit up the world;
    the earth trembled and quaked.
19 Your path led through the sea,
    your way through the mighty waters,
    though your footprints were not seen.

20 You led your people like a flock
    by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

I guess the obvious question is how does that help?  The Psalm seems unfinished, whilst he rehearses the rescue and redemption and covenant faithfulness of God in the past his own rescue remains a tantalisingly unrealised potential reality.  There is no joy filled verse 21-22 where he recounts his own experience of just such a rescue, exhorting Israel to sing God's praise with him.  There is just the fact that God is faithful, God rescues and redeems and the unspoken hope and faith in God's character to one day do that again.  Sometimes a Psalm articulates your prayers better than you can, and there is joy, comfort and rest in that.

Some days in ministry are Psalm 77 days, and that doesn't need swift theological correction via a metaphorical doctrinal boot up the backside, it needs the grace to give time and space for quiet prayer and a Spirit filled determination and trust that God loves and redeems and one day will fully rescue, rediscovered in God's word and articulated in the prayers he inspires to gives us words when we are struggling to find them.

Bringing Comfort to people

What do you say to someone who is facing difficulties? What do you say to someone who faces surgery? Or long term treatment for illness? What do you say to their family?

There are a couple of dangers, one is to avoid them because we just don’t know what to say, the other is to swamp them and talk about nothing else.

So actually how do we bring comfort.

1. Spend time with people – build relationships now so you can bring comfort then.
2. Spend time with people in crisis.
3. Don’t say ‘It’ll be alright’ or I’m sure it will be fine’. They don’t know that and it is a vague wish without foundation.
4. Comfort is ultimately found in Christ, his forgiveness and resurrection, the future is secured - we must be applying the gospel to people's lives.
5. Christ will make up for every loss that we have endured here.
6. God works all things for our good. It may be not be good, but he will work it for our good. Though often people can’t see it then, sometimes it takes 10 years or more, some never see it this side of eternity. Don’t expect your friend to feel it emotionally, they will be raw and in pain.
7. Don’t preach these truths to them. Model hope for them – keep reading the Bible for those comforts we have spoken of above, and ensure that as you weep with them, as you hold their hand, as you feel with them that you show them hope.
8. Sometimes when someone is suffering they will question God and the temptation is to want to correct them theologically. Let those words go.
9. Pray for God to heal.
10. Don’t idolise the world, but live for eternity. (Phil 3)

I would always want to read a passage with them, and close by praying for them and their situation.

Bringing Comfort to people

What do you say to someone who is facing difficulties? What do you say to someone who faces surgery?

There are a couple of dangers, one is to avoid them because we just don’t know what to say, the other is to swamp them and talk about nothing else.

So actually how do we bring comfort.

1. Spend time with people – build relationships now so you can bring comfort them when the crisis hits.
2. Spend time with people in crisis during the crisis.
3. Don’t say ‘It’ll be alright’ or I’m sure it will be fine’. They don’t know that, nor do you, and it is a vague wish without foundation.
4. Comfort is ultimately found in Christ, his forgiveness and resurrection, the future is secured.
5. Christ will make up for every loss that we have endured here.
6. God works all things for our good. It may be not be good, but he will work it for our good. Though often people can’t see it then, sometimes it takes 10 years or more. Don’t expect your friend to feel it emotionally, they will be raw and in pain.
7. Don’t preach these truths to them. Model hope for them – keep reading the Bible for those comforts we have spoken of above, and ensure that as you weep with them, as you hold their hand, as you feel with them that you show them hope.
8. Sometimes when someone is suffering they will question God and the temptation is to want to correct them theologically. Let those words go.
9. Pray for God to heal.
10. Don’t idolise the world, but live for eternity. (Phil 3)

Bringing comfort

What do you say to someone who is facing difficulties? What do you say to someone who faces surgery? There are a couple of dangers, one is to avoid them altogether because we just don’t know what to say, the other is to swamp them and talk about nothing else but whatever is it that they are facing.

So actually how do we bring comfort.

1. The first is proactive; Spend time with people – build relationships now so you have relationships that can bring comfort then.
2. Spend time with people in crisis.
3. Don’t say ‘It’ll be alright’ or I’m sure it will be fine’. They don’t know that and neither do you and it is a vague wish without foundation.
4. By contrast our comfort is ultimately found in Christ, his forgiveness and resurrection, the future is secured.
5. Christ will make up for every loss that we have endured here.
6. God works all things for our good. It may be not be good, but he will work it for our good. Though often people can’t see it then, sometimes it takes 10 years or more. Don’t expect your friend to feel it emotionally as they go through hardships, they will be raw and in pain.
7. Don’t rebuke them and then preach these truths to them. Instead model hope for them – keep reading the Bible for yourself so that you know those comforts we have spoken of above, and ensure that as you comfort your brother or sister weeping with them, holding their hand, feeling with them that you show them hope.
8. Sometimes when someone is suffering they will question God, they may express anger with God, they may say they feel cut off from God and the temptation we face is to want to correct them theologically. Let those words go, in Job there are words for the wind, that need to be left.
9. Pray for God to heal them but also pray for their spiritual health, that they would know God with them comforting them and helping them through you and others.
10. Don’t idolise the world, but live for eternity. (Phil 3) Learn this for yourself and model it for them.

Comforting others

How do you bring comfort to someone who is suffering?

It is not about providing glib answers, it is about walking with them, loving them, caring for them, crying with them, laughing with them. But it is also about reminding them to fix their eyes on Christ, not by challenging their every word, sometimes in bitterness and sorrow we say things that need to be allowed to let go. We do not throw back at them what they say, we do not challenge everything. Often in tragedy the biggest danger is losing hope. In such situations we, the church, their brothers and sisters are to be their hope. We hold their hands, we listen to their fears, we give of ourselves, and we do not lose hope, we anchor ourselves in the truths and comfort that scripture gives.

Our hope is ultimately Christ. It is in the forgiveness he gives us that we do not earn or merit or have to top up but which is full and free. It is in the hope of the resurrection (1 Cor 15:54-58), that our future is secure and kept in heaven for us, that we have a future nothing can take from us. It is in the truth that to be in God's presence for all eternity will make up for any loss suffered now.

Comfort others but ensure that you strengthen yourself as you do so, otherwsie you will not bring real comfort.