Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV
Rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks put the circumstances of our lives, both good and bad into God’s hands and help us see them through His eyes. Last night our beloved daughter-in-law Melinda slipped from this world into the presence of Jesus. And while we are overwhelmed with grief and shock, these words are promises to which we cling. Melinda has finished her race. Her battle with cancer is finished. And while that pernicious disease claimed her physical life, it could not touch her soul. That remained fully and exclusively in the hands of Jesus with whom she now lives. Nancy and I didn’t know how to process the news that came in three words. “She is gone.” Yet as sadness rolls over my heart I sense the message echo back from Heaven, ” She has arrived!”
Going to visit people living in memory-care can be strange, uncomfortable, and even difficult, but it is rarely boring. It seems that every day, someone has a problem. No two days, no two people and no two problems are the alike. Just when things seem to be going smoothly, new challenges unexpectedly appear: The memory care wing is on lockdown, a person we counted on to help with the service is out sick or a resident we have grown to love has passed away. How does God expect us to cope with all of this? I believe that the answer is: He doesn’t! Now, I have experienced a lot of problems over the years at nursing homes and in my personal life, but none of them can compare with the kinds of issues that the Apostle Paul experienced. Shipwreck, beatings, prison and death threats were regularly on his itinerary. As Paul faced all of these bravely, we find him singing in prison with Silas, returning to the town where he was stoned and left for dead and even writing a letter to encourage Timothy while he himself faced the death sentence. But of all these problems, the one Paul faced when he wrote a letter to the Corinthian church was different. This time Paul when pleaded with God to take a problem away from him, God spoke to him about grace:
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. ”Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV
This time God didn’t send an earthquake to change Paul’s situation, give him some new strategy to escape, or promise that things would get better. Instead, God promised Paul what He promises you and me: “My grace is sufficient for you…” God won’t give us the ability to follow Him without grace. He has designed us, not with an inner ability to succeed at anything we hope to do, but with a weakness that will drive us to depend on Him. There in our desperate moment, God comes, restores our hope, and pours His strength into our weakness. So, pray, pray, pray. Pray for God’s grace and then buckle your seat belts. You just may be amazed at what God can do!
Many years ago, when I was working at a home in upstate New York, the owner invited us downstairs to take a look as his foundation. On reaching the bottom step, he turned and smiled, then flicked on the lights and pointed. There to our astonishment we saw that the entire back wall, consisted of an enormous rock ledge.
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them, will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.” Matthew 7:24-25 ESV
In New York, building your house on rock is a curiosity, but here in Florida it would be a miracle. Here we have nothing but sand, and while we have lived here, I have learned it is wise to keep an eye on the forecast from June through September because that is hurricane season. They advise us to have extra water on hand, keep our cars filled with gas, buy a generator, and have an evacuation plan in place. Just like our weather forecasters, Jesus warns that storms are coming, and the question is not whether they will arrive, but whether we are ready. How I wish that the Christian life was like one long sunny day at the beach. But the reality is that health crises come, car accidents happen, and sometimes people we trusted walk out on us. Real life has only three forecasts. We are either in a hurricane, have just come out of one, or a storm is on the horizon. Jesus says that we cannot change the forecast, but we can be prepared by putting into His words practice. Loving our enemies, forgiving one another, turning the other cheek, and spending time in prayer; are not just nice suggestions, good ideas or wonderful ideals. Putting these words of Jesus into practice is the rock foundation that prepares us for the hurricane. Don’t wait for the storm to arrive. Turn to Jesus right now, confess any sin, and ask Him to be Lord of your life. He is the Carpenter of Galilee and only He can help us build our house on the rock!
And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Luke 22:19 KJV
Just before Jesus went to the cross, He invited His friends to a private dinner, and there began to explain to them what was going to happen next by using bread and wine. Afterwards, Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of Me.”
“But if we are saved by faith.” You might ask, “Why do we need to follow a ritual?” We ask that because we think of remembering, as simply recalling facts, as when we memorize formulas so that we can pass the math exam. But the kind of remembering Jesus talked about was not just keeping all the details straight. Receiving communion is more like, when I remember my dad, every time I glance up at a photograph of him. That photo isn’t my dad, but it reminds me of seeing his smile, hearing his voice, and feeling His gentle hand on my shoulder. In the same way, we are doing more than just eating a piece of cracker and a drinking a cup of juice. Holy Communion reminds us of His sacrifice, helps us remember His voice in the words of scripture, and even gives us the sense of His hand on our shoulders giving us the strength to live our lives for Him.
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