IT DOESN’T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS

Every once in a while something happens that makes you feel really good inside. Such was the case for me last Saturday morning.

Our church has two Guatemalan cleaners, a husband and wife, both in their early thirties. Wonderful people, Christians, assigned to work at our church about two years ago by the cleaning agency that employs them. During their time here we’ve grown to love, appreciate and admire them for the grit they’ve exhibited in leaving their home country to come to the United States in legitimate pursuit of a better life.

Louis and Sylvia tried to have a baby for several years, but each pregnancy ended in a miscarriage…four in all…and with each crushing loss the non English-speaking Sylvia sank deeper into melancholy. Often Louis, his brow furrowed with concern, would pull me aside to ask for prayer, first for the well-being of his wife and then for the blessing of a baby.

By now you’ve probably guessed where this story is going. Three weeks ago the Lord said yes to Louis and Sylvia’s fervent petitions and baby Louisa was born, dark-haired, robust and ready to turn her parents’ lives upside down. Louis and Sylvia believe with all their heart that this baby was a gift from God and so they asked if I would join them to formally thank him for his precious gift of grace. Of course I said yes and at 11 am last Saturday we came together in our sanctuary, along with several members of their family, my wife Nancy and the Lacorazzas to praise and thank the Lord for his faithfulness. There were no dry eyes.

Ministry has its burdens—people problems, funerals and the like—but ministry also has many blessings, not the least of which is the opportunity to come together with believers for occasions of unmitigated joy. Last Saturday was one such occasion and I’m inordinately grateful to God for allowing me to be a part of it. As I said, it made me feel really good inside.

Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever (Psalm 106:1).

Love and blessings,

David

WHAT A CONSOLATION!

Sometimes people look to us preachers for answers that we can’t provide. Last Friday was one such occasion as I presided over the funeral of a gentleman who died in the youth of old age. His passing came as complete shock to his family and friends and left them full of questions, deep questions—Why did God let this happen? Does God care? Is this death just a pointless occurrence?

Believe me when I say, I suffered with and for these distraught congregants and I totally understood why they craved some kind of explanation that would help them find meaning in this tragic loss.

Allow me to share with you an abridged version of what I shared with them…

I don’t have an explanation for you this morning. Explanations for events like this belong only to the mind of God, and I’m not God. What I can offer you, however, is consolation, the consolation of Jesus Christ whom I know beyond a shadow of a doubt shares your grief. I’m reminded of one place in the gospels where John records these remarkable words, “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). Why did Jesus weep? He wept because his dear friends, Mary and Martha, were distraught over the death of their loved one. Just imagine —God, in human flesh, weeping with and for his earthly friends. As an earthly friend of Jesus by virtue of your faith in him, Jesus weeps with you too. In your season of bereavement take this consolation to the bank—you have our Lord’s never-ending companionship. You need not bear the pain of your loss alone. More than once in the New Testament Jesus reassured his brokenhearted and emotionally fragile friends with these words, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

But the consolation of Christ goes far deeper than the emotional comfort of his enduring companionship. It reaches to the soul and instills in the soul an implacable confidence that beyond this life there is eternal life and that the cross and resurrection are the lasting pathway home to God. As Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me” (John 14:6). I strongly encourage you to take this path. Seize this season of sorrow and make it into a defining moment in your personal life journey. Put your faith in Christ and come to know with confidence that death is not the last word on life and that when all is said and done, somehow, some way, some day this loving Christ will make sense out of this seemingly senseless event that has turned your world upside down.

Did my grieving congregants hear and not just listen to my words? Truthfully, I don’t know, but I pray that they did.

Love and blessings,

David