True Comfort

A couple of decades ago I was visiting with a church member at his home as he was failing in health. The gentleman's home backed up against the railroad tracks here in Mid-town, on the other side of the tracks is Christian Brothers University. I notice while visiting with him that in various places around his room there were railroad spikes. Some were bent, some had the tips broken off and others were fully intact. I inquired as to why he had so many. His response was; "Everything thing at some point breaks under pressure because the stress is just too much." He had lived in that home many years and had learned the sound of a breaking railroad spike as the pressure of the train wheels applied stress to the tracks and eventually would break the spikes. He went on to say "After hearing the sound I would make my way outside to find the broken spike. I keep them because it is a reminder that everything has a breaking point."

Friends, I believe we could all say that we have reached our "breaking point" Our nation has been pushed to limits that none of us have really experienced. The first few weeks we accepted our "at-home" time as a break. We clean, renovated, and rested. But as the time was extended our patience has shortened. The stress began to mount and we were ready to hit our breaking point.

The CDC has warned that the stress during this period "at-home" is very real and can have long lasting results if we are not aware. Fear and anxiety about a disease can be overwhelming and cause strong emotions in adults and children. It has been recommended that during this period of stress we take care of ourselves, eat healthy, exercise, avoid excessive alcohol, drugs, make time to unwind, and connect to others. Friends, I would add; seek The Lord, pray, and journal.

Then if our 'at-home" has not been enough to "break us" our deepest sin as a nation continues to spread. The topic of racism in 2020 should be a topic of a past history lesson to be learned, but that is not the case. In the past few weeks we have seen on the news the un-necessary murder of two individuals. Murder is murder, no matter what form it takes. May God allow us to love in such a way that we empathize, that we seriously embrace the fears of any human in any city that fears just going out for a run or being pulled over by a cop. Ask the Father today to let you feel their fear. We need to pray for the Lord to move us from "Darkness to the marvelous light"

This coming Sunday I will begin a sermon series with this very thing in mind; as individuals and as a nation we are very much so reaching our "breaking point."Together we will open God's word and look at the life of Job (Job 16:1-6) and read Paul's response in regard to the one True Comfort, the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:18-30).(Click here for the sermon notes)

God himself has not only the experience of pain and the knowledge of our pain, but He walks with us through our pain. When we are without words in desperation or broken by our circumstances, the Spirit of God is within us, interceding for us, perfectly, according to His knowledge of God's will. Even when we hurt too deeply to speak to God, He speaks for us. And He intercedes for us with a thorough understanding of what He is accomplishing in us not only now but also in our future.

I look forward to seeing each of you again Sunday!

Serving Him and Missing You!

Pastor Jeff