His name was Ernie. He was a
mischievous young man; born with a chip on his shoulder. So much so that he
began stealing things early in life. He did not steal televisions, cars, or
things like that. He was known for stealing pies and cakes that ladies would
put in their windows to cool. Ernie grew up in the 1920’s. Because of his
stealing, he had to make sure he got away really quickly; so one of the things
he learned in his life of crime was to run. He got faster and faster. People
saw this gift in him and he ended up running track in high school. Ernie got so
good at running he found himself in the Olympics in Berlin. Ernie was set to
beat everyone in the world; he was the favorite. That was until the night
before his race, he decided to go out and have a little fun. The next morning
when it came time to run his race, he did horribly. The race he was supposed to
win had a different winner; Jesse Owens won the Gold medal that day while Ernie
was eliminated early on.
Some might say that Ernie got what
he deserved. Some might think that God was against Ernie; he never had a
chance. Some might think that Ernie was bitter for losing the race. He might
have been angry or even hated Jesse Owens for showing him up. That is not what
happened. Ernie was disappointed but Ernie did not stew on this bad choice that
he made. He looked to the future. He began preparing for the next Olympics when
he got home. He started running, working on his times, and became more
disciplined because he did not want to suffer the same fate as he did before.
Our reading today from Romans talks
about suffering and many other things. Today we hear the words: justification,
peace, suffering, and hope. Four very powerful words and there is so much that
is packed into them. SO let’s start with justification. Our faith tells us (and
sometimes this faith can be shaky) that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Our
faith tells us that God sent Jesus into the world because…as John says…”God so
loved the world that he sent his only Son into the world to save it.” I am
paraphrasing a little bit but this is important to know. It is important to know
that our faith is what we hold onto in good times as well as bad times that
Jesus Christ is with us, has gone to the cross for our sake…to save us from our
sin, death, and the devil (as Martin Luther would say). Jesus saved us from
those things that seemed to be THE END, saved us from those things that would
try to keep us from God. From that faith in knowing and believing who Jesus is,
we can have peace in knowing that God’s love for us has been displayed.
I think one of the most challenging
parts of this reading from Romans is what Paul says about suffering and hope. “We
also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and
endurance produces character, and character produces HOPE.” I believe this
might be the part where people think of a couple of sayings: “what doesn’t kill
ya makes you stronger” or “God doesn’t give you any more than you can handle.”
Paul seems to be saying that it is a good thing to suffer; OR that suffering is
some kind of badge of honor that we should all wear proudly.
That is not what Paul is saying.
Paul is saying that Jesus Christ, the Son of
God, has shown us God’s love through his teachings and his journey to
the cross. Because of Jesus actions and words, we have experienced God’s grace
and compassion. He is saying that because of the love of God, through Christ on
the cross, God’s grace and promises are that we ARE loved. God has shown us how
much we are loved and it is through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
that we are not left in a sinful, broken world. God walks with us and feels
what we feel because of Jesus Christ who underwent suffering AND it is because
of Jesus suffering that God understands our suffering.
Paul still writes about boasting in
our suffering. Does this mean that we are supposed to suffer? Are we meant to
suffer? Or does God want us to suffer? I don’t believe that suffering is
something to wear like a badge. We know that suffering hurts. It is painful
when we lose a loved one, when one of our family members suffers from medical
issues (cancer, disease,). It is painful when we lose a job, lose our trust in
something or someone, when someone suffers from addiction…let’s face it…we all
have seen loved ones suffer or have suffered ourselves at one time or another.
God does not want us to suffer. It
is easy to say that our suffering must be “God’s will.” If that is the case
then we would be compelled to ask ourselves,
“what did I do wrong, God?” I don’t believe that a God who would send
his only Son to the cross out of love would turn around and say “now I am gonna
make you suffer.” What Paul is saying is that amid our suffering, in those
times when we are hurting because of our actions or the actions of someone
else, we can hold onto God’s promise that God is with us. We can hold onto
God’s promise that we will not be left alone or abandoned.
Paul is saying we can hold onto the
promise of God’s love because in that love and in that promise is HOPE. Through
holding onto the words and actions of Jesus, holding onto our faith in Jesus
Christ and God, we can know, with confidence, that God is in our lives and in
our hearts. God weeps with us when we mourn, God hurts with us when we hurt,
God says bring your burdens to this cross when need to be forgiven and forgive.
Paul is telling us that when we do suffer our faith in God and knowing that God
is with us will produce endurance to make it through whatever we are going
through. That when we begin to endure and keep going (knowing that God is
walking beside us) we can make choices that are in keeping with who God calls
us to be. And finally, That character builds hope; the hope in that God will
get us through all things, no matter how big or small, it is the hope that we
live, speak, and act with God at the center of all that we do.
Our story of Ernie takes a few bad
turns. Ernie joined the military when Pearl Harbor was attacked. He was a
pilot. His aircraft went down in the Pacific and he was captured by the
Japanese. Ernie was tortured by one particular guard for four years because
Ernie, even though he lost to Jesse Owens, was famous. Ernie held onto hope
every day that he would be freed or just that the torture would stop. Along his
journey, he did find some hope. He found a guard that treated several of the
prisoners with dignity and respect. This guard even helped them to heal by not
beating them and actually giving them food that was nutritious to sustain their
bodies.
Ernie went on to struggle when he got
home with all that he had been through. His marriage almost ended until he
heard a young preacher named Billy Graham. His life changed to be a life of
forgiveness and healing and sharing that with others.
Ernie’s story is not much different from
our story. We have made choices in our lives where we suffer from those
choices. We have said and done things we are not too proud of, and we have
watched loved ones, if not ourselves, go through things none of us want. BUT
know this: God does love you and me. God has made promises and keeps those
promises no matter how bleak or bad the future looks. The hope that Paul talks
about is that our future as children of a loving God is bright and full of love
and life, grace, and mercy.
So this is the day when we give thanks
to all who served their country and gave their “last full measure.” We hold in
prayer all who had hope in protecting their country, whether they be military,
civilian, or first responders. This is a day when we look to hope…hope in our
present, our future, and hope in one another as children of God to share that
hope…”because hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured
into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us:” AMEN!
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