Provide,
Comfort, heal, Love, and Forgive. Those are important words. I am sure you know
how important they are. They cover some of the most essential aspects of our
lives. They aren’t easy words to do or live by. Sometimes it is hard to
provide: we live in tough times that require us to find different ways to “provide.”
We even struggle with the word “provide.” In the sense of what is too much, too
little, what is enough? Its all relative but we struggle with that question all
the time: “Am I spending too little, too much, do my kids have enough…enough to
retire, to survive, and the list goes on and on. It is NOT an easy word when we
put into the context of our lives.
Comfort. That is not an easy word
either. What is comfort? When we want to desperately for a loved one…someone we
care about deeply not to feel pain. When our children or parents are hurting we
want to comfort them by taking away that pain. Yet, in times the pain comes and
sometimes all we can do is be there and cry with them or hold them.
Heal. That is the one of the top two
when it comes to our loved ones or ourselves. How many times have we all wanted
to heal an ailment, heal someone of a disease…just make it all better? We see
healing in being the way that person was before anything happened. We aren’t as
resilient to be able to be the way we were before and that creates a whole
other set of issues and concerns.
Love and Forgive. We tend to love
and fall in love. We, as humans, tend to get very attached to other people.
Especially if it were a family member, spouse, or children. We get so attached
that our love can make us do some wonderful and crazy things. Sometimes good
things and sometimes not so good things. Then there is forgiveness. This might
be the most difficult thing to talk about. It is difficult because when we love
and that love is betrayed, forgiveness is not so easy. When we are hurt, forgiveness
may be the last thing we might want to think about. It makes sense, because are
an invested people. We spend the time getting to know each other, then we care
about each other, and the next thing you know there is that love…and when that
is broken or tested, we may not be so quick to even think about the phrase “to
forgive.”
It also works the other way. We may
not want to think about seeking forgiveness. We may think that we are right and
that there is no reason to seek forgiveness from another person. Sometimes that
word “pride” can get in the way of us asking for forgiveness.
But these words: love, heal,
comfort, provide, and forgive are not words that I picked randomly. They were
the words that ended the phrase “God has the power to…,” in Vacation Bible
School this past week. The statement of God having the power to do these things
puts the words into a whole different light.
Our young people learned that God has
immense power to provide. Provide a world that is created by God’s own hand and
that is rich and vibrant in color and majesty. A world that is filled with
things and creatures for us to enjoy and to sustain us: water, fruits and
vegetables, meat, and yes, ice cream, mac and cheese, materials to keep us
warm, and materials to provide shelter.
They also learned that God has the
power to comfort. In those times where there is pain, we have scripture to show
that even God’s Son, Jesus, wept in mourning for a dear friend. God comforts in
those times when there is pain by putting others around us to help us feel
loved and comforted in knowing that we are not alone in our journeys, joys, and
sorrows.
God has the power to heal. While we
are not God, Jesus sent the disciples out into the world to teach and heal. We
cannot raise people from the dead. Only God can do that. God gives the power to
use the same love that God shows to us to share with one another so that we can
provide some healing, through our words and actions to try and bring some peace
to a situation. Jesus taught us that healing (in our human nature) can be in
the form of listening, letting one of our brothers or sisters know that God loves
us all; to share that God values everyone because we are all created from God.
God’s power of healing can take many forms.
Our young people learned of God’s
power to love and forgive. It would make sense that God would find this
difficult. Throughout scripture we see stories of people falling short…way
short of the glory of God. We also hear, in that same scripture, that God is
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. That God’s love and forgiveness
is a solid love that goes deep and does not waiver and that God’s forgiveness
is a promise kept for our sake. To show us that God’s son went through a
painful and humiliating death on a cross to forgive. There was no pride in that
cross or “look what I am doing,” to get your attention. This crucifixion of God’s
only Son was to show us all that we are loveable in God’s eyes. You and me are
worthy of God’s love, even when we don’t think we are.
This week has been an eye-opener for
me in that this group of young people were willing to do something God is
calling them to do, by helping the people of Nepal…providing, comforting,
healing, and loving. Sure there was incentive to watch my hair turn blue, they
would and have said that it was worth it. They had a blast this week in
learning about God. They have shared God’s message through songs and stories
and they will go into the world to share those stories.
This week, 30,000 youth are gathered
in Detroit, Michigan. While I have not watched the live broadcasts, I have seen
and heard from the people you supported. St. Paul and Holy Spirit have been in
the world of Detroit providing, comforting, healing, and loving. They have
worked in the community and shared their stories of faith. They have been
praising the God who has blessed them and they have been living in God’s light
and hope.
When they come back, I hope to have
them here to share with us their excitement and praise to God. We are called
into the world that God created to share stories of faith and forgiveness, hope
and blessing, love and comfort. May we feel the blessings of God our provider,
comforter, healer, of love and forgiveness and may we share those blessings
with all, this day and every day: AMEN
