"To Him be glory forever": comfort

Sunday, March 4, 2018

Unlikely Comfort

Saturday morning I got up early to run, glancing next door at church. There was a light on inside, which wasn't unexpected. There was going to be a funeral that morning and the body had come to the church the evening before, so that some family members had stayed in church overnight.

Fifteen minutes later, as I headed out the door, I glanced at the church again and saw all the lights on, plus the side door open. "Uh oh" I thought. An open door is an invitation for Sami, our outdoors cat. She is very social around people, taking quick notice and showing up whenever anyone is out in front of church. She has often been known to find a way into the building. At a funeral last week I stayed near the main door during the time between the end of the service and departing for the burial. That day I was able to catch her three times as she came into the foyer. Seeing the open door yesterday morning I knew it was too late to do anything. I would check with the family before the funeral, and hope for the best.

When it was time to be at church to get things ready I wasn't surprised to learn that yes, Sami had been inside the building overnight. What did surprise me was that not only did the family not really mind, but that two of them found her presence to be comforting.

Sami is social, and loves to be held, something these people found eased the difficulty of preparing the bury their grandfather, who had passed away just a two days earlier. Gramps, as he was known by his family, was fond of cats and had a few of his own. His family found it easy to have a cat show up as they spent the night together. They called her the "church cat". The same cat that I find to be a bit of a nuisance on Sunday morning they found to be an unexpected, and welcome, source of comfort.

Sami, providing unlikely comfort, is like every other bit of creation in which we might find pleasure or delight. There is goodness, or beauty, or majesty, or what have you, but those things only go so far. They are created things, and ultimately, they don’t last. As we enjoy a pet, or a panoramic landscape, or our favorite meal, or any other thing, we experience something in the present that has the ability to set our gaze on something much greater, on something eternal. Those things we enjoy in life can point us towards the glory of God.

The funeral I preached yesterday was from 2 Corinthians 4:3-6, where in the last verse Paul writes:

"For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness", has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."

Sami may have been an unlikely source of comfort for a grieving family, but "the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" is true and lasting comfort for anyone in need. May his light shine in your heart, especially in those moments, or seasons, when a struggle in your life drives out thoughts of nearly everything else.

Our favorite things are fine as source of comfort, but they only go so far. There is no end to the comfort found in the Lord Jesus Christ.

(Pictured is Sami, the outdoor cat, napping on our porch, where we kept her during the funeral.)

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Repeat

One of my favorite things I like to do when listening to music is to hit the ‘repeat’ button. It’s the button that plays the song I just finished one more time. And when it finishes I’ll often repeat it again. And again.

I like variety in my music and I also like to listen through entire albums. (Please pardon the use of ‘old-fashioned’ terms. I grew up in the 70’s and recently parted with my last vinyl records.) But once in a while I hear a song that just grabs me and I want to hear it again. And again. And again. It could be an old song, one that for any number of reasons is dear to me. It could be a song I’m familiar with but in which I’ve just noticed something in the music or lyrics that I had missed before and I want to listen to it more closely. Or it could be a new song. One I never heard before but have taken an instant liking to.

I had that experience this morning. Here is a link to the song. It is a cover version of the original, which I’ve never heard. But I do know that I like it. It grabs me both musically and lyrically. The words express deep biblical truth.

In the same way that I may listen to a piece of music over and over, there are pieces of the Bible that I turn to again and again. Some of my favorite parts of the Bible are similar to the message of this song, in that they speak of what is true and unchanging about God. They provide deep assurance of who He is, of what He has done, and of what He promises to do. I may have read them many times but I find myself going back to them again, reading them slowly and savoring each phrase.

One of my favorite passages to read again and again is Ephesians 1:3-14, where Paul writes:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

This is one passage where God never fails to bring me comfort, to bring me security, and to bring me a sense of awe at whom He is and what He has done.

In closing here are a few questions to ponder. There is no need to give an answer, just some things for you to think about.

Where does God speak through His word to your heart? Where in His word do you turn to find Him when your world seems to be on shaky ground? What verses do you return to in order to feast on His word?