Tag Archives: Suffering

We do not always know the cause, but we are called to help ease each other’s suffering.

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on November 14, 2015
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Can Glory be Achieved Through Suffering? — Rev. David J. Schreffler

 

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November 14, 2015

“Every high priest chosen from among mortals is put in charge of things pertaining to God on their behalf, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness; and because of this he must offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people. And one does not presume to take this honor, but takes it only when called by God, just as Aaron was. So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”; as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.”. In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.” Hebrews 5:1 – 10

“In a world where success is measured by how quickly a person can climb to the top and importance is measured by how much glory a person can grab, these words in the letter to the Hebrews tell a completely different story. It is always difficult to come to terms with the call of God as having nothing to do with honor, and everything to do with serving. Even Christ did not glorify himself–it was God who claimed and called him–and it was through his suffering that he was truly glorified. Jesus was never looking for the place of importance and status; he came to serve and that is the call that we share as the people of God. The same God who calls us has promised to be with us, to provide those places of refuge, to bring life and salvation out of suffering and death.” (Luther Seminary, G*d Pause devotions, Gayle Bintliff, Tanque Verde Lutheran Church, Tucson, Ariz. Master of Divinity , 2001)

“He learned obedience through suffering.” Oh, we spend a lot of time and money trying to avoid suffering, to reduce suffering and to avoid growing old. As sure as the sun will rise and set this day, we will all experience some amount of suffering in our lives. We cannot avoid it. So what do we do with suffering? We learn about ourselves and our abilities, and the depth of our mental, physical and spiritual arsenal. There is no glory to be gained through our suffering – but for Christ his glory was achieved through his suffering. That does not mean we try to cause our own suffering. But we do learn from all of our experiences, including suffering. We learn about endurance, about perseverance, and about faith. We learn to put our trust in others, especially our trust in G*d who promises to always be with us and to help us find a way out of all of our experiences. (1 Cor. 10:13ff). Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own insight… says the Proverb (3:5). I think there is a simple truth hidden here: how can we know how happy we can be, if we have never experienced sadness?

Pastor Dave

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on November 11, 2015
Tags: , , , Suffering, ,   

Staring Into the Face of Death — Rev. David J. Schreffler

 

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November 11, 2015

“Soon afterwards he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him. As he approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow; and with her was a large crowd from the town. When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then he came forward and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, rise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized all of them; and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen among us!” and “God has looked favorably on his people!” Luke 7:11 – 16

“It is inevitable that we should be sad when those we love depart from us by dying. Although we know they are not leaving us for ever, that they have but gone a little ahead of us, that we who remain will follow them, nevertheless our nature shrinks from death, and when it takes a loved one we are filled with sorrow simply because of our love for that person. In the death of those who are close to us we experience both sadness at the necessity of losing them, and hope of getting them back.” Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, (354 – 430) Sermon 172, “For All The Saints”, volume II (p. 987)

I struggle with many different emotions when I meet with a family who does not want to hold a public service for someone who has passed away. Mostly I struggle with the reality that someone or perhaps the entire family is hoping to deny or delay the hurtful feeling that surrounds a death. Death hurts – it hurts to loose a loved one, it makes us sad, it gives us feelings and emotions we just do not like. But avoiding those feelings is not doing any of us any good. We cannot shrink from death, because death will not shrink from us. Death is all around us. We can try to run from death, but we cannot hide. One of the lessons we learn from the story of the Widow from Nain is how the community surrounded her in her grief. They did not shrink from her. They came together and allowed her to grieve personally, and she allowed the community to grieve as well.

There are so many ways that our society is trying to deny us a sense of community. We can drive home from our cubicles at work, sit in our cars to open the garage door, pull into the garage and close the same door, and never have to get out of the car or talk to any of our neighbors. We repeat the same actions when we leave in the morning. We are finding more and more ways to isolate ourselves – all to our own detriment. Funerals are one of the last ways that we can come together as a community and show our love for each other. Let us not deny this act of comfort, community, and caring simply because we would rather run away from death than face it head on.

As I write this devotion, a two year old child has been killed when struck by a car while attending a homecoming parade in Stillwater, Oklahoma. This young family will need the community to rally around them as they face this devastating loss. This is not a time to stick our heads in the sand, but a time to stand together as people of G*d and lament the brokenness of humanity and the fragility of life.

Of course, staring right into the face of death is just what so many of our Veterans have done, for so many years, protecting our country and rooting out evil in the world. Today we honor those Veterans who gave their life in service to this country, and those Veterans who struggle with moving on with life once they return home, and Veterans and families who have experienced a loss of brother, sister, father, mother, uncle, aunt, or comrade. On this day we stand together as grateful people and say thank you to all Veterans.

 

Pastor Dave