War or Peace?

A very strange dream woke me up a bit early this morning. I dreamed that I had been standing at the window looking out over the river and suddenly black military looking went screaming by. There was not just one or two of them; but, a crowd of them; a fleet that seemed to have no end. Very strange, I thought and woke up. Of course, I had to try to figure out why I would have a dream like that. I could not discern if the dream was about war or peace. Was I dreaming it because I sense impending danger or because of a feeling of security? I do not know. Every day brings something new. The world can be a dangerous place. The news is rarely good; but, yet, there is always hope.

Military boats and ships certainly have something to do with danger; especially, to the enemy. But, they are also there to bring security to the people they are commissioned to protect. Ultimately, they are to be used to bring about security and a sense of peace.

We can never really count on the state of the world's affairs to provide us with security and peace. But, there is one whom we can trust.

Answer me when I call, O God of my right!
    You gave me room when I was in distress.
    Be gracious to me, and hear my prayer.

There are many who say, “O that we might see some good!
    Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord!”
You have put gladness in my heart
    more than when their grain and wine abound.

I will both lie down and sleep in peace;
    for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.

                                                      Psalm 4:1, 6-8 NRSV

God's Peace - Pr. J

Isaiah 66 - It Is Well With My Soul

     Well, this is kind of interesting. As I read today's reading, Isaiah 66, I thought it looked real familiar. Today is the 7th Sunday after Pentecost and this morning verses 10-14 of chapter 66 will be read aloud around the world, as they just happen to be our Old Testament reading for today.

 

“Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her,
    all you who love her;
rejoice greatly with her,
    all you who mourn over her.
For you will nurse and be satisfied
    at her comforting breasts;
you will drink deeply
    and delight in her overflowing abundance.”

For this is what the Lord says:

“I will extend peace to her like a river,
    and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream;
you will nurse and be carried on her arm
    and dandled on her knees.
As a mother comforts her child,
    so will I comfort you;
    and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.”

When you see this, your heart will rejoice
    and you will flourish like grass;
the hand of the Lord will be made known to his servants,
    but his fury will be shown to his foes."  (Isa 66:10-14 NIV)
 

     This morning, I am, again, reminded of that beautiful hymn "All Is Well With My Soul," written by Horatio Spafford after the tragic loss of his daughters as the ship they were traveling in across the ocean collided with another. He penned:

    "When Peace like a river attendeth my way... when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, thou has taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul. Though Satan should buffet, through trials should come – It is well with my soul."

     It is well! It is well! It is well with my soul. I remember sitting in a workshop on grief years ago and hearing that assuring those who are grief stricken of the kingdom promised to all believers brings no comfort to the person grieving. This workshop was being led by a Pastor and she was speaking from her experience. She had resented the Pastor who had preached a Gospel Sermon at one of her loved one's funerals. She said it brought her no comfort and it brings no one else comfort. We need, she said, to grasp reality at a time like that and the reality according to her is that when you are dead, you are dead. Period. The resurrection should not be included! It kind of blew me away and I had a hard time hearing anything else she had to say.

     I did not comprehend her line of thinking then and I still don't understand it. The good news of the kingdom through Jesus Christ is the only thing that I know that can possibly bring comfort in a time of such great loss. The reassurance that Christ is with you at such a time is the only thing I know that will bring even a semblance of peace to the grieving soul.

     Quite a few years ago, I had agreed to officiate at the funeral of a man who I did not know well. We are a very rural community and clergy often get asked to bury those whom we do not know, so that's actually quite common. In this case, I knew the man's son and mother. I knew his mother well. She was a very faithful Christian. I did not hesitate to agree to commend her son for her. However, a day before the funeral, I received a call to let me know that the man was not Christian and that his son had requested that there be no mention of Jesus at the funeral. The man had been an atheist. Yet, his family wanted me there. His family and his mother, especially, needed to hear the Gospel. Tricky one - that funeral was! How to bring comfort to a family when there was no hope in the resurrection - no hope in the Kingdom of God? It's like saying "Peace, Peace, when there is no peace." (Jer 6:14, 8:11, Ezek 13:10, 16)

     Following that funeral, I advised the funeral directors in the area, that if there was even a hint that I would be asked not to proclaim the Good News at a funeral let me know so that I could refuse with enough time for the family to find someone else; because, I can bring no one comfort. It is not I, nor my words, nor my presence that brings comfort to anyone. It is the Word of God, His presence, His promises, that brings peace to the soul of those who are afflicted, no matter what the affliction might be.

     "When Peace like a river attendeth my way... when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, thou has taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul."

                                    God's Peace be with you - Pr. J

 

P.S. For more the proclamation of the Gospel and peace like a river, see you at worship today!

Isaiah 48 - Peace Like A River

Silver River, Aura, MI

"This is what the Lord says—
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you what is best for you,
who directs you in the way you should go.
If only you had paid attention to my commands,
your peace would have been like a river,
    your well-being like the waves of the sea.”" (Isa 48:17-18 NIV)

The hymn "When Peace Like a River" or "All Is Well With My Soul" is a favorite among many. It is one of my favorite hymns. It was one of Pr. Bob Manthei's, who served here before me. It was written by Horatio G. Spafford in 1873. Not long before, his four daughters had died in a collision with another ship as they crossed the Atlantic. His wife survived and sent him this message, "Saved alone." Later, as he, himself, crossed the Atlantic and neared the spot where his daughters had died, he was inspired to write this hymn. The LORD, in His mercy has taught us that no matter what befalls us, it can be well with our soul. All who abide in Christ will know the peace that only He can give.

"When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul."

Today, Isaiah reminds us that we are to turn from worshipping false gods, and to trust in the LORD, our God, and all will be well with our soul. Our peace will be like a river. But, for those who turn their backs on Him, there will be no peace. “There is no peace,” says the Lord, “for the wicked.”

When will we turn from our stubborn, stiffnecked ways to live in peace? To live wholly for and in Christ? "For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.  For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit." (Eph 2:14-18)

And... all is well with my soul! May it be well with your's.

God's Peace - Pr. J