TGIF
Today’s message begins with good news – Don Mauldin is the new Pastor at Covenant Church and will begin next week. His first Sunday message as our Pastor will be next Sunday July 25 (but don’t forget to also come this Sunday to hear Richard Parker one more time !!). Isn’t God great in how he works to find us the right Pastor at the right time!! We look forward to having Don, Diane, and Missy with us in the coming months and years.
While we celebrate the start of a new Pastor at Covenant, we are also sad to know that Edwina is still not doing well in the hospital. The doctors are still not sure how to treat her condition. It is interesting in our life walk how often we face joy and sorrow at the same time in our lives. Such a pull of emotions grips us – how can we be happy and sad at the same time?
How quickly our emotions can change a lot, and how difficult it is when we have both joy and sorrow in our lives at the same time, but the stress occurs when these emotions are greater due to them being due to people nearest and dearest to our hearts.
How should we handle such major and conflicting life events when they happen to us personally? If we don’t believe and we experience sorrow, we may get angry and blame God. This may be more likely when joy occurs simultaneously with sorrow because of the great shift we experience in our feelings.
2 Corinthians 6:10 – sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
Here we see in Paul’s life a man who was constantly sorrowful, yet always rejoicing. Paul had nothing, yet he had everything. Paul was always there for others in their time of need, to make others aware of the riches they had in spite of what difficulties they might be experiencing in their lives at any moment.
Listen to the words of Jesus at His most sorrowful moment, as He prepared for His crucifixion.
John 16:20-24 – Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. When a woman is in travail she has sorrow, because her hour has come; but when she is delivered of her child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a child is born into the world. So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father, he will give it to you in my name. Hitherto, you have asked nothing in my name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
These words cannot immediately eliminate the sorrow we feel some days, but it can give us hope for the future, that there will be joy again. It can begin by opening our eyes to the joy all around us and working to find joy, especially remembering the joys we have had with our loved ones.
Indeed, joy and sorrow are odd companions. Let us pray.
Dear Father:
We thank you for the blessing of your love and grace in our lives. We thank you for being there for us always, when times are blessed and joyful, and when times are sorrowful. We know we can’t understand your plan for us, but we do know that your plan is best for us, and that at some time it will all be made clear, it is simply too early to tell. We ask you especially to be with those today who have heavy hearts, help them to hear the birds singing, children laughing, the peace and solitude from the gentle rain hitting the roof when we don’t have to go out and can relax at home, and give them the peace that they will laugh and be joyful again. Be with us to stand with our friends in need and share our time and love, as well as reminding them of your presence and love for them, to help them through their sorrowful and stressful times. We ask you to be with us today and help us to become stronger in our faith and our love for you, and to show that love to others in the coming week. In your holy son’s name we pray, Amen.