21 February 2017 - trial by fire

 [ Today's Readings ]

"The Son of Man is to be handed over to men
and they will kill him,
and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise."

When we hear this our flesh resists. The disciples hear it and they don't quite get it. This doesn't meet their expectations about the victorious messiah. But rather than entering deeper into that mystery they begin to try to carve out their own pieces of the pie. The darker the talk of Jesus the more they seem to think about their own rewards.

In trials we need to be steadfast. When we don't understand why God allows things to be a certain way we need to cling to him and forsake him not. He teaches us that suffering, while not caused by God, is allowed. It has a role in his plan for us.

For in fire gold and silver are tested,
and worthy people in the crucible of humiliation.

Pain and suffering are in the future! There are challenges yet to be overcome. There is hardship for us before we enter the kingdom. This is what we signed up for.

My son, when you come to serve the LORD,
stand in justice and fear,
prepare yourself for trials.

This morning God reminds us that for every challenge and temptation he provides grace that is more than enough for us to endure it.

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (see Romans 5:3-5).

We need this transformation because we are still selfish just as are the disciples. We are still very interested in being first and not at all interested in being the servant of all. When we accept our trials with the steadfastness and grace from God our selfishness begins to be stripped away. We become more and more able to receive the least of these in the name of Jesus. We embrace the unborn and the immigrant, the poor and the sick. In doing so we embrace, more and more, Jesus himself.

The salvation of the just is from the LORD;
he is their refuge in time of distress.