Loving God, you have created us, redeemed us and made us holy through your Son, Jesus Christ.  Help us to know the consolation of your presence at all times, and especially during our times of need, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    Over the next few weeks we will be delving into Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians.  By all accounts, it is a difficult read and sometimes hard to follow.  This comes, at least in part, from the fact that Paul is responding to previous letters that have been sent both ways that we don’t necessarily have.  Yet, 2 Corinthians still has a lot to teach us about life in a community of believers and about leadership in a community of believers.

    From a leadership perspective, Paul strives to do the job that God has called him to do in spite of those who question his authority.  We see him trying to get out of the way and always pointing people to Christ, for he comes to realize that it’s not all about him.  All those who serve as leaders in a community of believers need to learn the same thing - it’s not all about us, either.  We are always called to point others to Jesus.

    At the same time, Eugene Peterson writes in his introduction to 2 Corinthians that it is a “must read” for all those who think that they will meet all the best people and cultivate smooth social relations in the church (in The Message).  He also points out how many blessings we receive from this letter in spite of how much trouble the Corinthians caused both for one another and for Paul.  There is a reason 2 Corinthians is part of the New Testament.  God speaks to us through it, as well.

    And so, today we hear a lot about affliction and suffering and consolation.  What we get is a little glimpse into what life was like in the early church and what people could expect when they put their faith in Jesus Christ and became part of the community of believers.  In addition to God’s life-giving Spirit and the gift of salvation, people could also expect to be persecuted.  Sometimes this meant being flogged in the synagogue.  Sometimes this meant losing their livelihood.  Sometimes this meant being arrested, thrown into prison, or even executed because of their faith in Jesus.

    However, in the midst of all this, Paul writes about consolation.  He writes about how God comes alongside us when we are going through hard times and strengthens us even in the midst of suffering.  Then, having experienced the strength that comes from the presence of God, we are empowered to strengthen and console others in the same way.  In this way, those in the community of believers were encouraged to console and strengthen one another when they were all experiencing similar hardships.

    It is the same principle that is at work in many of the support groups that exist today.  Those who are recovering alcoholics encourage and strengthen others who are recovering alcoholics.  Those who have lost a child gather together with others who have lost a child for mutual support.  Those who are cancer survivors encourage others who are battling the same illness.  There is a sense that when you have gotten through something difficult, it is good to use that experience to help others.

    However, just to back up for a moment, I’d like to invite you to call to mind some difficult times that you have gone through and what helped you the most during those times.  Can you name a few things that are particularly helpful when you’re in the midst of a terrible time yourself?... [possibilities include being present & listening; empathy; prayers of others; ...]

    What we have just described is at least a little bit of what consolation looks like - that word that means to call close beside.  At the same time, we have heard today about the consolation that comes from God, and so we might also ask what consolation from God looks like.

    In some ways, it can look quite similar to the consolation we might receive from another person.  God is an excellent listener, and comes alongside us through the presence of the Holy Spirit.  At the same time, we have Jesus, who understands many of the things we go through from his own experience.  And not only does he understand, but he intercedes for us and prays for us, just as the Holy Spirit also prays for us “with sighs too deep for words” (Rom. 8:26).

    However, the consolation that comes from God goes even further.  As Paul points out, this is the God who raises the dead (2 Cor. 1:9) and who most certainly can raise us to new life as well.  At the same time, it is only God who gives the kind of peace that we hear about in the gospel of John today.  It is the peace that surpasses all understanding that cannot be found anywhere else in the world, and it is only the Holy Spirit who gives the gift of such peace.

    This peace, and the consolation that comes from God are most evident when we have learned the same thing that Paul did - to rely on God rather than ourselves (2 Cor. 1:9).  It seems that most of us have a very hard time with this, as we really prefer to be in charge of things ourselves.  And unfortunately, sometimes it is only through being brought very low that we learn how to hand everything over to God.  For God is not a vicious taskmaster or one who uses us for selfish ends, but the one who has created us and redeemed us and made us holy through our Saviour Jesus Christ.  And God is also the source of grace and peace through the Holy Spirit.

    Thanks be to God!  Amen.

Holy Trinity (NL summer)                        2 Corinthians 1:1-11
May 22, 2016                            John 14:25-27
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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