Introduction
This was
not the lesson I had planned for this week but once nine of our brothers and
sisters in Christ were murdered at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church (Emanuel
AME) in Charleston, South Carolina earlier in the week it seemed infinitely
more important to deal with such an evil and senseless tragedy. Honestly, I am
heartbroken about this on so many levels but particularly because the victims
were Christians including the pastor of the church. But also because they were
targeted because they were black—the killer was white. Unfortunately, the
political posturing has already started and the race hustlers are stirring
their cauldron of discord. Over the next few weeks, here in America, we’ll here
blacks blame whites, we’ll here Democrats blame Republicans, and we’ll hear gun
control advocates blame gun possession advocates. What you probably won’t hear
much about is the remarkable grief of the survivors and those left behind by
the victims. What, exactly, motivated the killer will likely be thoroughly
discussed and disseminated in the weeks ahead and his purpose may be determined
with complete certainty. But do you know something? No answer will bring back
the lives that were taken, so answers will bring no comfort to those who are
grieving. Some of you face this sort of thing every day in your respective countries.
Some of you have watched your neighbors, friends, and family killed before your
eyes by the evil sweeping through or residing in your own communities.
Evil can be hard to explain and
even harder to accept. It’s hard for all people everywhere whether that evil is
a white man who hates blacks, a black man who hates whites, or a middle-eastern
Muslim who hates all non-Muslims. It’s even hard for Christians who have an
enduring hope of spending eternity with God because until then, we have to
endure the pain and grief of this life. However, God doesn’t leave us to grieve
alone, God is with us at all times. He’s even with those who don’t know Him or
believe in Him—waiting, always waiting for the chance that maybe they will
reach out to Him in their pain and grief. For the rest of us, God watches over
us in our grief and continues to give us hope—hope that tomorrow the pain might
be a little more bearable. God isn’t shock by our pain and our grief. God isn’t
overwhelmed by our sorrow. God understands pain and sorrow very well. God the
Son had to endure pain He didn’t deserve and God the Father had to watch the
Son be tortured and put to death. God understands our pain very well. He
understands the pain and grief of the Charleston community and all those who are
grieving for whatever reason. God is not unaffected like some kind of machine,
because He knows what it’s like from experience. That’s why He is so good at
caring for us—That’s why He is The God
Of All Comfort.
Subject Text
2 Corinthians 1:3-7
3Praise
be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and
the God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our troubles, so
that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have
received from God. 5For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over
into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 6If we
are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it
is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same
sufferings we suffer. 7And our hope for you is firm, because we know
that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.
Context
Quickly,
there were actually four letters to the Corinthians from Paul. Two are now
lost. What has most likely been preserved are the second and fourth letters
which are now part of our Bible as First and Second Corinthians respectively. I
say this because we have to remember when we read either of the letters Paul
wrote to the Corinthians that we are missing some of the context of the
conversation Paul was having with the church he planted there. Nevertheless,
Paul was clearly upset in First Corinthians because of immorality and divisions
among them as well as false teachings. It appears that once we get to Second
Corinthians most of the church responded to Paul corrective teachings. However,
seeing that some of their power and influence was slipping away, some of those
who were at the root of the problems in the church were beginning to question
Paul’s authority and motivation. Paul reminds them about the hardships he and
his companions endured on their journey through the province of Asia. In fact,
Paul says he was under so much pressure during his travels that he despaired
life. Nevertheless, he understood that all his trials forced him to rely not on
his own strength to survive but on God’s power and sovereignty to deliver him
from what he described as “deadly peril.” Paul wanted the Corinthians to know
that even though he suffered for the sake of Gospel, he was also comforted by
God because He is The God Of All Comfort.
Text Analysis
3Praise
be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and
the God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our troubles, so
that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have
received from God.
If you’ve
been reading my lessons then you are aware that I grew up in the home of an
abusive, alcoholic father. I can’t tell you how many times I prayed that God
would change my circumstances but He never did. Nevertheless, God never
abandoned me. Instead, He carried me through those difficult years. It never
made any sense to me why God would allow something that seemed so senseless to
me. Was there comfort in knowing that God was always with me? Sometimes. But as
a young boy what I really wanted was a father that wasn’t abusive or an
alcoholic. It wasn’t until I became a pastor that I realized that through my
trials, I am uniquely qualified to speak into the lives of those who have
suffered or continue to suffer through similar abuses. No matter how much
someone loves you when you are hurting, there is nothing more comforting than
to hear someone say, ‘I understand what you’re going through. I can help you walk
this road because I’ve already walked it.’ This is what Paul is saying in vv. 3-4. Paul is able to extend comfort
to those who are suffering because he has first hand experience of what that
looks like as a result of the comfort he received from God during his own
trials.
This is so
often one of the things atheists use to argue against the idea of a loving
God—Why didn’t God do something to prevent trials and suffering in the first
place so there wouldn’t be a need for comfort? I wish I had a foolproof answer
to that question. Unfortunately, our world is still filled with sin and evil
and unless God intervenes to eliminate humanity’s freedom to choose between
good and evil, we must endure suffering at the hands of evil and sinful people.
Suffering, however, has tremendous transformative power. In some people suffering
plants the seeds of bitterness in their hearts and transforms them into hard-hearted,
cynical beasts filled with anger and hatred. However in others, suffering
plants the seeds of compassion in their hearts and transforms them into broken
vessels that allow God’s compassion to pour through the cracks of their
brokenness and into the lives of other people who are suffering. “God would
comfort the Corinthians through these difficult times. When the troubles passed
and the Corinthians emerged faithful, then they would be able to comfort others
who needed the same comfort. Trials are never easy. But it is through trials
that God can shape and mold our character. Often, it is only through trials
that we can learn about God’s loving care for us.”[1]
5For just as the sufferings of
Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.
Jesus said
that if He would suffer and be persecuted then we should expect to be as well
(Jn 15:20). He also said that we would have trouble in this life (Jn 16:33). In
the first instance, Jesus makes clear that we should expect to suffer because
we are His followers and we shouldn’t expect to be treated any better than He
was. In the second instance, Jesus is far more general. He is saying that we
are going to have trouble in this life. This seems obviously true for
everyone—for believers and unbelievers alike. However, remember that Jesus also
promised the disciples that when He returned to the Father, He would ask the
Father to send the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God living with us and in us. Why
is that important? Do you remember one of the names for the Holy Spirit? The
NIV calls Him the Advocate and that is certainly appropriate because He
advocates for believers before the Father when Satan attempts to accuse us of
our sins. Some translations call Him the Helper and that is also true because
He helps believers endure the hardships of this life. Some translations call
Him the Counselor because He guides us in the truths of God’s Word. However,
many translations call Him the Comforter and this is particularly important in
light of Paul’s instruction in v. 5.
We are able to comfort those who are grieving because we have been comforted by
God the Comforter. This is how we are able to bring comfort to those who don’t
have the benefit being in relationship with the Comforter Himself. A
relationship with the Comforter is a common bond between believers and provides
the foundation for the comfort believers provide for one another.
“Christians
are so intimately joined with Christ that experiences flow from Christ, to
believers, through believers, and to others. The sufferings of Christ extend
from Christ to his followers. Believers fill up…Christ’s afflictions because
the church is his body (see Col. 1:24; cf. Phil. 3:10). This was plain enough
from the hardships in Paul’s own ministry. Yet, just as Christ received joy and
glory in his resurrection, and sent the Holy Spirit of comfort, comfort also overflows
to believers through Christ. In union with Christ we face the hardships of sin
and death, but we also receive compassionate encouragement from God.”[2]
6If we are distressed, it is for
your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which
produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7And
our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our
sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.
Jesus
promises us many things but He never promises that we will not encounter pain
and/or suffering. He also never promises to deliver us from either. What He
does promise is that He will never leave us or forsake us during the times of
trials in our lives. Paul endured much in order to bring the message of the
Gospel to the Corinthians. However, everything Paul and his traveling party
endured, both the distress and the comfort, according to vv. 6-7 was for their ultimate benefit. The comfort Paul passed on
to them would be necessary for them to be comforted during the sufferings that
awaited them. Paul said that through the comfort he provided them, they would
develop “patient endurance” that would sustain them in their time of shared
suffering. “Patient endurance” is also referred to as “perseverance.” Perseverance
is defined as steadfastly doing something despite difficulty or opposition. In
the context of our Subject Text,
comfort would develop in them the ability to persevere in their faith in the
face of trials and tribulations. For Christians, suffering is inevitable, like
it is for non-Christians. However, for Christians, comfort must be an active
partner with suffering that is extended to all people. The comfort we give to
our brothers and sisters in Christ will serve to encourage them to persevere
through their time grief and suffering. The comfort we give to unbelievers will
possibly serve to encourage them to reach out in their grief and suffering to The God Of All Comfort for comfort in
this life and salvation in the next.
“There is a
divine purpose in human suffering that is borne for the Gospel’s sake. Thereby
the cause of Christ is advanced. But one special reason is given in our
passage. Those who receive encouragement from God are qualified to enter
sympathetically into the experience of others whose pathway leads them through
a vale of tears. ‘Sympathy is love perfected by experience,’…so Paul the apostle
is not a man who lives a detached existence, untroubled by hard knocks in life;
and by the same token he is no aloof pastor, remote from the people to whom he
ministers. And the conclusion from this moving section seems clear:…That is,
‘he who has experienced one kind of affliction is particularly qualified to
console others in the same and all circumstances.’”[3]
Conclusion
In the days
and weeks ahead, the battle lines will be drawn between the different sides who
will opine as to root cause of the horrific murders of our brothers and sisters
in Christ at Emanuel AME. On one side will be those who say the murders were
motivated by racism and on the other side they will argue that it was the
result of America’s moral decay. The two sides will engage in the fiercest of
battles never realizing that they are both right to a certain degree. The sides
will vehemently disagree as to the legislation needed to eliminate this tragedy
in the future but they will fail to understand that they are both wrong. No
legislation in the world, no matter how eloquent or foolproof will eliminate
evil. Only the transformation that comes through faith in Christ will solve the
evil that is in the world and we already know that not all people will give
their lives to Christ. Consequently, racism, murder, hatred and every other
form of evil will continue in this world until Christ returns to put an end to
all evil and rebellion once and for all at the final judgment.
In the days
and weeks ahead, I worry that those who are left behind in the Charleston
community, who probably feel like they are being crushed by grief, will be
forgotten. So I ask that all of you set aside the academic exercise of trying
to figure out who or what is to blame for this tragedy and instead stay focused
on praying for or reaching out to those in the Charleston community generally
and Emanuel AME more specifically. I would like to ask all of you to take a few
minutes to write a note of encouragement to Emanuel AME letting them know you
are praying for them. The address is:
Emanuel AME Church
110 Calhoun Street
Charleston, SC 29401
I know there are some of you, maybe
all of you, who have experienced your own tragedy. Remember, “He or she who has
experienced one kind of affliction is particularly qualified to console others
in the same and all circumstances.” I also realize that some of you are right
now reeling from your own personal tragedy right where you are. I want you to
know that whoever you are, I will be praying for you this week as well.
I have a booklet in my Bible called
Remembrance—Fallen but not forgotten.
It was written to those who survived the terrorist attacks in America on 9/11. It
includes writings from a number of people who are “particularly qualified to
console others in the same and all circumstances.” One particular contributor
to the booklet is the father of a high school girl, Rachel Scott, who was
murdered during a shooting rampage by two evil assailants at Columbine High
School here in Colorado. I want to share with you what he wrote so that you
might be comforted by his words as he is used by God to bring comfort to many
others because God is The God Of All
Comfort.
Honor Their Memory
By: Darrell Scott
One moment you’re just going
through the routine of another day, and the next moment your life is shattered.
I know the feeling well, because it happen to me on April 20, 1999.
My daughter, Rachel Scott, was
brutally gunned down while sitting on the grass, eating her lunch, at Columbine
High School. She was a beautiful, talented, energetic, optimistic teenager with
so much to live for. And in one moment’s time, she was no longer there.
I know the agony of “not knowing.”
It’s a horrible day when your prayers are, God,
let my daughter be wounded and hiding somewhere. Instead, it was more than
24 hours before we received confirmation of what we feared. Rachel was one of
the fatalities.
I know the gut-wrenching pain that
cannot find an adequate outlet even though your body grows sore from the
fathomless, heaving sobs that never seem to end.
I know the
paralyzing numbness of days, weeks and months that follow.
I know the
empty spots that emerge on Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter and her birthday.
I know
sleepless nights and red-rimmed eyes.
But I also
know the joy of celebrating a life that had purpose and meaning.
I know the
miracle of slowly watching good and wonderful things emerge from the very pits
of horror and despair.
I know the
transforming power of a loving God who can create the universe out of nothing,
and can take the worst of tragedies and bring purpose, life and meaning from
it.
Whether the
location is a high school, skyscraper, military complex, or airplane cabin, or
a hill called Calvary, tragedy can be turned to triumph.
As I have
learned, my daughter’s influence touched the lives of millions. A month before
she died, she wrote a challenge in her journal: “I dare to believe that I can
start a chain reaction through acts of kindness and compassion.”
And Rachel
didn’t just write about starting a chain reaction; she lived it—with people all
around her. Many of them have since told me that they are living out that
challenge themselves.
Shortly after hearing the news of our nation’s multiple
tragedies, I wrote this poem:
The pain, it seems, will never end
The hurt is here to stay
The agony within my soul
Will never go away
It seems that it’s impossible
For me to “make it through”
(I know that feeling, precious
friend,
For I have been there too)
I won’t attempt to offer cures
That will not ease your pain
But I will say, the life you lost—
It was not lived in vain
It’s been dispersed in memories
That now reside in you
And in the months and years to
come
They’ll help you make it through
Today you feel the dark despair
Today you mourn and cry
But from the seeds of memory
That life will multiply
The torment seems too much to bear
The whole world seems insane
But if their life reflects through
you
They did not die in vain!
I am so
grateful that I chose to turn to my Heavenly Father for strength and comfort in
my own personal loss. There I found the courage to forgive, the strength to
“let go” and the ability to see beyond the tragedy to a divine purpose that has
slowly emerged with time.
We all have
the ability to make choices. Those choices may leave us either bitter or
better. Those choices included honoring our departed loved ones and their
memories. You are now a continuation of the lives of those you have lost. Make
them proud.[4]
[1] Bruce
Barton, Philip Comfort, Grant Osborne, Linda K. Taylor, and Dave Veerman, Life Application New Testament Commentary,
(Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001), p. 712.
[2] Richard
L. Pratt, Jr., I & II Corinthians—Holman
New Testament Commentary, (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2000), p.
303.
[3] Ralph P.
Martin, 2 Corinthians—Word Biblical
Commentary, (Nashville, TN: Nelson Reference & Electronic, 1986), pp.
11-12.
[4] Darrell
Scott, Remembrance—Fallen but not
forgotten: Honor Their Memory, (New York, NY: The King’s College, 2001),
pp. 6-7.
