4/25/2021 Normal Service

Are scripture reading this morning is from The Book of Romans chapter 5 verses 1 through 5 and this is from the new revised Standard Version. And it did kind of April's version that she quoted earlier, contrast quite nicely with this. So it's interesting for a to get to hear both translations. Therefore since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand and we boast in Our Hope of sharing, the glory of God. And not only that. But we also boast in our sufferings knowing that suffering, produces endurance and endurance, produces character and character produces hope and hope does not disappoint us because God's love has been poured into our hearts. Through the holy spirit that has been given to us the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God.

Thank you. Seth. What is prey?

Lord by the meditations of our hearts. And the words of my lips, be pleasing in your sight, our Rock and Our Redeemer MN

When I received the call from Betsy, that her son had a fever. I asked Betsy, what I would be preaching on. I didn't want to change the text. And she told me I went and looked it up. A boy, I haven't really preach the whole lot on that particular verse. There's some verses that we just kind of shy away from. This particular one about suffering and what it produces? So many in our Christian umbrella. I would say that suffering is somehow from God. Others would suggest that suffering is just a reality of this world and God is always with us. Others would say that we can learn from suffering, that does not mean, it's the reason for it. I would certainly fall into that camp. We can grow through our suffering. We can build endurance.

That is not the reason why suffering exists.

This morning, we are going to talk about suffering.

Someone left his hat in my office. I guess, they'd suffered enough.

Suffering. Builds character, we can see people's character develop through their suffering. it kind of is if suffering amplifies what already exists there,

I like to think of, maybe kind of look at it, this way.

Anger being made mad, right? Being made mad. Okay. So the post of technical issues that the service isn't being recorded. So I can tell you the phone call that I just got right before I came in here it started like this. Rob, do you have a minute? It was from Charlie, my son. Who's at home? Cuz he's a band concert that starts at like noon or something. Okay, and I said no, I'm about to preach. What do you need? What mom told me to start a fire. My others is going to go good like yeah. So I use gas. The thing I specifically told you never to use. Yeah. So I owe you a gas can and you're calling to tell me, you owe me a gas, can I think I can wait till after church, right? My concern, my immediate concern be on for the woods was for his safety, right? Like that's what I worry about most I can care less about the gas can, right? I can care a lot more about not being safe but the reality is that these kind of instantaneous things, we don't really know what's going to come up in the person, right? It was so nice when we explain something, we know what that might be an obviously, he felt like he was going to be in big trouble, right? Like you felt like that was what was going to come up in and out of me was anger or frustration. But nobody can really make you angry. Like they don't make you have to be angry. That's a choice that we make in ourselves. We can get angry at things, other people do. They don't make us become angry. That's something that already exists inside of us that we decide whether we want to feed or starve.

And so whatever, we have people that are angry all the time. sometimes it's in response to to life circumstance but sometimes it's because that's the way through life they've Learn how to respond. When you look at the suffering, we can see people that suffer. an Indian jewelry, and it builds character, or we can look at people who suffer

Shows blemishes in character. There's a gentleman.

Who just this last week? Got off a ship. In the Suez Gulf. Who advanced on said ship stuck unable to leave since 2017? So, a little bit about the shipping industry that I've learned. You have good boat owners and not. Okay. And so this particular boat, this Syrian man was on in 2017 is about like 25 years old at the time and he's on just to the one of the of the many Hired Hands and they go through to go through the Suez Canal and they have to bring paperwork in order to do this. But their paperwork, their certificates aren't up-to-date. And so they can't go through. And their equipment isn't up to date. So this, so the port dachshund in the gulf and said, you can't leave, oh, because they also owed money. A lot of money to a lot of different people and so they they grab the boat. They said, the boat can't leave this area until the owner of the ship figures out how they're going to pay their debts. Okay? Well, There's a captain on the ship. And after a couple months, do they first they took everybody's passport, right? And they said, you can't leave until you come to the Ford, get your passport, and then get the heck out of our country. Could you don't have a reason to be here, okay? So that's how that works. And the captain in this usual situations, the captain stays with the Bubba. Okay. So the captain is older and wiser, not necessarily more moral and goes on the land, he's away from the boat he just happens to be away from the boat when the port when the Egyptian government shows up and wants to know who's responsible for the boat. And yours is for 25, year old guy that the captain said, what I'm gone, you're in charge. You must have really not like this cat.

He's in charge. So, this boat comes on with these papers that they have to sign, who's the legal who's legally responsible for this boat. And this guy calls the captain says, hey, you just left the gift. Mystia, they want me to sign this form in the captain says, yeah, you go ahead and sign it. Don't worry about it. So we signed it. The captain didn't come back to the bow case, you were curious. What's going to happen there? Over the next two years. Everybody else leaves the boat. Besides that they're not going to get paid. The owner doesn't care and they leave the boat. This gentleman tries to leave. And Egyptian government in forms, and that you can't leave because you responsible for the boat.

You can't go to land. And he can't leave.

Eastern Syria, 2017 war-torn, right? Is Mom calls everyday. After two years, he's left alone on this boat. Other ships in the area, start referring to him as Castaway.

1 times that the boat was taking on water and he thought that they would be able to leave. So we had a Mayday, call the Egyptian government shows up to rescue him, they take him to land long enough to repair the boat. And take him back out and put it back on the boat. The man wants to go to jail to get off of this boat. This boat that doesn't have electricity anymore. This boat that, that doesn't have any food anymore. They start salvaging parts to spell for rice and for fish That's the kind of subsistence living and there's animals on the boat and eventually the phone calls from Mom stop. And eventually the aunt calls to inform him that his mother has passed away. You can't go because he's stuck on this boat. In the beginning of this interaction.

The Port Authorities who responsible for the canal people, they look at it is very suspect right? But over time The began to have compassion for him and they saw the way that he was in during suffering. And they were also worried that he was going to just try to leave. So the Gyptian government sends a a guard to the ship. To be with him and to live with him, there on the ship. For the first two weeks, it was a very professional back and forth. This is what you're supposed to do. This is what I do and then after 2 weeks, the guy had seen this Taylor suffering for so long, that they began to help him get introduced into friends and eventually the port decided that you could leave the boat as long as he wasn't, as long as he was back to the boat. By Sundown, you can leave the boat as long as he's back to the boat by sundown.

Eventually for years just last week. He flew out of Egypt to Syria.

for four years, he suffered for two of those years, he was completely alone.

and I have no idea if that gentleman is going to go back into seafaring or not, I'm guessing.

but the character that he had, that other saw the way that he suffered You know, when they invited them on the land, one of the first times. He's not a Christian man is Muslim one of the first times that they invited them on the land. Was the break fast for Ramadan.

The equivalent of Christmas or Easter for us. The people from the port, invited him on the land, to break bread with them. To show him compassion in love. We know people who her suffering. Whose live lives of suffering and we seek to be compassionate to them. And the way that we do that is through this meal, Through sharing the news of this meal. Of the, the body and blood of Christ. We don't have control over, but his God calls us to share with others.

We have news for those who are suffering. And the News isn't why suffering occurs. The news is that you will not suffer alone. You will not suffer alone.

There's hoping that. There's Hope. Because when we share love with one another,

It helps ease one suffering.

It helps us realize that we're not alone. In our sufferings of this Taylor's words were that he suffered in solitary confinement that have been isolated for 2 years. And then you wish that upon new person,

We know plenty of people right here around us that are living lives of isolation. All alone yet surrounded by people. What news will we give them? Will we try to be like jokes friends and say this is why you're suffering.

Truly say, you will not suffer alone. That's the hope of a Christian message. We are not alone.

You know, if there's one thing that we have that we can boast about To the glory of God.

Of God's love.

That unites us here. We don't gather because we don't suffer. And we don't gather because we suffer.

But we can find healing in this place. when we look to God,

And ask God, who will be with me while I suffer.

There's Hope. There's hope that does not exist in this world outside of Christ.

Let's hope that does not disappoint us.

That's the loving, forgiveness, and mercy of God. That unites us, even when we suffer. To the body of Christ. Let us pray.

Lord, as we see those who suffer around us and as we suffer ourselves

Help us learn.

I was bro.

And have a share in your good news.

Jesus name, we pray. Amen.