A man that looks on glass,
On it may stay his eye;
Or if he pleaseth, through it pass,
And then the heavens espy. – Herbert
Would you bow your heads and pray with me?
**PRAY**
It was the evening of Valentine’s Day, 2018. My mother called me that evening as I was driving home from the grocery store, having just purchased 2 very special boxes of cereal.
It was a tradition that started with my Mom. Every Valentine’s Day, she’d give each of my siblings and me our very own box of cereal—the sugary kind. The more artificial colors, flavors, and rainbow marshmallows, the better! That was our annual Valentine’s Day treat.
Seriously. This woman adored cereal:
Mom cereal.jpg
And now it was my turn to carry on the tradition.
It was dark that night when my mom called me. I remember—this is silly—but I remember feeling completely normal. Nothing was wrong in my world. I was happy to tell my mom that I had just left her favorite aisle of the grocery store, the cereal aisle, continuing her holiday tradition.
And somewhere between the Walmart Market on 37 and the house we were renting at the time, is when I heard the crack in her voice. Actually, I remember exactly where I was— at the intersection of 131st and Cumberland.
That’s where I was when she first told me that she had cancer. That was the moment, on that cold night in February, that forever marked the end of ‘normal.’
For any of you who have lived through this kind of thing, you know what the pain is like. Your heart stops beating. There’s a sort of ringing in your ears, as the world dims simultaneously, and you go numb. In those moments you almost have to remind yourself to breathe.
And hindsight, she probably should’ve asked if I was driving. She should’ve told me to pull over. It was that kind of moment. The kind everyone dreads. A terrible, sinking moment. A moment that felt like death, or at least the beginning of it.
Each of us has our own unique experiences of traumatic pain.
Pain takes on many different forms:
• Emotional pain.
• Psychological pain.
• Spiritual pain.
• Physical pain.
• The pain of anxiety and depression
• The pain of mental illness.
• The pain of a torn-up, broken heart – the pain of loss. Of grief!
And while Separation from God may be the granddaddy of all the broken places: the brokenness from which all other brokenness flows, pain is the outcome of every broken place.
Yes, Separation from God causes pain.
The decay of God’s good creation causes immeasurable pain.
Isolation causes pain:
Injustice and violent hatred cause pain.
Every week, we hear of another horrific shooting, so much that we become desensitized to it!
As I was finalizing this message on Wednesday, the news broke that Charlie Kirk had been murdered. While I was finalizing this message all about the broken place of pain, I was forced to relive my own painful story, through the news of yet another father shot down in an act of hatred and violence. I lost my father to gun violence. And I have carried that pain, the pain of being a fatherless child, all my life. All of my life. That pain never really goes away.
In his book, A Why To Live For, our founding Senior Dave Rodriguez said this, he said:
“Pain is all around us and in us. It is endemic to the human condition. The fact is, we live in a world of broken bodies, minds, and spirits. Pain is clearly and obviously one of the 6 Broken Places of the world.”-Dave Rodriguez
Each of us, every person in this room, every person watching online, has already experienced pain. And as much as we don’t like to think about it, each of us will experience pain again; it is part of the human experience.
And this morning, the broken place of ‘pain’ is our topic for this, the 4th installment of a series we dare to call “HOPE MONTH.”
Not pain month. Not despair month. Not sadness month. Not even brokenness month.
It’s Hope Month.
So if you would, open your Bibles to 2nd Corinthians chapter 4 verse 6, that’s on page 965 if you’re using a house Bible. We’re going to be looking at quite a few scripture passages this morning. I’ll put most of them on the screen so you don’t have to flip back and forth. But I do want you to camp out here in 2nd Corinthians chapter 4.
And while you’re turning there, I have a confession to make.
I need to confess that multiple times over the past few weeks, I’ve made the comment to some of my co-workers and a few volunteers, you know who you are… saying something to the effect of: “Ugh! I’ve got to go home and write a message all about pain.” I’m so so busy, it’s finals week, I’ve got a research paper due Friday, and sermon notes due Wednesday, for a 30-minute message all about pain!” Woe is me.
Wednesday night, as the news media was ablaze with one more story about one more life lost, one more widowed wife, and 2 more fatherless children in this broken world, the Lord spoke a clear word of correction that went straight to my heart.
Now, I’ll stop, because I know that sounds churchy. What do I mean by that? Did I hear the audible voice of God? No.
And yes.
I heard the still small voice of the Holy Spirit, who didn’t speak to my ears. The Spirit spoke to my heart, saying this:
You are not writing a message about pain. You are writing a message about hope.
Right then, my inner dialogue and my whole attitude did a 180. I’m not writing a sermon about pain. That’s not the message. The message is hope!
What a holy task! What an awesome responsibility. Lord, speak life through the power of Your Holy Spirit! Speak a message of hope in the midst of so much pain and unimaginable suffering. You have been my hope, Lord. You are still my hope. You are the hope of the world.
It’s Hope Month.
If you’ve been around Grace for any length of time, you’ve likely heard us talk about the 6 Broken Places. These are 6 states of the human condition that result from the sin that disfigures our world, 6 broken places that stand in direct opposition to the heart of the Father:
1. Separation from God
2. Injustice
3. Isolation
4. Pain
5. Hatred
6. Decay – the deterioration of God’s Creation
In his book, Dave describes how, for years, he had mistakenly equated the biblical concept of “the Kingdom of God” with Heaven itself, as though the Kingdom of God was strictly post-mortem, a future reality. The Kingdom of God was far off in the distance, disconnected from our Earthly existence. But he says that through a closer examination of scripture, and through the writings of theologians like Dallas Willard, NT Wright, and others, God began to reveal to him the truth that had been hidden in plain sight: that
The Kingdom of God is near.
He said that he had consistently made the mistake of skimming over the word ‘near.’
“Near”, a word which means:
Near: extreme closeness, immediate imminence.
That’s imminence with an ‘I’ – which means something is on the verge of happening!
Mark chapter 1, verses 14 and 16 tell us that:
“…Jesus went into Galilee, where he preached God’s Good News.[f] 15 ‘The time promised by God has come at last!’ he announced. ‘The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!’”
The Kingdom of God is near. The Greek word for near in verse 15 is the word en-geed-zo “eggizo.” It means
1) to bring near, to join one thing to another
The Kingdom of God is NEAR! Extremely close. On the verge of happening. It is being brought near. En-geed-zo: Joined together with another thing. What thing?
Throughout the Old Testament, the Prophets hinted at the coming Kingdom, depicting Yahweh as a God of justice, who set the lonely in families. A nurturing, loving, healing God.
In Exodus chapter 15, God uses the name Jehovah Rapha to describe himself. “Jehovah Rapha,” He says, – “I am the Lord who heals.”
Psalm 147 describes this healing God:
The LORD is rebuilding Jerusalem
and bringing the exiles back to Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted
and bandages their wounds.
Psalm 147:2-3
It’s a touching word picture of our personal, immanent God. That’s immanence with an “a” referring to God’s presence within creation. It contrasts with God’s transcendence: God’s existence over and above His creation. He is both present with His creation, and separate from it. He is both now, and not yet. Immanent and transcendent.
God’s immanence means that He is a nurturing, hands-on God who actively rebuilds, coming close enough to us to bandage our wounds. This, the prophets and the psalmists said, was the character of our God. He is the God of compassion. The God who draws near.
He heals the brokenhearted
and bandages their wounds.
This verse in Psalm 147 also makes the important distinction between emotional and physical pain. He heals the brokenhearted – He heals emotional pain. The pain no one can see– AND – He bandages their wounds, healing their visible, physical pain.
The Prophets of the Old Testament wrote about the mystery of this transcendent, immanent God who heals.
And then, in the New Testament, God Himself came and dwelt among us. Hope had come to life!
The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.
So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.” John 1:10-14
The Light of Hope came into this world, Jesus, God incarnate! And what did we see Jesus doing?
He was going about his father’s business: carrying on the mission of healing the broken-hearted:
Luke 6 verses 17-19
17 …The disciples stood with Jesus… Surrounded by many of his followers and by the crowds…18 They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those troubled by evil spirits were healed. 19 Everyone tried to touch him, because healing power went out from him, and he healed everyone.
The Kingdom of God is near. How near? En-geed-zo: Joined together with another thing. What thing?
Jesus clarified in Luke chapter 17:21:
“The Kingdom of God is already among you.” Luke 17:21
Some of your translations might read, “The kingdom of God is within you.” That’s because the Greek word “entos” could mean inside, within, among, or midst.
The Kingdom of God is inside you!
The Kingdom of God is within you!
The Kingdom of God is among you!
The Kingdom of God is in your midst!
Say amen, somebody. Either way, the point is that the Kingdom of God has been brought extremely close. Not far off in the distance, not just on the other side of death. The Hope of Heaven has been drawn near, is here, at last!
Inside you! Within you! Among you! Adjoined to you!
I hope you still have your Bibles open, because now we can read along in 2nd Corinthians chapter 4, starting at verse 6! And I’m not putting this on the screen because I want you to read it for yourself, on your phone, in your Bible, in the house Bible. I want you to read with your eyes and listen with your heart! Paul says in 2nd Corinthians 4, verse 6:
For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.
We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.
We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies…
Now drop down to verse 16:
That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
The things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
The things we see, and the things we can’t see. The now and the not yet.
It’s the immanence of our God who draws near enough to bandage our wounds. And the transcendence of our God who can’t be seen with seeing eyes, and yet, Paul says, we can gaze upon him through fixed eyes of our faith.
Hebrews 11:1 says that
“Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.”
We fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. The 17th-century poet George Herbert said:
A man that looks on glass,
On it may stay his eye;
Or if he pleaseth, through it pass,
And then the heavens espy. – Herbert
Faith sees through the glass. It looks beyond the glass.
It looks through the things that can be seen in the here and now, to the unseen things which are eternal.
Oh, it sees the glass. It knows it’s there. Faith doesn’t remove what’s in front of you. Whatever pain you’re confronted with. It doesn’t make it go away. But it does give you eyes to see what lies just beyond it! On the other side…
Last year, our entire Hope Month series centered on this one broken place of pain. I put a link in our app if you want to re-watch those powerful messages.
In Dave’s message last September, he spoke openly about wrestling with Psalm 91:
“He who dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust.”
Choose a pic of Grandma
I have to say it in my Grandmother’s voice because that’s her favorite scripture verse! We read it aloud yesterday as my Grandmother celebrated her 100th birthday! And at 100 years old, as you can imagine, this woman knows a thing or two about pain! She’s buried her husband, 2 of her 3 children, including my father, and she’s the last surviving sibling out of her 13 brothers and sisters! And through it all she still has a smile on her face. Yesterday, when I asked her what the secret was to living to 100 years, she responded without hesitation:
“Giving thanks and praise to God!”
And I think she would agree with Dave, who said that Psalm 91 helps him to ‘think big.’ He said, “Psalm 91 ends up being a ‘wonder,’ a ‘mystery’ not unlike looking at the mystery of a mountain range, or the ocean, or reveling in the deep love of someone who has captured your heart.” He said Psalm 91 and others like it help him to think big - and thinking big, he said:
“Thinking big…Makes me look to God through my pain. My pain does not disappear, but it is accompanied by mystery and awe.” – Dave Rodriguez
Faith doesn’t remove what’s in front of you. Whatever pain you’re confronted with. It doesn’t make it go away.
Even Jesus endured the pain of the cross! And we are his children! Like him, we will endure suffering and hardship. Faith doesn’t remove the pain that’s in front of you.
But it will give you eyes to see what lies beyond it! On the other side…
This is how we live in the now and the not yet. We live by faith.
Romans 5 says:
“Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.
Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.
And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” Romans 5:1-5
The trifecta of Faith. Hope. Love.
And we all know the greatest of these is love.
God has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with the greatest thing. The greatest of these – He fills our hearts with His love. And His love makes us brave. Brave enough to endure the cross, like He did. Brave enough to face our own pain with hope, and even peace!
Me and mom.jpg
I watched my mom endure her suffering with this kind of faith, hope, and love.
She couldn’t help but see the glass. Her own mortality was painfully evident, right in front of her. She couldn’t not see it! As her long brown hair fell out in clumps and her face swelled up from the treatments. She bore the painful scars of her mastectomy, suffered the subsequent nerve pain, and limited range of motion. Even with all her faith, she couldn’t help but see what was right in front of her! Her faith did not remove the pain she faced every day. Her faith gave her eyes to see beyond the pain. To gaze upon the glory of God, through her pain, to the comfort of Jehovah Rapha, “the God who heals.”
Now, I don’t want you to miss what I’m about to say next:
We believe that God is always speaking. Constantly speaking. We just need to pay attention. And when we do, when we pay attention, sometimes, through the mercy of hindsight, we can identify how God had been preparing us, all along, for what lay ahead.
Let me show you what I mean:
Mom broke the news of her cancer on February 14th, 2018. On April 1st, not quite 2 months later, she reposted this ‘memory’ that she’d posted 13 years earlier. A quote from Charles Spurgeon that says this:
Mom’s Post.jpg
“YOUR EYES cannot see the blissful future: (so,) borrow the telescope of Faith; wipe the misty breath of your DOUBTS from the glass; look through it and behold the coming glory !!!” – Charles Spurgeon
[repeat]
Friends, can I tell you, God is always speaking, and he’s speaking to you right now! Are you paying attention? What might he be preparing you for, right now?! What truth is he revealing to you now, to hold on to for later?
The pain I’ve suffered has prepared me for the many times that I would be called upon to step into someone else’s pain and to suffer alongside them! Some of whom are here today! The Kingdom of God has drawn near, and the Kingdom of God is in us, and among us. The light of Hope is within us, and among us! And I carry His light of hope into dark places.
The pain I have suffered has prepared me to be the kind of pastor who is not going to sugarcoat what it means to follow Jesus in this broken world, but I will speak the truth in love and with His authority because I know that it is not death to die.
Pain is part of the human experience, but because of Jesus, pain does not define the human experience! Hallelujah! Because of Jesus, we have victory, both in the now and the not yet! Because of Jesus, the Holy Spirit now fills our hearts with HIS perfect love. And His love makes us bold. There is no fear in His perfect love. Because of His love, we don’t have to be afraid of pain.
We can look it square in the face, because we see right through it, straight to the other side of it!
…We fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. 2 Corinthians 4:18
Are you in pain? Jehova Rapha, the Lord our Healer, is with you.
He heals the brokenhearted
and bandages their wounds.
Maybe for you right now:
Mom’s Post.jpg
“YOUR EYES cannot see the blissful future: (so,) borrow the telescope of Faith; wipe the misty breath of your DOUBTS from the glass; look through it and behold the coming glory !!!”
There is a hope that can carry you through your pain and give you faith to see through your pain to the glory that awaits you on the other side!
And for those of you who are not in pain: could it be that you are being called to carry someone through their pain? To bring them the Light of Hope!
Think, right now. I want you to see their faces: Who in your life is hurting?
Listen, I know how intimidating it can feel to move toward someone in pain.
Apart from the Holy Spirit, I am an extremely anxious person, filled with second-guesses:
What if I say the wrong thing?
What if I accidentally offend this person who is experiencing so much pain?
I don’t want to hurt them!
I don’t want to seem insensitive.
Besides, who am I to say anything when I’m not the one who’s suffering?
Have you thought that way? Who am I? Well, let me tell you, if you have faith in Jesus, you are His healing ambassador. You carry His light within you. Within your jar of clay. And who among us, in the cold grip of pain, couldn’t use a little warmth? Who among us, experiencing dark times, couldn’t use a little light? You carry that light. The light of hope.
It is because the Holy Spirit fills our hearts with God’s perfect love that you and I can lean into painful places without fear. Because of Jesus we can love without fear! We house this treasure in jars of clay, the burning presence of Jehovah Rapha, the God who heals!
Now, I want you to know: We have links on our website to practical resources for those of you who want to move confidently into the broken place of pain but aren’t sure what to say or do. I’ve linked them in the app, or you can go to gracechurch.us/pain.
And we’ll be taking a deeper dive on this week’s episode of the Between Sunday’s Podcast, where I will have a lot more to say on this subject.
Every time God has called me to step into a place of pain, there has always been a twinge of fear in my heart. But the Holy Spirit overrides my fears. Every time. He fills me with God’s love and compassion for the hurting and gives me everything I need as He launches me into active duty!
It happened in July of 2018. Despite my numerous fears, I knew that I knew that I knew that God was calling me to accept the invitation to embark on a 2-week mission trip to serve alongside our partner ministry, Mission to Ukraine. The work of Mission to Ukraine is deeply personal to me— the same was true for my mom.
She was excited for me to go and share our story of hope with women in Ukraine who were facing crisis pregnancy situations. But 4 days before I was to leave for the trip, my mom fell into a coma. I kept vigil at her bedside, fearing the worst. I would not leave her side! But miraculously, 2 days before I was scheduled to leave, she woke up. She was extubated the day before I left, and with her sore, raspy voice, she whispered through her tears and ordered me to go! She said I had to bring the light of hope to women and children who needed to hear our story of survival.
So, with her blessing, I went and I told our story. And that’s how I met Ira. And Ira is here today! Would you help me welcome my dear friend, Ira Venglovska, to the stage… Ira is the Director of our ministry partner Mission to Ukraine, an organization whose mission is to show the compassionate love of Christ by serving children with disabilities and women facing unplanned pregnancies, transforming their lives and the lives of those around them!
Maron: Ira, I am so glad you’re here! You’re safe! And every time you visit, I never want you to leave, because your country remains at war! You are always on my heart and mind. Ira, what can you tell us about the situation in Ukraine and the work of MTU?
Ira: gives update
Maron: (respond, then) You know, whenever you and I talk, I’m always amazed at your ability to see through the glass of so much pain and experience the very present hope of Jesus. For those of us who are experiencing our own pain, or walking with someone through their pain, would you tell us: how do you maintain that ability to see through the glass, through all the pain and suffering, to the God who heals?
Ira: talks about how to stay connected with God through difficult times
Maron: Thank you Ira. Thank you for taking the time to visit us and share an update from Zhytomyr. While it's not possible for us to send teams to you in Ukraine right now, we're so honored to be able come alongside you in other ways.
Today we have an extra financial gift for you from our Reimagine Initiative earlier this year. (give envelope) We are also excited to host MTU's benefit concert coming up this winter!
Ira: Yes, on February 27, ... promotes concert, mentions Grace discount code...
Maron: I love Fernando Ortega! I went to the benefit concert he did for you guys a few years ago, and it was just serene. So sweet and beautiful. Finally, how can we be praying for you and your staff?
Ira: prayer requests, mentions signing up for prayer newsletter at lobby booth
Maron: Ira, thank you so much. (Ira leaves the stage)
We want to close our service a little differently this morning, with an extended time of prayer.
If you need to leave, that’s totally fine, we would just ask that you leave quietly.
But if you yourself are in pain, or you know someone who is hurting, we want to give you time and space to pray. So I’m going to ask Ashley to come up and guide us through a time of prayer.