My grace is sufficient for you. Power is made perfect in weakness

Pastor’s Pen for July 4, 2021

Dear Family of God,

We have some of the most discouraging message and hard messages in the Word of God today.  Starting with Jesus coming among his own people and performing miracles and helping them.  At first they are really impressed, but then they start thinking, ‘Isn’t this Joseph and Mary’s kid?’  Then they start rejecting Jesus.  It is just discouraging to Jesus.  But then the Prophet Ezekial is kind of saying that he was sent to the people of Israel, but they too are obstinate and they are a rebellious house.  “They shall know that a prophet has been among them.”  But that is about all you can say about Ezekial also.

Then St. Paul wants to preach the good news, but a thorn is in his flesh and he begs to be relieved of this thorn.  The thorn stays with him, maybe to keep him humble and not too elated.  He finally hears the message, “My grace is sufficient for you. Power is made perfect in weakness.”  Sometimes when you are weak, sometimes you are strong.  Paul says “I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and constraints for the sake of Christ.  For when I am weak, I am strong.”  Whatever that thorn in the flesh was, we sometimes can identify with it because we have our own weaknesses.  So church, you don’t have to get discouraged about these readings of negativeness, but it is real.  Life is real, life has its bumps.  We just identify with Jesus and we see that He is not accepted, so we also may have a hard time preaching the good news.  We just keep on trying and going on.  There is some real deep spiritual meaning in “when I am weak, then I am strong”.  Keep reflecting on that church.

God bless you.  Have a joyous 4th of July, especially since we know that our country had to go through some real difficult times to be able to celebrate our independence. But we made it  and we our patriotic in our memories, so keep up that same spirit and all will be well.  Alleluia!