The High Cost of Avoiding Recovery

[Article "From the Minister's Study" for Blyth/Brussels newspaper The Citizen]

            “He really doesn’t drink that much.”

            “Paul drinks more than I do.”

            “Look honey, I have a tough job; I work hard. I need a few drinks to relax. It doesn’t mean that I have a problem.”

            Do any of these statements sound familiar to you? Chances are you may be dealing with someone who has an addiction. Consuming substances obsessively can be an attempt to cover over pain that needs to be dealt with. Un-truths and cover-ups result.

            Or perhaps you encounter denial in areas other than substance abuse. What might that sound like?

            “Billy, if we don’t talk about it, it will go away.”

            “It really doesn’t hurt when he does that; I’m fine!”

            “I eat because you make me so mad!”

            “I’m not hurting anyone but myself.”

            Behavioral addictions may not involve drugs or alcohol, but can be equally life-damaging. Our mental health can be affected, potentially resulting in depression, chronic anger, or even suicide. As Jesus Christ observed about the devil, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” (John 10:10) Addictions drive us to consume or react in ways that we suppose will numb the pain – but that can have devastating effects.

            Consider the havoc wreaked just by substance abuse. AddictionCenter.com points out the following Canadian facts:

•                      In 2012, it was estimated that 21.6% of Canada’s population met the criteria for a substance use disorder. That’s close to 8 million people suffering from addiction in Canada.

•                      Alcohol, by a wide margin, is the most abused substance in Canada.

•                      More people were hospitalized in 2015 through 2016 for alcohol-related harm than heart attacks. (Think of it as hospital beds that were taken from 77,000 other people who may have needed them.)

•                      According to the United Nations, Canada is the world’s largest producer of ecstasy and methamphetamines. There aren’t any prescription options to substitute for meth, and the side effects of the drug makes users trying to recover violent and unpredictable. “[Meth] eventually gets you, and when it takes you down, it takes you down and you lose absolutely everything.”

•                      Approximately 4 people in Canada are killed each day in car crashes involving a driver under the influence of drugs, alcohol, or both. (1,451 in 2013)

            We can see from the above that the addiction of substance abuse alone takes a considerable toll on the well-being of Canadian society. The cost of avoiding recovering is considerable!

            The Bible offers several instances warning that overconsumption of alcohol can become problematic. Noah survived a cataclysmic environmental disaster only to become inebriated and undress himself in embarrassing fashion. (Genesis 9:21ff) The daughters of Lot (Abraham’s nephew) employed alcohol in order to induce their father into a state where he was vulnerable to involuntary incest (Gen. 19:31). Later, King Belshazzar of Babylon was drinking wine when he praised gods of gold and silver, and brought God’s indictment upon himself for his rebellion, idolatry, and irreverence (Daniel 5:2,4,23)

            Addictions drive us into behaviours that are damaging in the long term to ourselves and to others near us. So the Bible advises us to guard ourselves from the slavery of intoxication. “Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.” (Prov. 23:20) And in the New Testament, the Apostle Paul warns, “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: ... drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19ff) And – “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:18)

            There is a BETTER alternative, as Paul says: being filled with God’s Spirit. Celebrate Recovery is a program beginning locally September 24^th which is based on Christian principles derived from Jesus’ teaching. For example, the first half of the eight principles are as follows:

•                       Realize I’m not God; I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and that my life is unmanageable.

•                      Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him and that He has the power to help me recover.

•                      Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control.

•                      Openly examine and confess my faults to myself, to God, and to someone I trust.

            Recovery is not easy. It is seldom quick. There are often setbacks and re-starts. But those who stick with the program discover God’s help for their temptations – their hurts, habits, and hang-ups. Finding a supportive small group and accountability partner are key. Just opening up to admit one’s failings is a big start. There we learn to be humble, to walk alongside others who are also in the journey, and to discover God’s healing power for those who look to Him – before it’s too late.

Faith Facing the Flames

(for The Citizen column 'From the Minister's Study' - week of Aug.1/19)

            How does your belief-system stand up in the face of life’s most painful experiences?

            Saturday July 13 seemed to be proceeding pretty well. I had gotten some chores done around home, and later that afternoon was working through a short ‘honey-do list’ my fiancée had suggested for me over at her place. I managed to trim the tops off some fenceposts using my chainsaw without getting too disturbed by the spatter of rain that passed through. Finally there was just one item left on the list: set fire to the ‘burn pile’ that had been accumulating back behind her woodlot.

            It was a large burn pile, about nine feet in diameter, having accumulated all winter long. Conditions for ignition seemed optimal: the pile was surrounded by lush green herbage and a shower had dampened the surrounding ground. At home I would have sprinkled on some used motor oil, but since I wasn’t there, instead I sprinkled on a couple of litres of gasoline, which I did not figure was too much because it was such a large pile. Having carefully set the gas can over to one side out of danger’s way, I leaned over with a BBQ lighter and – in what probably classifies as the most FOOLISH act of this decade of my life – lit...what blew up in my face like an incendiary bomb! Apparently gasoline is not something to use on a warm summer day because the vapours are so volatile.

            I staggered back, stunned by the force of the blast. Since it was a warm day, I was wearing just shorts, socks, and shoes, and my glasses – thankfully, otherwise I don’t know if I would have been blinded. My exposed skin seemed covered with short brown crispy items - burnt hair? My chest hair was completely gone; eyebrows and beard half singed.

            My immediate reaction was to go and lay face-down on the nearby grass, in hopes this would somehow salve the pain. Then I curled up my knees to my chest, wrapped my stinging arms around them, and dutifully waited 20 minutes watching the flames to make sure the fire wasn’t going to get out of control. I proceeded to the house and submerged myself for half an hour in lukewarm water in the bathtub. When I got out, I found I was shaking uncontrollably so decided I had better go to Emergency at the hospital. The doctor assessed the burns to the exposed parts of my body, consulted the Burn Unit at London, and administered pain relievers. After a couple of hours I was allowed to go home, subsequent follow-up having been arranged through Care Partners and my family doctor.

            It has been a most uncomfortable couple of weeks! Some nights I could sleep a couple of hours at a stretch before getting up to take additional pain medication. I was very concerned about my right leg – its colour seemed quite inflamed, it became painful to stand on, and I was afraid I would develop flesh-eating disease. Thankfully, patches of healthy pale skin began to emerge, between doses of Aloe Vera and Afterburn gel. The clinic nurses were especially gentle applying Adaptic mesh, Polysporin, and clean dressings every couple of days, teaching me how to care for myself. So far my legs, face, torso, and right arm have almost completely healed, and the left arm is coming along nicely. At my final clinic visit the nurse observed I’m “a good healer”.

            The pain of being burned is not one I would ever want to experience again! Considering what might have been the outcome, I feel blessed, I have gotten off extremely lightly. A warning to be more careful next time, and a reminder to appreciate the health I have.

            The incident reminded me of the three Hebrews in Daniel 3 who refused to bow down and worship the golden image set up by a Babylonian tyrant, Nebuchadnezzar. He warned them they would be thrown into a blazing furnace unless they complied with his command. The depth of their faith evident in their reply is arresting: “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3:17-18) They had faith God was able to rescue them; but even if He did not, there were still not going to bow down to an idol!

            As it turned out, they were tossed into the fiery furnace, but a fourth figure looking like “a son of the gods” was seen accompanying them, protecting them from harm. Their trust in the Lord did not prove unfounded.

            Their defiant resistance captured in three short words (“But if not”) became the stimulus for the deliverance of over 330,000 troops of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk in May 1940. That was the message cabled by a British officer back to headquarters that spurred many civilian fishermen and pleasure craft operators to join in the gargantuan evacuation effort.

            The moderate pain and discomfort of my wounds has also prompted me to reflect on Christ Jesus’ pain endured on our behalf. Mainly just the front of my body was affected; in His case, His back was beaten and torn to shreds by scourging; vicious soldiers tore out his hair, clamped thorns to his head, and knocked him about; and the nails of the cross cut to the heart of sensitivity of his nervous system. Yet He chose to undergo such pain in order that you and I might be forgiven and brought to a Holy God, cleansed sinners reclaimed from hellfire. “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” (1Peter 2:23-24)

            The burn pile mishap was a close call for me. Thankfully, my wounds are healing up; His wounds – heal others... to save us from eternal flames. (c.f. Mark 9:48)

When Things Get Worse, Watch God Go to Work

Blyth Community Outdoor Service
June 30, 2019 - Ex.5:15-6:5 (Mt.6:25-34 / Nahum 1:7)
VBS theme Day 1 “When Life is Unfair, God is Good”

MORE BRICKS, LESS STRAW: WHAT’S YOUR BIND?

The Israelites were in a bind. Ex 5:6-8 Pharaoh “gave this order to the slave drivers and foremen in charge of the people: ‘You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw. But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota.They are lazy; that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’”
    Many bricks: no straw. What a recipe for stress! Now in addition to the work of actually manufacturing the bricks and laying them out in the sun to bake, they would have to go foraging for raw materials, the straw that served as binding for the mud bricks. The slaves would soon be spreading out all over the countryside hunting for straw, all the while being expected to make just as many bricks as before. They could tell they were in a pinch!
    What binds do you find yourself in? Thankfully you’re probably not at a job that involves backbreaking labour forming bricks from dawn to dusk – with whips on your back to spur you on if you slowed up. But modern folks still find life stressful. Maybe your paycheque won’t quite cover the bills and each month you find yourself slipping farther and farther behind. Maybe there’s a bully on the schoolbus that keeps making themself annoying and not letting you sit where you like or be with who you’d prefer. Maybe you have a boss who just doesn’t seem to understand the amount of time required to complete your projects to the level of quality you feel is warranted. Or perhaps the doctor has just informed you of an area of concern in your physical health that’s taken you totally by surprise.
    Those are more serious challenges...Some binds are not so tough as others. One parent had a particular problem: her little five-year-old boy had locked himself in the bathroom and wouldn't come out, so his mother called the fire department. Within minutes, a firefighter was running up the stairs with an ax. He asked the mother, "What is the child's name, and how old is he?" She said, "Tommy, and he is five." The fireman then approached the bathroom door, and yelled authoritatively, "Come out of there, little girl!" Immediately, out marched Tommy, arms folded and looking pretty angry, ready to confront the fireman, who looked to the mother with a smile, and said, "Works every time!"
    We find ourselves in all sorts of binds. When we’re in tough spots, the natural reaction is to start getting worried and fret. But the Bible promises, Nahum 1:7 “The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble.He cares for those who trust in him.” Or as the Day 1 VBS theme puts it: “When life is unfair, God is good.”
    What an assertion! Isn’t that one of the most common questions posed about religion, “How can God let bad things happen to good people?” Yet faith asserts, sometimes contrary to appearances: “When life is unfair, God is good.”
    The Israelites were being treated unfairly both in actions and in words. Ex 5:15f “Then the Israelite foremen went and appealed to Pharaoh: "Why have you treated your servants this way? Your servants are given no straw, yet we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people."” When they came short on their quota because they had to find their own straw, they were physically punished, abused, for no fault of their own.
    Pharaoh responded with verbal abuse. 5:17-18 “Pharaoh said, "Lazy, that’s what you are— lazy! That is why you keep saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.’ Now get to work.You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks."” He called these slaves who were toiling long hours, working their fingers to the bone, “Lazy”! How unfair is that! Pharaoh didn’t even appreciate the cheap labour pool his country depended upon for its prosperity.
    What about you? When have people demanded from you more than you can give? Have you been abused more in actions, or words? Have you been the butt of rude jokes, caustic criticism, ridicule, harassment, put-downs? When have people treated you disrespectfully or failed to appreciate you as you deserved?
    So we find ourselves in BINDS of all kinds.

THE TRUTH ABOUT TROUBLE: A CLASH OF DOMAINS

It was a situation that couldn’t go on very long: it was headed for a showdown, coming to a climax. Their troubles were multiplying faster than the Hebrew babies. You would think it would be a good thing that their kind were proving fertile, but this made the Egyptians increasingly nervous, so they made it hard for the Israelites. Ex 1:14 “They made their lives bitter with hard labour in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their hard labour the Egyptians used them ruthlessly.”
    Pharaoh had been trying to exploit the exploding population by ordering the Hebrew midwives to kill the boy babies when they were born and letting the girl babies live (Ex 1:16) - sly genocide. But the midwives feared God and refused to carry out Pharaoh’s order; God rewarded their bravery by treating the midwives kindly (1:20f).
    Yet Moses’ message to Pharaoh that God was ordering him to let the Hebrews take 3 days off for worship in the wilderness was met with stiff resistance, showing the stubborn lack of reverence of Pharaoh’s heart. It was a straightforward enough request: Ex 5:1 “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the desert.’” But Pharaoh wouldn’t let-go: it was a no-go. Instead he ordered the work cranked up because he reasoned they weren’t working hard enough if they had time to consider going away for a holy holiday.
    The increased workload spelled TROUBLE. V19 “The Israelite foremen realized they were in TROUBLE when they were told, "You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day."” The Israelite foremen complained to Moses and Aaron, and Moses in turn complained to God. Ex 5:22f “Moses returned to the LORD and said, "O Lord, why have you brought TROUBLE upon this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought TROUBLE upon this people, and you have not rescued your people at all."”
    What troubles have you had to endure this past week? What troubles are you anticipating in this week coming up?
    I was in trouble a few days ago when I was using a small loader tractor with mower deck to put some rocks around a culvert. When, up on the edge of the bank, I lowered the bucket full of stones, the tractor didn’t stop at the brink even though I madly tried to step on the pedal to make it reverse – the weight of the load drew me further, beached me on the mower deck, and left the wheels spinning uselessly in the air! What a fix! There was nothing for it but to call for a tow-truck, which got me unstuck in about 10 seconds. Oh well, we all have our hang-ups! Lesson learned (I think).
    It’s good to keep our troubles in perspective. A female college student wrote the following letter to her parents: “Dear Mom and Dad: I am writing this letter on school paper because my stationery got burned in the fire. I got out of the hospital, and have moved in with my new boyfriend, Bill. He got me a job where he works – I'm a waitress at the Red Dog Saloon. Your new grandbaby is due next fall. [When they turned it over, the next page continued...] Mom, Dad, none of the above really happened. However, I made a C in French and I'm failing History. Love, Your Daughter.”
    The Bible promises that when we call to God in times of trouble, He will help us. Psalm 91:15 “He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honour him.” Nahum 1:7a “The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble...”
    Troubles sometimes arise because there’s a clash of domains, two competing powers. In Moses’ case, God was asserting His right to call the Israelites “MY people”, but Pharaoh did not recognize God and chose to claim the Hebrew slaves as his own private work force. God’s greater purpose in all this was to make His excellence known, to glorify Himself by showing His ability to save His covenant people from tyranny.
    There is a spiritual realm overlapping our regular physical realm, and there can be clashes that are invisible to us. One time Daniel mourned and prayed for 3 whole weeks. When an angelic messenger finally arrived in answer to Daniel’s prayer, the angel explained: Daniel 10:12-13 “...Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days.Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia.”
    We live in a fallen world, where evil forces fight against what’s good and right. Sometimes trouble comes because we’re on a particular side of that conflict. We still need to keep trusting God even in the midst of trouble.
    A few chapters earlier, Daniel found himself cast into a den of lions because he refused to obey the king’s prohibition against prayer. Who wants to be a lion’s lunch??! He was in big trouble! But Daniel didn’t stop trusting God. Daniel 6:23 tells us the outcome, “And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.”
    When there’s TROUBLE: TRUST. Jeremiah 17:7 says, “But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.” See there that ‘confidence’ is a synonym for ‘trust’: keep your confidence in God. 2Chronicles 16:9a “For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” Keep committed to Him, trust in Him, and He will strengthen you.

GOD’S GOODNESS ANCHORED IN HIS NAME AND NATURE

We’ve been contending that “When life is unfair, God is good.” Or the title of this message is: “When Life is Unfair, Watch God Go to Work”. Nahum the prophet called God a “strong refuge” when trouble comes: even then, when difficulties assail us, we can assert that God is good. That’s pretty amazing! The Bible has lots of stories of people of faith who experienced God delivering them when they were in a tough spot, situations that were beyond their own solving.
    After hearing how rough things are getting for the Hebrew foremen and slaves, Moses turns to God with the complaint that they’re in so much trouble. At the beginning of Exodus 6, we see God begin to outline how He has everything under control: the situation isn’t as desperate as it seems on a purely human level.
    First, because of God’s mighty POWER. 6:1 “Then the LORD said to Moses, "Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of MY MIGHTY HAND he will let them go; because of MY MIGHTY HAND he will drive them out of his country."” And so it eventually came about: ten horrendous plagues, culminating in the death of the Egyptian firstborn, would ultimately convince Pharaoh to relent and release the oppressed Israelites.
    God has AWESOME power. Jesus’ disciples saw Him calm the storm, walk on water, feed the 5,000, heal the blind and lepers, raise the dead: there was no question their Saviour had miracle-working POWER. Too often we restrict ourselves to thinking about just what we can manage on our own steam: we forget God’s might. After all, He created EVERYTHING! Paul wrote to the church at Philippi, Php 4:13 “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Such optimism compared to some religions that are fatalistic!
    But God’s POWER is harnessed to His PURPOSE. We see this emphasized more in verses 2-5, where God unpacks a bit the startling significance of His particular name, “YHWH”, translated LORD (in caps). Ex 6:2-3 “God also said to Moses, "I am the LORD.I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them.” God’s getting very up-close and personal, revealing His name ‘YHWH’ from Heb.hayah to be / become: He is the-God-Who-is-becoming – in relationship to His people. He is the God who brings things into being, who makes things happen – to deliver those He loves. He becomes known by His loving interaction with us, on our behalf, FOR us.
    Notice the verbs in 6:6-8, all God promises to do that’s coming up for the Israelites: I will bring you out from under the yoke; I will free you from being slaves; I will redeem you...; I will take you as My own people, and I will be your God; “then you will know that I am YHWH your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.” We come to know God THROUGH our troubles as we trust Him and see Him show His glory and goodness in the process of our deliverance.
    God pledges or promises His support to us, expressed in terms of COVENANT. Vv4-5 “I also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan...I have remembered my covenant.” God delights to carry through on His solemn promises to His people.
    God’s name, YHWH, suggests that we come to know Him dynamically, through His interaction with us, as we experience His saving acts in relationship with us. And a key part of that is His CARING for us. Ex 6:5 “Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving...” God is about to show He’s concerned for them, He’s heard their cries.
    When Moses returns from shepherding in the wilderness and explains to the Hebrew leaders how God has commissioned him to speak to Pharaoh for their rescue, we read in Ex 4:31: “...And when they heard that the LORD was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.” Do you believe God is CONCERNED about you? If you know He cares – worship Him!
    We read earlier in the responsive reading from Psalm 118:1 (in your bulletin), “Thanks be to the Lord because the Lord is good, because the Lord’s love never quits.” Never runs out on me. Nahum 1:7, the full verse, says - “The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble.HE CARES FOR those who trust in him...” God CARES FOR YOU when you trust in Him. 1Peter 5:7, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
    Even in the worst situations, the toughest problems, the biggest binds, we can be assured God hears our groaning and still cares for us. In the movie The Hiding Place, there’s a scene set in the Ravensbruck concentration camp in Germany. Corrie Ten Boom and her sister Betsy are there along with 10,000 other women, in horrible, degrading, hideous conditions. They’re gathered with some of the women in the barracks in the midst of the beds, cold and hungry and lice-ridden, and Betsy is leading a Bible class. One of the other women calls out derisively from her bunk and mocks their worship of God. They begin talking, and this woman says what so frequently is flung at Christians: “If your God is such a good God, why does He allow this kind of suffering?” Dramatically she tears off the bandages and old rags that bind her hands, displaying her broken, mangled fingers and says, “I’m the first violinist of the symphony orchestra.Did your God will this?” For a moment no one answers. Then Corrie Ten Boom steps to the side of her sister and says, “We can’t answer that question.All we know is that our God came to this earth, and became one of us, and He suffered with us and was crucified and died. And that He did it for love.”
    We’re worshipping outdoors today in a park. The reading earlier from Matthew 6 reminds us Jesus looked around at birds and flowers as plain evidences of our Creator’s care for us: birds don’t store up in barns, flowers don’t toil or spin, and yet God provides their needs; how much more He’ll do for us! We’re not to worry about what we’re to eat or drink or wear because, Jesus says, Mt 6:32 “For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.” He cares about us, He knows what we need. And if we will trust Him and put His concerns first, make His business our priority instead of just heaping up earthly possessions, He’ll help us take care of the rest. Mt 6:33 “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
    So, in conclusion – when we’re in trouble, when we’re in a bind – keep trusting in the Lord: His goodness is anchored deep in His name (who He expresses Himself to be in relationship to us) and His nature, His character, His covenant purposes. As Lamentations 3:25 puts it, “The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him...” - no matter what your particular hang-up may be! Let’s pray.

Four Gardens: Potential, Pressure, Presence, Preservation

17th Annual Blyth Memory Garden Dedication Service
Sun. June 16, 2019
Gen 2:8-9,15-17; Mt.26:36-39; Jn 19:40-42; 20:14-17; Rev 22:1-5

GRIEF, GARDENS, AND GROWTH
Why are we here today? Hopefully it’s not just because, “So-and-so made me come.” (!) No, really, why are we here? Is it because we didn’t have anything else to do with our time? I doubt it. Is it because the Memory Garden is such a beautiful spot? The volunteers have worked long and hard to make it beautiful, but there are plenty other pretty spots to be on a nice spring day. No, I suspect the real reason we’re here is on account of PEOPLE: the names on the memorial leaves and stones point to real flesh-and-blood persons who have passed on but whose lives have impacted ours in very positive and loving ways.
    By our interactions we affect other people’s lives. And they impact us. It’s all part of growing and maturing in life, what we’re built for. God designed us with the ability and means to be IN RELATIONSHIP, to love and serve our family and friends and neighbourhood. Jesus talked about ‘bearing fruit’. He told His followers in John 15(5,8), “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing...This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
    The old Westminster Shorter Catechism my father used to delight in quoting began by asserting that our chief “end” as humans is “to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” Jesus says it glorifies His Father when we bear much fruit – so a big part of life must revolve around growing and maturing to the point we can sow God’s love and goodness and truth and blessing into the lives of those around us. Life is about so much more than just being born and eating and drinking and working and dying.
    Scripture suggests there are at least 4 gardens that come to bear on our existence. These are: the Garden of Potential in Eden; the Garden of Pressure at Gethsemane; the Garden of Presence at Easter; and the Garden of final Preservation at Resurrection, after the Day of Judgment. Let’s look at each of these in turn, and the response each elicits from us.

GARDEN OF POTENTIAL: COMMANDMENT
The Bible tells us that life began in a garden – in Eden, in fact. God Himself planted this garden, and put Adam and Eve there, and planted all kinds of trees that were good to eat. “In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” Let’s call this ‘the garden of POTENTIAL’. When we’re young and just starting out, life has so many possibilities. There’s lots of choices to make: to marry or not to marry, what trade we’ll learn / what to work at, where we’ll go to school and where we’ll live. Things are very open-ended and there are rewards and consequences for the choices we make, the course we take. We are thankful for the people remembered in this Memory Garden, that they chose to let their lives intersect with ours.
    We read, “And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." In the freedom of this potential, Scripture cautions us to respond in the light of God’s COMMANDMENT. Adam and Eve COULD have chosen not to eat of the forbidden fruit – instead they could have eaten of the tree of life: but they decided to thumb their nose at God and ‘do their own thing’ instead. Unfortunately the consequences of their free choice brought death and decay to the very creation we were placed here to take care of.
    Death claims our loved ones, too early it seems. So pausing to remember them on days like this helps us appreciate how fleeting life is and how precious were the years we had together.

GARDEN OF PRESSURE: COMMIT
Just before the end of Jesus’ life, He took a time out to visit a garden – one called “Gethsemane”, which literally means “oil press” – amongst the trees of this olive grove there was apparently an apparatus for squeezing the oil from the trees’ fruit. This was the place just before Jesus’ arrest where He endured much torment of mind. We’re told He “began to be sorrowful and troubled.” Pressure was mounting: if He didn’t escape now, He would have to die a tortured cruel death for a capital crime He did not commit. Jesus admitted to His companions, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.”
    Life has its pressures. It squeezes us at times until it feels like we’re going to burst. There are financial pressures – too much month and not enough money; medical pressures, our bodies wear out and break down; relationship pressures – people disappoint us, let us down, move away, lose contact, leave us alone. Many of us had to stand by and watch our loved ones struggle through various of these trials. It wasn’t easy. We would have traded places with them at points if we could have.
    Jesus understands the pressures we face in life. He got beaten up at the end. His own disciples ran off and deserted Him when the chips were down. But He chose to bear the suffering for our sakes, on our behalf, so our sins could be forgiven and divine justice satisfied.
    When we’re facing times of pressure, we need to COMMIT our lives afresh to God. Hear how Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane: “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.Yet not as I will, but as you will.” He committed His life into God’s hands. At the very end, drawing His final breaths on the cross, He said: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” (Lk 23:46) When the worst happens, and you don’t feel you can go on – entrust your life to God. He can strengthen to bear up under the pressure. Isaiah 41:10 - “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

GARDEN OF PRESENCE: CLAIM
Not long after, the scene shifts to another garden. We’re told after Jesus’ crucifixion, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus laid him in a new tomb nearby in another garden. On Easter morning, when Mary Magdalene can’t find Jesus’ body, she is distraught. Jesus appears to her in His risen form, but she doesn’t recognize Him; when He asks, “Why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” She actually mistakes Him for the gardener. (Yes He is, actually, but not those kind of plants! He’s cultivating the two-legged variety.)
    One of the most precious parts of this story is the fact that Jesus is actually appearing in person to His mourning disciple Mary Magdalene. When she finally realizes Who He is, she has a hard time letting go, she wants to keep holding on. His PRESENCE is very special to the person who loves Him.
    We are drawn to this garden partly because the presence of our loved ones is reflected to a small degree by emblems of remembrance – memorial leaves, stones, benches, other artifacts. We miss them, and we can’t bring them back. The fact that they loved us, and we them, made their presence very special.
    The Garden of Presence draws us to CLAIM God’s promises. When Jesus called Mary by name, John tells us, “She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher)” – literally, MY teacher. When God shows up, we do well to bow down and acknowledge His sovereignty and Lordship, over our lives and our future. There is so much in this life that is beyond our control: circumstances take inexplicable turns, things happen we never would have expected, life is so fragile... We need Him, we acclaim Him to be Who He says He is.

GARDEN OF PRESERVATION: COMPLETION
So to review, there’s the garden of POTENTIAL, with its COMMANDMENT; the garden of PRESSURE, where we COMMIT; the garden of PRESENCE, where we do well to CLAIM; and finally, the Bible has a prophecy about yet one more garden at the end of time, the Garden of PRESERVATION.
    John writes in the final chapter of Scripture, “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse.”
    This is a garden or orchard of sorts of fruit trees, yielding fruit not annually but monthly; and the leaves of the trees are “for the healing of the nations”. For our PRESERVATION, our recovery, our being-set-right. We long for that for our dear departed loved ones. It was tough in many cases to stand by and watch their mortal husks deteriorate. Here the Bible gives us hope, describing Jesus in His risen glorified spiritual body as a sort of ‘firstfruits’ of those who believe in Him and belong to Him. The Apostle Paul writes in 1Cor 15:20-23, “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep...For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.”
    If the other gardens evoke our response by COMMANDMENT, COMMITMENT, and CLAIM, this garden – with its leaves of healing and restoration, garden of preservation – points to our COMPLETION. God’s revelation in Scripture assures us that this life is not all there is: there IS life beyond death, where justice and mercy and righteousness prevail instead of death and disease and dashed hopes. A place of completion that will be like being ‘at home’ with God. Paul could even speak of it this way: “We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” (2Cor 5:8)
    And if you think THIS garden is a nice spot – just wait til you see THAT! Let’s pray.

Mothering with Momentum

(submission for The Citizen weekly pastoral column 'From the Minister's Study')
    As Mother’s Day approaches, we are reminded once again of the significant contribution and impact our mothers have had in our lives. My own mother (now deceased) was not a large woman – especially after her scoliosis of the spine worsened, she would hardly have come up to my shoulders in height – but the contribution she made to my life was beyond calculation.
    God teaches us a couple of things in the Bible about how we are to regard our mothers. Early on in the Ten Commandments we are told, “Honour your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” (Ex.20:12) Paul notes to the early church (Eph.6:2) that this is the first commandment with a promise! It is right to obey our parents (Eph.6:1) – they are, after all, our first training ground for learning proper submission to authority in society. When children fail to learn this early on, others to whom they are responsible later on (schoolteachers, bosses) have a more difficult time as a result.
    Mothers are worthy of respect, besides honour. “Each of you must respect his mother and father...I am the LORD your God.” (Lev.19:3; note ‘mother’ is placed before ‘father’) A certain anti-authoritarian thrust in modern society might tempt youngsters to despise their mother, but God’s word indicates this is foolish. “A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish man despises his mother.” (Prov.15:20)
    Scripture highlights seven key tasks a mother ought to do for her children. First and foremost is teaching them. “Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.” My own mother was a hard-working farmer’s wife, so she taught me many valuable things both out in the barn and in the house. She helped me learn my Bible memory verses. When I had children of my own, she continued to provide valuable advice and tips on child-rearing.
    Second, a mother needs to correct her offspring – after teaching them, if they do what’s wrong, rebuke them and remind them to go about it the right way. “The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.” (Prov.29:15) Of course, correction needs to be accompanied by loving assurance that it is the action, not the person themself, that is bad or unwanted.
    Third, a mother is to comfort her child (perhaps in conjunction with correction’s reprimand?). Kids need to have someone they can turn to when hurt or bullied or ill. “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.” (Is.66:13) One time when my parents built an addition onto our house, as a 12-year-old boy I was clambering around in the trusses but fell over two metres to the floor, splitting my forehead open. I appreciated my mother’s comforting (and bandaging) that day!
    There are also less obvious functions a mother can perform, more behind-the-scenes. One of these is to ruminate on developments. Reflect on the forces at work in your child’s life and try to discern the potential significance of these for their future. Following the birth of Jesus, shepherds came to visit Mary, Joseph, and their holy Child. “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” (Lk.2:19) What might be the unique purpose for which God is preparing your child(ren)? How is each one different from their siblings?
    Fifth, one of a mother’s most valuable things they can do for their child is to encourage their faith development. This helps prepare your offspring not just for this life, but also for eternity. Paul noted the significant role Timothy’s mother and grandmother played in acquainting his protege with the Scriptures. “I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also... But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (2Tim.1:5; 3:14f) Sometimes I would wake up in the night as a young boy, and on the way back from the bathroom, as I passed the door of my parents’ bedroom, I would catch a glimpse of my mother kneeling in prayer at her bedside. She was actively involved in the women’s group at her church and attended a Bible study small group until late in her senior years. Her example still remains with me, even though she is gone.
    A mother needs to help her child realize she takes second place in their devotion. Our first priority in life is to love God: when parents die, God remains to be trusted in. Jesus taught His followers, “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me...” (Mt.10:37) So, while we love our mothers and fathers, it is right to love Jesus more. (Perhaps a reminder sorely needed in our day of ‘helicopter parenting’?)
    Last, a mother needs to consciously give her children back to the Lord. It’s wrong to derive our sense of significance solely through our children, to be dependent upon them for our self-esteem, to live vicariously through their accomplishments on the ice, ball diamond, or dance floor. There is a conscious relinquishment in giving them back to God that is healthy for them, and for the parent. Like Hannah dedicating her son Samuel: “I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD.” (1Sam.1:27f) Can we release our children into God’s care, rather than keep the apron strings tied in a way that risks suffocating them?
    These seven tasks of mothering are not easy. They’re a tall order! But those who succeed at them are worthy of great honour. Society benefits when mothers leave a lasting positive impact on their children... We all benefit!

The JAR at the Empty Tomb: Easter’s Joy, Authority, and Reinforcement

Huron Chapel EMC SonRise Service - April 21, 2019 -- John 2:12-22
CATHEDRAL CATASTROPHE
Easter’s empty tomb is a prime example of God’s awesome power, triumphing over even death and decay. The Almighty shatters our expectations and smashes our preconceived ideas. We think too little of God, we underestimate Him. When we do think of Him, we may dismiss Him as irrelevant or doubt His power or importance for our daily life. We like to put God “in a box”. Throughout history people have built temples for God, sometimes imagining that’s where God would be satisfied. But He’s far greater than we suppose; He won’t allow Himself to be caged up, jammed in any box, or the most magnificent temple. He’s a bit ‘wild’ like Aslan the Lion in Narnia: to be revered, respected, unpredictable, absolutely free.
    The Jewish leaders thought they had a pretty good arrangement when Herod the Great built a majestic temple around the time of Jesus. They did all right with all the trading that went on by people buying sacrificial animals for the temple’s altar, too – it’s estimated they made a profit of some $300,000 a year through kickbacks from the merchants. So when Jesus came along at the outset of His ministry, driving out the animals and scattering the coins of the money-changers, they were none too pleased. Who was this rabble-rouser, this mischief-maker upsetting their neat system? John 2:16 Jesus said to those who sold doves, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!” Who did He think He was, shaking their box like that?!
    So they challenged Him, asking Jesus to prove to He had warrant to do what He was doing before they locked Him up for raising a ruckus. John 2:18 they demanded, “What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” Whereupon Jesus replied, Jn 2:19: “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”
    DESTROY this temple? Unthinkable! Why, it was still under construction, had been for 46 years already, and wouldn’t be completed until 64 AD. How dare He even mention the thought of doing something negative to their beloved Holy Place!
    But they misunderstood. Jesus is not talking about rebuilding a physical structure, the ‘religious box’ kind of place. Here at the outset of His ministry, Jesus is already alluding to His own crucifixion and death orchestrated in concert by the Jews and the Gentiles. When He’s clearing the temple courts, He has His own empty tomb in mind.
    “Destroy this temple” – no wonder they were a bit jumpy: Solomon’s temple centuries earlier had been destroyed by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar. The Second Temple, a more modest structure built after the return of the Jews from exile by Zerubbabel, was superceded by Herod the Great’s grand construction project. We tend to be most protective of the things we pour most time and resources into.
    “Destroy this temple...” Just this past Monday, a religious landmark in France was gutted by fire: the woodwork and steeple inside Notre Dame cathedral was burned severely, though the stone towers survived and reconstruction to repair the building is already being planned. The news and social media were full of references to the loss as it is a popular Paris tourist site.
    Many were saddened by the loss; vigils were held where people sang hymns to mourn the calamity. Others saw a lighter side. Satirical humour website TheOnion posted: “Saying the devastation could perhaps have been avoided with some routine upgrades to modern 200-amp service, investigators announced Wednesday they have traced the cause of the Notre Dame fire to the cathedral’s archaic electrical system, which dates back to the 12th century. ‘In our examination of the wreckage, we discovered that some of the circuit breakers and sockets hadn’t been updated since the reign of Louis XII,’ said lead investigator Jean-Luc Marchand, explaining that many of the fuses from the time of the cathedral’s construction were made of solid oak, while much of the wiring consisted of twisted cords of straw.” (!)
    People have responded generously to the Notre Dame fire; there are reports hundreds of millions of dollars have been offered to help with repair. I guess there are forces in society very protective of our antique ‘holy boxes’. Yet some people question the worth of the project, saying the money would be better spent on helping the poor. Apparently donors can come up with money for bricks and mortar, while ‘loving one’s neighbour’ comes lower in priority – so the criticism goes.
    Let’s be clear: Jesus was NOT threatening to destroy the temple Herod had built. He was in fact upgrading it, clearing its courts so Gentiles could worship in peace. But He used the opportunity to point to His own death and resurrection as proving His authority to clean up our lives. To break into the boxes we may have tried to cage God up in. Jesus’ enemies thought that by killing Him and putting Him in a tomb they had eliminated Him once and for all, they had succeeded in boxing up the so-called “Son of God” – but Easter shows that’s one more box God refused to be contained by!
    Jesus’ intent was not just to clear the Temple: He was onto a much bigger project, to create a new living collective of those who follow Him, a new organic fellowship of believers who are much bigger than any physical building could hold. From the very outset of His ministry, He already has the end in view: His death, resurrection, ascension, and outpouring of the Holy Spirit, making a new temple, a group of people in whom God Himself dwells – better than even the most magnificent (but limited) earthly structure.
    Jn 2:19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” I’d like to highlight 3 implications of the resurrection for us today, springing from this passage. The acronym is JAR - picture the women bringing their JARs of spices to the tomb. JAR stands for JOY, AUTHORITY, and REINFORCEMENT.
JOY: NOT ABANDONED AFTER DEATH
First, Joy – we can rejoice and be happy because Jesus’ resurrection means we have hope beyond the grave. John the gospel-writer notes in v22, “After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said.Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.” Note the phrase, ‘believed the Scripture’ – which Scripture would John be referring to here? Perhaps Psalm 16, referred to by Peter in his Pentecost sermon: it seems to refer to resurrection many centuries before it happened. Ps 16:9f “Therefore MY HEART IS GLAD and my tongue REJOICES; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.” My heart is GLAD – my tongue REJOICES: knowing Christ’s promise that He’s risen and alive now, and coming back and taking us to Himself, with eventually resurrected working bodies, should give us much JOY.
    This is the first Easter since the death of my wife, the second since the death of my father; the promise of Christian faith that we will see our believing family members again is cause for much joy, helping us cope with grief. The Apostle Paul in 1Cor 15:42ff talks about our perishable (disease-prone) mortal bodies being replaced with glorified spiritual versions – that brings us joy on days when these earthly ones ache or perform sub-par. We can be ‘happy in the Lord’ (as one dear local saint puts it) knowing Jesus has conquered sin and the grave.
AUTHORITY: THE UNSEALED TOMB SEALS THE DEAL
Our second word in the “JAR” acronym is AUTHORITY: Jesus’ resurrection is meant to ‘seal the deal’ when it comes to proving He is really Lord as He says He is.
    Note carefully how the religious leaders pose the question, and how Jesus answers it: in terms of testing His claim to authority. Jn 2:18 “Then the Jews demanded of him, "What miraculous sign can you show us to PROVE YOUR AUTHORITY to do all this?"”
    The empty tomb is so significant because this historical event provides the cornerstone of Christology, appreciating who Jesus is. Without Easter, Christianity falls apart, it becomes a bunch of ethical moral teaching with no punch to carry through. Note how Paul pitches it in 1Cor 15:3f, “For what I received I passed on to you AS OF FIRST IMPORTANCE: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, THAT HE WAS RAISED ON THE THIRD DAY according to the Scriptures...” Likewise in the opening verses of his letter to the church at Rome, Paul highlights the authority issue and its connection to the resurrection: Rom 1:4 Jesus “...through the Spirit of holiness was DECLARED WITH POWER TO BE the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.”
    Don’t come to worship Easter morning because “it’s the thing to do”; don’t come out of force of habit, or because your neighbour goes. Come because Jesus is Lord and calls you to worship Him! Believe the Scripture. Acknowledge His authority over your life, His claim on you – after all, He created and redeemed you, bought you back when you’d wandered astray.
    Jesus is absolutely unique: no other religious leader in history has predicted they would die for people’s sins and would raise again, and actually pulled it off! No other religious leader in history would profess to be pure enough to give their life as a sacrificial substitute for other humans, let alone be raised to life again after. Easter vouches for Jesus’ authority. Receive Christ as Lord and submit to His leading in your life today!
REINFORCEMENT: A LIVING TEMPLE, BUTTRESSED BY OTHERS
Is our “JAR” getting full yet? J - JOY; A - AUTHORITY. Our final letter is R for REINFORCEMENT.
    Jn 2:21 John clarifies what the religious leaders didn’t “get” about how Jesus justified His actions: “But the temple he had spoken of WAS HIS BODY.” Jesus wasn’t referring to Herod’s temple, grand and impressive as it was; He was picturing a new religion, a new spirituality – people believing in Him, following Him, receiving the Holy Spirit inside them to connect them to Him and one another.
    His body really was a temple, He was the God-man, the divine incarnate. Col 2:9 “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form...” Jesus was Holy God in-the-flesh, the Father’s very Son. Jn 1:14 “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us...” The phrasing in the Greek is literally, “TABERNACLED” among us.
    He saw His own body as a temple. His vision was to make it possible for US to be temples too, forgiven and cleansed and made habitable by God’s Holy Spirit too. His Great Commission was not “Go and make cathedrals” – beautiful as they may be. How does it go? Mt 28:18ff “Then Jesus came to them and said, "All AUTHORITY in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (There’s the authority bit we just talked about.) “Therefore go and MAKE DISCIPLES of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Real living disciples, followers, human agents Spirit-indwelt ready to carry out the Father’s will – not massive lifeless stone buildings.
    So Easter means our REINFORCEMENT by the Holy Spirit to each be individual walking/talking temples. 1Cor 6:19 “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” Also Romans 8:11 “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead WILL ALSO GIVE LIFE TO your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.” God’s Spirit REINFORCES us to live for Him in obedience.
    Think of the huge stone “buttresses” along the walls of Gothic cathedrals and ancient castles: outer reinforcement that strengthened the whole structure. Other believers perform that same function for us, coming alongside to strengthen and encourage us and cheer us on. The New Testament also talks about the church as a “temple”: believers CORPORATELY as well as individually. 1Cor 3:16f “Don’t you know that you yourselves [plural] are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you [plural] are that temple.” And Ephesians 2:21-22 “In him [Christ Jesus] the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.And in him you [plural] too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.”
    So, this week, be asking yourself: “Who can I ‘buttress’ in their faith today? How can I ‘be the church’ / ‘reinforce the temple’ by coming alongside a fellow-Christian who’s struggling, by praying for them, giving a phone call, dropping in for a short visit to say ‘I was thinking of you’? Don’t let those corporate temple walls erode, or cracks develop in our fellowship.
THE LIVING BODY ENDURES
In closing – we’ve been talking about how the Christian faith is much bigger than a cathedral, how the Notre Dame fire may be a setback but there’s something at stake here much larger than even Christendom’s most impressive architectural feats. I was hearing on the radio that besides donations to rebuild Notre Dame, people have likewise been stepping up to rebuild black churches that have been torched.
    And in the vigil that followed the Notre Dame fire, BBC reported the following: "As a French Catholic," says Éloi, 22, "I felt really bad after the fire so I see this vigil as a way to say that even if the flames destroyed the cathedral, we can rebuild it because the Church is made not of stones but is a living body."
    Whatever your view may be on rebuilding cathedrals, Eloi had that last part right: the church is made NOT of stones but is a living body – a body full of JOY, submitting to our Lord’s AUTHORITY, REINFORCED by His Spirit and the support of one another. Let’s BE that body – alive, active, showing our Risen Saviour to our world today, with caring and compassion, justice and righteousness and lasting hope – qualities no fire can threaten or diminish. Let’s pray.

Sabotaging Suicide in a Throw-away Society

    The calendar tells us it is now officially Spring – season of new life, as nature awakens from its long winter nap. Songs of robins and other birds can be heard in the morning. The grass begins to green up and shoots appear in flowerbeds.
    Yet even in this season where life returns outdoors, death continues to puncture our existence with its seemingly untimely incursions. The news reports the father of a victim of the Sandy Hook elementary shootings who, now some 6 years after the massacre of the 20 students in Connecticut, apparently has taken his own life. We occasionally hear of other members in our own community taking their life, some just college age. Very sad... Such deaths leave parents, other family members, and close friends reeling, scratching their heads and wondering what more they might have done to prevent the deaths if they had only known.
    Such events remind me of my own experience of a close family member who committed suicide twenty years ago. My mother-in-law had been living beside our home in her own ‘granny flat’. She had been struggling through some health issues but seemed to be coping well enough. When it became apparent we would be moving across the province, she listened attentively to our description of retirement residence options that might suit her. But one day my wife and I unexpectedly found her deceased in her flat, by her own doing. The shock was traumatic; the grief was heart-breaking. I could only hold my wife and try to comfort her as she sobbed uncontrollably. How were we to know her mother was even considering such a drastic step?
    The Bible’s perspective is that human life is precious, not to be discounted or thrown away lightly. We are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). Scripture tells us, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His faithful servants” (Psalm 116:15). God impressed upon Noah the preciousness of human life, imposing a sentence of death for anyone who takes another’s life, “For in the image of God has God made man” (Genesis 9:6). In regard to our high value to our Maker, Jesus told His disciples the very hairs of their head were all numbered, and they were worth more than many sparrows (Matthew 10:31).
    It is true that several individuals in Bible times did commit suicide; but these are not viewed in a positive light. King Saul fell on his own sword when defeated by the Philistines (1 Sam. 31:4). Judas hung himself after betraying Jesus to His enemies, being subsequently seized with remorse (Mt. 27:5). Even the prophet Elijah, threatened by a wicked and powerful monarch, became so exhausted and discouraged that he begged God to take his life (1Kings 19:4).
    Discouragements are not uncommon in life. Setbacks and sicknesses can be disheartening and demoralizing at times. Jesus warned us life would not be easy: “Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Mt.6:34) The Bible is realistic in its acknowledgment of the pitfalls, perils, and problems that await us in a fallen world. Yet it remains optimistic in the scope of eternity. Trials become the means by which we can comfort others with the comfort we ourselves experience from God in our own afflictions (2Cor.1:3f). We can even ‘count it all joy’ when we face trials because they foster perseverance and maturity of character (James 1:3f).
    Some years ago I attended a workshop on suicide prevention. We were taught to assess suicide risk based on factors such whether the person was having suicidal thoughts; whether they had devised an actual plan; and whether they had actually gone about procuring the means needed to carry out such a plan. If all these things were in place, need for intervention was high because the risk of carrying through was very serious. A sudden upturn in attitude might not be a good thing because it could signal that the person had actually decided to go through with their plan and so was emotionally relieved, now they knew an end to their pain was in sight.
    Besides teaching us what signs to watch for in interacting with someone who might be suicidal, the workshop impressed upon us the need to be ready to ask a simple direct question: “Are you having suicidal thoughts?” Many more people have suicidal thoughts than actually decide to go through with it and take their own life. Just because a person is having suicidal thoughts does not necessarily mean they will actually commit suicide. In fact, giving the troubled person permission to talk about their worries and fears and stresses by asking such a question can go a long way towards helping prevent things from getting worse. It normalizes their experience, reassures them it’s all right to have suicidal thoughts flit through their mind when pressures mount; but they are also given an ally in the listener, one who cares enough to ask the tough questions, and walk alongside them in an effort to help them find better solutions.
    Besides confiding in a close friend we can trust who understands us and our situation, Scripture also encourages us to turn to God in prayer when discouraged. The Psalmist was a good example of this: David, for example, faced many obstacles and powerful opponents, but learned to trust in God. He wrote, “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all...” (Ps.34:18f) Jesus offers us fullness of life and saves us when we’re feeling overwhelmed; He contrasts His own mission with that of the devil in John 10(10), “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
    So, if you encounter someone who’s struggling, don’t be afraid to speak up and ask a simple question such as, “You seem to be having a very hard time; are you struggling with suicidal thoughts?” You just may save a life, and the person could be forever grateful to you. When you ask, be prepared to come alongside them in a supportive way, assisting them to reach out for help, making the phone call or contacting authorities as may be needed.
    If you yourself are struggling, don’t pretend you can just manage it on your own. You have allies in the community who will help you get back on your feet. Cultivate an active prayer life, journalling your hopes and fears, crying out to God when no one else seems to care. The Lord knows yours issues and weaknesses and can save you from the grips of the situation. One time David and his companions suffered a terrible blow when raiders took their families and possessions. David must have felt like giving up. Yet the Bible tells us, “David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him... But David found strength in the LORD his God.” (1Samuel 30:6) And – things DID turn out in the end!
(Resources: Huron-Perth Helpline & Crisis Response Team: 1-888-829-7484. Ontario Crisis Line: 1-866-531-2600.)