Paul spent much of his adult life as
a traveling evangelist, moving from place to place, proclaiming the Good News
about Jesus Christ, and establishing new churches. As someone who was constantly on the move,
Paul suffered from the many hazards and difficulties of travel. In addition, Paul encountered many people who
were not exactly thrilled with his good news that Jesus of Nazareth was the
long-anticipated Messiah. As a result,
Paul frequently encountered opposition, hatred, marginalization, and physical
violence.
In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul provides a
catalog of all the hardships which he has endured as a Christian
evangelist. These hardships include:
Ø On 5 separate occasions he has received 39
lashes
Ø On 3 separate times he has been beaten with a
rod
Ø Once he received a stoning
Ø Three times he was shipwrecked
Ø Multiple times he has been threatened by
bandits or “false brothers and sisters”
Ø On other occasions he has been hungry and
thirsty or cold and naked
Finally, Paul
concludes his catalog by noting that in addition to all of the other hardships,
“I am under daily pressure because of my anxiety for all the churches.”
I suppose that none of us in the
contemporary world must cope with the scope and type of hardships that Paul had
to endure as a traveling evangelist.
Yet, hardships and anxiety are part of the human condition in every
age. Life is tough. Even though we may not be able to create a
catalog of hardships as dramatic as the Apostle Paul’s, each of us must cope
with hardship and anxiety in our lives.
Within our own community, persons struggle with anxiety and many
different types of hardships:
Ø Parents worry about children who are
struggling in school or socially
Ø Children worry about the health and
well-being of aging parents
Ø Some within our midst struggle with a
diagnosis of cancer or other illness
Ø Business owners worry about surviving through
really difficult financial conditions—or, the implications of the Affordable
Healthcare Act for their business
Ø Employees struggle to cope with exorbitant
demands on their jobs, which they cannot possibly meet
Ø Others are unemployed and would just like to
have a job—any job
Ø Some of us wonder if we will ever be able to
retire, while others are making a difficult transition into retirement
Ø Some of us grieve over the loss of a loved
one
Ø Some are struggling with a marriage that has
become difficult, or they are struggling following a divorce
Ø Students are anxious about doing well in
school
As Christians, we can
legitimately ask why does God allow us to suffer through all of these hardships
and anxieties? The theological term for this question is theodicy. In other words, why does God allow good
people to suffer through hardships and anxiety?
We’ve talked about theodicy before, and you know that there are no
completely satisfying answers to the question of theodicy.
Paul has an intriguing response to the question of theodicy. In an unexpected twist, Paul embraces his
hardships and anxiety. After cataloging
all of his hardships and anxieties in 2 Corinthians 11, the Apostle Paul steps
back and observes, “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my
weakness.” (v. 30)
In his letter to the Romans, we find Paul once again boasting about his
hardships and anxieties: “And not only
that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces
endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and
hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us” (Romans 5:3-5). For Paul, weakness becomes a source of
strength.
Paul believes that all of his hardships and anxieties must be seen as
part of a larger story that ultimately ends with the Kingdom of God. For Paul, the Reign of God has already been
established through the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus
Christ. Yet, God’s Kingdom has only been
established provisionally; it is not yet fully completed. As disciples of Christ, we are called to join
in God’s Kingdom-building project as junior partners. First, we are to nurture the Reign of God
within our hearts and minds, and then we are work to establish God’s Reign in
the world around us.
Viewed within this broader context of Kingdom-building, Paul sees his
hardships and anxieties as just part of the growing process. Paul believes that in the end he will be able
to look back and see that he grew as Christian through his hardships and
struggles.
What does this mean for us today?
How do we embrace our hardships and anxieties in a way that allows God’s
Reign to grow within our hearts and minds?
Come, join us at Meriden United Methodist Church this weekend as
we explore how we can become stronger, more resilient Christians by embracing
our hardships and anxieties, just as Paul did. Our church is located at the corner of Main and
Dawson Streets in Meriden, Kansas. We
have two worship services each weekend:
Ø Our
contemporary service starts at 6 pm on Saturday evenings.
Ø Our
classic service starts on at 10 am on Sunday mornings.
Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.
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