27th August 2008 Rev Gordon Briggs

Taggies and pieces! There was something very comforting about that old piece of blanket.

Regardless of our ages, we still hold on to our security blankets.  We need something to anchor our lives, to give us stability and security:

- Family
- A familiar routine we follow every day
- Bank accounts, investments, pension programs
- Good health and physical fitness
- Lots of friends…

There are all sorts of grown-up security blankets that we hold on to for dear life, to give us a sense of stability and certainty and comfort in an ever changing and often dangerous and threatening world.

We spend a lot of time, money, and energy trying to find some anchor, some foundation, for our lives. We keep trying to control our own fortunes and our own destiny. 
We keep trying to play God by trying to make the world work the way we think it should.

But sooner or later we discover, sometimes tragically, that the ultimate answers in life, the security and safety we long for, simply cannot be found in the things we cling to.

The answer to life is beyond us,….. beyond anything in this world we hold on to....

In our reading from Romans 8, the Apostle Paul tells us some amazing things.  This single chapter offers us more wonderful promises of God than we can hardly handle.

Paul tells us that when we do not even know how to pray or what to pray for, God in his mercy, through the power of the Holy Spirit, interprets our prayers in ways that benefit us and are for our good.

 Paul tells us, "If God is for us, who can be against us?"

And then he gives us one of the greatest and most comforting promises in all of Scripture:
 "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

What a wonderful, powerful promise, full of hope and assurance.

In our lesson this morning, Paul also says in verse 28, "We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose."

As Christians, we believe that our destiny and the destiny of this world is not ultimately in our own hands, nor is it in the hands of world leaders, advanced technology, pension plans, or health foods.

No, as Christians we should believe that our ultimate destiny, and therefore our ultimate security, is in the hands of God

We should believe in the providence and goodness of God.  We should believe that God, in his divine wisdom and goodness and love, holds the future in his hands.  We should believe that God's will in human history, - as well as in our own lives - that God's will,   will ultimately be done.

This is what Paul means when he says that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.

The only problem is that there are many times, …..there are many circumstances, ….where we simply do not see it, …..do not really believe …..that all things work together for good.

In times of tragic early death or illness, people express euphuisms or make irrational statements, like “perhaps God wanted another angel in heaven”; or “God needed a good person with Him” or “they dont deserve it!.
 No!   What are we saying?? …that God did this to a precious child?  That the death of someone prematurely is God's will?  That a tragic death or horrible illness will bring good into our lives? No!

No, the child or person themselves was what was good.  Their death, the loss, illness is what is bad!
In Luke 13, Jesus referred to an atrocity that Pilate had committed by killing some Galilean worshippers in the Temple; He also spoke about a wall which fell down in Siloam killing some people.  He made it clear that terrible things happen to both good and bad people. But bad things are not of God. There are accidents, natural causes and human failings. We must also remember that God is good and Evil is also present in the world to oppose good.

There's no doubt about it.
- Bad things happen in our world.
- Bad things happen in our lives:
- Sickness, suffering, death, accidents, addiction, crime, divorce, abuse, war, floods- you name it! 
 Bad things happen!  We know that only too well.

So how can Paul say that all things work together for good for those who love God?

Here are a couple things for us to consider, to help us understand what Paul is saying.

First, Paul is not making some sort of dreamy claim that completely ignores the realities of pain and evil and suffering in our world.

Paul is not saying that Christians, - those who are called according to God's purpose, - will never have anything bad happen to them, …..that life will be a bed of roses.

But Paul is saying that this world and our lives are in the hands of God, and God loves us and cares for us so much, that He sent his only Son to die for us. And from that wonderful gift, we have many blessings.

Therefore, we can look to the future with confidence.  We don't have to be afraid.  Even in the midst of all those bad things that can happen, even in the face of all the uncertainty and insecurity in this world, we can live in faith and confidence, knowing that ultimately, the will of God will be done.
And the ultimate will of God will is for good, …it will be life and salvation, .not evil and death.

Secondly, we need to realize that we will not always see or recognize or know the good that comes from the bad which affects our lives.

It is extremely difficult in the midst of personal suffering, grief and hurt, to explain to ourselves as Christians why bad things happen to us.  It is even more difficult for those who have no faith in God to come to terms with tragedy, suffering and death.

As Christians we can only …..and must …..rest in the promises of God.

The truth is, to say “we believe that in all things God works for good”,  is a statement of our faith.

There are many times when we will not see the good. 
When we will not recognize the good… even if it were right in front of us. 
We may have to accept the fact that our definition of good, may not always square with what God calls good, …in God's divine wisdom and infinite understanding.

Yes, God does work for good, but we may not see that good until that final day when our eyes will be opened and all of the troubling and nagging questions will finally be answered.

Sometimes life is like a tapestry, a weaving, a quilt. 
If you look at it from the back side, all you see is a confusing jumble of knots and threads and colours.  It seems chaotic, without form or rhyme or reason.

But if you look at it from the other side, from the right side, it all comes together into a beautiful masterpiece of color, design, and purpose.

In our humanness, in our limited vision and perspective, we see life from the back side.  We don't always see what God's hand is designing and creating.

But one of these days we will.

And when that day comes, we, along with St. Paul, will be able to say without doubt or hesitation:

We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose…and remember too that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

That promise is our anchor in this troubled and confusing world.  That promise is our security blanket, our comfort, our faith, our hope.

Thanks be to God.  Amen