Sunday, August 29

Writing about a church service at St. Andrew’s can be a difficult exercise. It’s hard to know what to emphasize. Some might focus on the storied history of the church, or the famous persons that worshiped there in the past. Others might notice the striking architecture or the beautiful music, or perhaps the diversity of the congregation, which provides a good cross-section of Ottawa as a whole.

All these elements demand the observer’s attention, but when I attend St. Andrew’s the Bible reading and sermon capture my attention the most. I think this is because the word of God provides me with both comfort and challenge for my everyday life: comfort because I am forced to recognize God’s love, and challenge because I am often called to change the ways in which I have misunderstood God and His creation.

Pastor Andrew’s sermon of 29/08/2010 offered both challenge and comfort, with three simple (but important) truths. First, God is near. Second, because God is near we can rejoice, even in suffering. Third, in spite of suffering, there is much good in the world and we should learn to appreciate it.

The idea that God is near some times seems a bit foreign to me. As a Christian I’ve been conditioned to treat God with great reverence and to think of Him as concerned with heavenly things. Paul’s letter to the Philippians reminds me, however, that God is deeply concerned about my life and about His church. It is a thought that is humbling and empowering at the same time. In addition, the idea that we can rejoice in suffering seems strange. Like most people I tend to rejoice (if that’s the right word) only in times of peace and plenty. Paul tells his readers to rejoice even in suffering, because God remains close to all believers in all circumstances. Finally, like many Christians I am intimidated by the rapid secularization of our country (of the entire Western world it seems), and I have great apprehension for the future, but Paul does not allow Christians to give up on the world. Instead, he insists that we find (and celebrate) everything that is pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy.

While these concepts are challenging to me and disrupt many of my assumptions about the world, they also offer a great deal of comfort. God is near; He isn’t distant or detached. I can rejoice in suffering, because God has not abandoned me; He will heal my suffering in time. Finally, the world is not left to its own devices, rather God urges us (through His servant Paul) to find good in the world: to notice and enjoy it as God’s own creation.

I hope that you will find many messages that will both challenge and comfort you as you continue your journey through life with God at your side.

Harold