2-15-2017

Good Morning All,

            Romans 8:20; “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope”

   It is always kind of interesting the things, words or phrases that strike a chord with you.  They may seem funny or irritating or repulsive.  In high school, we had a group of the guys who would use the word “joners”.  So if you banged your head on an open locker door you might say, “joners, that hurt.”  Or if you were at a ballgame and your opponent had a speedy player it was, “joners, that guy can move.”  No idea where that came from but it was what it was.

   In college, I minored in chemistry so we spent time in the chemistry lab doing experiments.  One of the experiments called for adding chemical “a” to compound “b” but not to add it too fast or we might get a “frustrating emulsion” (a layer that does not mix).  We all laughed as we read the experiment and for the rest of the class, and for some the rest of college; any perplexing issue was causing a “frustrating emulsion” in our lives.  It was an inside joke that caused a few to either laugh or nod in agreement while most were confused.

    The interesting thing is that there were many times when the response was either “joners” or that “frustrating emulsion”.  It seems that life is full of frustrating events.  Things do not go as planned; expected events do not occur as expected and the unexpected pop up at the most inopportune moments.  Life can be very frustrating.  Life can leave us with a level of futility that can cause us to quit.  Just one break, just one time let a plan go as designed, just once let things happen the way they should; yet this seldom happens.  It can lead us to be reticent or even fatalistic in our view of life.  We all believe Murphy’s Law of things can and will go wrong.

    This is the direct result of sin.  Sin put creation into futility.  It frustrates the good and leaves bad in its place.  You try to grow a garden.  If you get past the weeds, the plant diseases, too much or too little rain, you know a rabbit or squirrel will attack your garden or else a hailstorm.  After Adam sinned, mankind could not even find God anymore and in his futility, he sought after gods he made.  After sin came into this world, our futility with our brother caused frustration that led to hatred and murder.  Sin leads to frustration that leads us to pain, sorrow, sadness and death.

    Yet Jesus came to stop the frustration.  He opened the door long closed to a frustrated people and gives us life.  We have hope in Jesus, even in the time of our greatest frustration; Jesus is with us to give us hope.  We have hope that the frustrations of this life will not overpower us or define us.  We find our identity in Jesus not in the frustrations of this world.  So if life is especially frustrating at this time take hope.  Jesus is still our Lord and Savior and in Him we have the completion of who we are.  We are the redeemed children of God and in this we can have peace.

Father, the frustrations of this life can drag us down into despair and sorrow.  We can linger in sorrow and without hope.  Pull us from this pit that we may always know your grace and trust your will. In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret