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Cal's Pastoral Epistles
The One Who Wipes Away Our Tears
January 11, 2007
I saw the box of tissues on a table in the back and it confirmed what I was
already thinking. God was in the house. I looked at that half used box of
Kleenex and there was no doubt in my mind that he had been there for
some time. I was at a celebration in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
at the Beulah Land Church of God. The preacher had just finished
speaking about dreams and visions. Using texts from the books of
Genesis, the Psalms and Joel, he reminded us that God has a vision for our
future even if we can't always see it. He pointed to Dr. King and others
who had captured a glimpse of that vision and shared it with the rest of us.
I was too young to remember Dr. King and much of the civil rights
movement. I lived in the relative calm of small town America. I shudder
when I think about what he and others faced back then. It must have
seemed like the whole world was against them. Yet, Dr. King had a calm
about him that seemed to reach right to his very soul. The speaker hinted
at the fact that this was due to the abiding presence of God himself.
One of my favorite scripture passages comes from the book of
Revelations. The apostle John shares a vision of the future that he received
from God. Speaking to a people who were sorely oppressed he says ,"The
dwelling of God is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be
his people and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will
wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or
mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
(Rev. 21:3-4)
Many of us hear that passage and think of loved ones who have gone
ahead. It is comforting to know that God will be with them as they enter
heaven. But when I read it I am reminded that I don't have to wait to find
God's comfort. In Bethlehem we have already witnessed the inbreaking of
God's presence in the world. He was "Emmanuel" God with us. Even
though John was pointing to the future, he was also reporting what was
happening for the believers at the present time. Think about it. We hear
Jesus saying, "Rejoice, the kingdom of heaven is here!" Check it out.
Jesus says it time and again throughout the Gospels. He said "wherever
two or three are gathered in my name, I will be there also."
When I saw that box of tissue I was reminded of how many times God
had been with me when I was lost and afraid. He was there the day I
learned that my mother died. He sat in our living room with my pastor who
delivered the news. As my father and step mother gathered close to my
brother and me, God's hand was there with a Kleenex to wipe away the
tears. God was also there when I was struggling emotionally in college and
ended up going down some dead ends. When I came to myself, he greeted
me with outstretched arms and once again was ready to wipe away my
tears and help me start over again. On my wedding day and a few years
later when my oldest daughter was born, I remember feeling a bit
overwhelmed with the new responsibilities. But God was there and he
wiped away the bittersweet tears of joy.
The good news is that God is always with us. Martin Luther King Jr.
knew that, and that was why he could be bold with his faith. No matter
what trial or difficulty you may be going through, God is only a breath
away. He sits in the back of the church with a box of Kleenex. But God
isn't bound by the walls of the sanctuary. He goes wherever we go. He
can be found on the back roads of Selma, Alabama or in the streets of
New York City. You will find God walking the beaches of Cape Cod and
under the flashing lights of Las Vegas. He is sitting quietly in the classroom
of a public school as well as in the public lounge of the local hospital. He
can be found in the cell block of the local prison and in corridors of City
Hall. You don't have to go far to find him. For John reminds us that His
dwelling is not in heaven above, but right here with us as we traverse
through the ups and downs of life. If you don't believe me, just ask Sister
Alice. She will tell you its true. She's the one who saw the Kleenex first.
God bless. Say hi to God when you see him. I'll see you, in church.
Cal.
January 11, 2007
I saw the box of tissues on a table in the back and it confirmed what I was
already thinking. God was in the house. I looked at that half used box of
Kleenex and there was no doubt in my mind that he had been there for
some time. I was at a celebration in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
at the Beulah Land Church of God. The preacher had just finished
speaking about dreams and visions. Using texts from the books of
Genesis, the Psalms and Joel, he reminded us that God has a vision for our
future even if we can't always see it. He pointed to Dr. King and others
who had captured a glimpse of that vision and shared it with the rest of us.
I was too young to remember Dr. King and much of the civil rights
movement. I lived in the relative calm of small town America. I shudder
when I think about what he and others faced back then. It must have
seemed like the whole world was against them. Yet, Dr. King had a calm
about him that seemed to reach right to his very soul. The speaker hinted
at the fact that this was due to the abiding presence of God himself.
One of my favorite scripture passages comes from the book of
Revelations. The apostle John shares a vision of the future that he received
from God. Speaking to a people who were sorely oppressed he says ,"The
dwelling of God is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be
his people and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will
wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or
mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
(Rev. 21:3-4)
Many of us hear that passage and think of loved ones who have gone
ahead. It is comforting to know that God will be with them as they enter
heaven. But when I read it I am reminded that I don't have to wait to find
God's comfort. In Bethlehem we have already witnessed the inbreaking of
God's presence in the world. He was "Emmanuel" God with us. Even
though John was pointing to the future, he was also reporting what was
happening for the believers at the present time. Think about it. We hear
Jesus saying, "Rejoice, the kingdom of heaven is here!" Check it out.
Jesus says it time and again throughout the Gospels. He said "wherever
two or three are gathered in my name, I will be there also."
When I saw that box of tissue I was reminded of how many times God
had been with me when I was lost and afraid. He was there the day I
learned that my mother died. He sat in our living room with my pastor who
delivered the news. As my father and step mother gathered close to my
brother and me, God's hand was there with a Kleenex to wipe away the
tears. God was also there when I was struggling emotionally in college and
ended up going down some dead ends. When I came to myself, he greeted
me with outstretched arms and once again was ready to wipe away my
tears and help me start over again. On my wedding day and a few years
later when my oldest daughter was born, I remember feeling a bit
overwhelmed with the new responsibilities. But God was there and he
wiped away the bittersweet tears of joy.
The good news is that God is always with us. Martin Luther King Jr.
knew that, and that was why he could be bold with his faith. No matter
what trial or difficulty you may be going through, God is only a breath
away. He sits in the back of the church with a box of Kleenex. But God
isn't bound by the walls of the sanctuary. He goes wherever we go. He
can be found on the back roads of Selma, Alabama or in the streets of
New York City. You will find God walking the beaches of Cape Cod and
under the flashing lights of Las Vegas. He is sitting quietly in the classroom
of a public school as well as in the public lounge of the local hospital. He
can be found in the cell block of the local prison and in corridors of City
Hall. You don't have to go far to find him. For John reminds us that His
dwelling is not in heaven above, but right here with us as we traverse
through the ups and downs of life. If you don't believe me, just ask Sister
Alice. She will tell you its true. She's the one who saw the Kleenex first.
God bless. Say hi to God when you see him. I'll see you, in church.
Cal.
Pastor Cal Lord writes these weekly epistles to
help us see God in every day things.
help us see God in every day things.
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