Epistle / Based on Romans 5:1-8 / Emailed to UMC Hudson WI on June 12, 2020

Darci Strutt McQuiston here, your guest Epistle writer for June 12.

There is a lot happening in our world.  I attended a forum from the UMC that dealt with what they called “2 viruses”.  The original focus had been how churches could safely restart sanctuary worship with COVID-19 in mind.  Before the day of the forum, we had a second “virus” make itself clear, racism.  The organizers decided to deal with both.  Rev Dawn spoke more about the forum in her Wednesday Epistle.

One speaker advised the importance of letting the discomfort linger instead of rushing to return to a place of comfort.  I remember a saying from my youth, “True Christianity comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable.”  There are things to learn within this feeling of discomfort.  We are called to lives of service, and sometimes that means going outside our comfort zone. 

Thursday and Friday of this week the Disciple daily readings focused on Romans 5:1-8.  It fit my thoughts well.

1 Therefore, since we have been made righteous through his faithfulness, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 We have access by faith into this grace in which we stand through him, and we boast in the hope of God’s glory.

3 But not only that! We even take pride in our problems, because we know that trouble produces endurance,

4 endurance produces character, and character produces hope.

5 This hope doesn’t put us to shame, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

6 While we were still weak, at the right moment, Christ died for ungodly people.

7 It isn’t often that someone will die for a righteous person, though maybe someone might dare to die for a good person.

8 But God shows his love for us, because while we were still sinners Christ died for us.

The translation I remember has the word “problems” as “sufferings” in verse 3.  I decided to look up verses 3 and 4 in my Amplified Bible to see what it said.

3 Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance.

4 And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation.

The Amplified Bible certainly does amplify meaning!  These problems or troubles or sufferings, when caused by following Jesus, lead us to endurance, and maturity of character, and confident hope.

One of my favorite hymns is “We Are Called”.   The second verse has been floating through my head.

    Come! Open your heart! Show your mercy to all those in fear!

    We are called to be hope for the hopeless

    so hatred and violence will be no more.

    We are called to act with justice; we are called to love tenderly.

    We are called to serve one another, to walk humbly with God.

The Apostle Paul reminded the church in Rome that the life of a Christian is not easy.  Yet, if they were following Christ’s calling, that suffering would lead to becoming a more mature person.  A person that has confidence in the love of God.  A person who is learning to love as God loves.

I offer you the prayer from the Disciplines for June 11.

Hold me, loving God, and steady me to keep walking with you on the paths you open.  Give me patience and persistence in following your call.  Amen.