More Than Survive: Rest in the Lord (Week # 2)

We began last Lord’s Day (All Saints) a Message Series called “More than Just Survive”. If you want to know what it is about…well…check out the video link below….and feel free to share it with friends and neighbours:

We all lead and live busy lives. We are constantly rushing from one thing to another - and in the hustle and bustle, at the end of the day - we ask ourselves: “what I am chasing?” So last week we looked at the lives of the saints - who didn’t live life in a bubble - they lived real lives and they too had to make choices. Choices about who is first and how they must thrive not just survive- in fact they chose in three ways: to Rest, to Resist and to Reflect - so these next three weeks we are looking at each of these and asking ourselves - what I am rooted in as I seek to more than survive

Warm-Up: 

·         What do you find attractive about “Discipleship” – being a follower of Jesus?

·         What do you find at times challenging about “Discipleship”?

·         Group action last week was to try not to chase but rest, resist, and reflect. how did it go?

You may wish to listen again to the Audio of the Lord’s Day Message

 

At this point please use the video Message for this series – Week # 1 

The widow in the Gospel mirrors, in many ways, the plight of the widow of Zarephath (1^st Reading). She, too, was destitute, without protection or resources. Yet, she trusted in the blessing of God and gave all that she had. All that she had! That, indeed, was an act of faith. With humility she came before God, recognizing Him as the source of all grace and blessing, trusting in the providence and benevolence of God. She hoped for the impossible and the improbable, that God would provide for her.

But guaranteed in their lives, there were moments of “groan”. Occasions when the struggle of life seemed insurmountable. When a marriage blows, when you go to hospital and visit people we love, see their suffering and we think “it is just not right.” When we meet someone who has no sense of meaning or purpose in their life or you run into someone when there is loss in their life - and see emptiness in their eyes. Or when we talk to someone about having God in their life and they use the church as venue for a Sacrament and nothing else and walk away saying “I don’t need you.”

In these times, the trial, the test, the turmoil seems more than what we can handle, no matter how must hustle or bustle we take on. If this is where you are at – survival mode – well you are correct it is more than you can handle – it must be what God can handle. The busyness and demands of today are more than we can handle. But when we put all that “needs to be done” in the perspective of “what God needs to do”, we finds ourselves relived of the stress and strain and our lives replaced with the serenity and sanctity of a “Good, Good Father”in our life.But we must trust He will.

Here is where the first element of “more than just surviving” comes in…to rest. To rest in the Lord – is to rely upon Him. To rest in the Lord means to live with the knowledge that it is through the Groan we Find Glory! The widows in the readings knew and lived that - it was their faith that told them - this groan will bring me to the Glory of God, because God is handling it – I don’t need to do it all, He will. If I rest in the Lord - find time for Him, rely upon Him, Trust Him - that relying upon the Lord will bring me to Glory.  This takes surrender and trust to accent that God has a plan and He will make the provision, I need only bring my best and He will do the rest.

For here is a truth - The road to glory is through the groans of the present, but if you forget the glory - you are just left with the groan. Painfully that is what happens in our life - we are surviving and not thriving because all we have is the groan and we have not made time to rest in and see the glory. We are at it so hard, groaning away, trying to do everything and be everywhere that in the end we are nowhere further and feel like a no body.

So here is what the widows taught us - two things - which bring glory - Give and Know. They gave of their most precious and believed that God would do the impossible and improbable in and through them. For us today, the most precious of to us is our time - give it to Him. Adoration, Daily moments of prayer and especially time on the day that is His Day. Secondly, the widows - they knew His word. Here we have the power of Small Groups who support each other rooted in His word. Not a series of what we want to learn (because that is our agenda and even our groans) but His word – which helps us share and see His glory.

We can’t expect we will understand that God is good all the time if we don’t make time for God all the time.  Rest in Him, Rely Upon Him. Trust in Him. Don’t Live just with the Groan - strive for the Glory by not just surviving but thriving!

Message this week – Before concluding – listen once again in mediation to this beautiful song which will be our “theme song” during this series – it is called “Good, Good Father” by Chris Tomlin. Don’t only listen to the tune, but examine the words. In particular listen for the words…..”and I am loved by you…its who I am.” There it is – the secret to being a saint – and not just surviving!