• A few weeks ago I said from the pulpit that I felt there was a spiritual lethargy in the congregation. But I think, now, the lethargy was in me, not you. Over the past few weeks the Lord has been making a number of my own sins and failings evident. It has been a difficult but necessary couple of weeks, and I feel now the relief of having prayed through things from which I had been attempting to hide. (2 Cor 7:10 “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.”) So, a related reminder: a relentless sense of condemnation is the work of the enemy, not the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is taking you, through repentance, to that place of freedom and rest, not regret.
• One outcome of the last few weeks is a renewed wariness of the human tendency to see real problems as external to ourselves, rather than living in our own hearts. This is the meta-narrative of sin, the pattern of Adam and Even in the Garden: “the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God…” [running rather than facing the issue]; and “…the man said, ‘The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate'” [when you can no longer hide, blaming your sin on anything other than yourself]. Stop, give up, face what you need to face.
• Two favorite passages regarding the courage to face sins. The first is Prov. 3:7-8 “fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.” There’s that notion of Paul’s again, i.e., repentance leading to a freeing resolution. But even better for me is Isa 30:15 “For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, ‘In repentence and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.'”
A few more notes:
• When you get a chance, take a moment to thank Sylvia Winans for standing in as CPC admin over the past few months. She did a great job — and did it with all her heart — in the transition period to our new and permanent admin, Julie Bilbro. Thank you, Sylvia! And speaking of Julie, please welcome her and encourage her as she adapts to a new job. Thanks.
• For the thousands of men and women who have passed through Covenant Seminary in the last 30 years, few faculty members have been so venerated as David Calhoun, professor of Church history. It would be hard to find another man as gentle, learned, wise, and godly. So it says a great deal about Khen Tombing, our preacher this Sunday, that he is venerated by Dr. Calhoun. I remember David once saying he knew of no one living so similar in passion and perseverance to the Apostle Paul. Don’t miss this Sunday, and join us for the reception at the Hastings beginning at 12:30 (food provided) to hear more about Khen’s work in his homeland in NE India. Please RSVP to Julie Hastings.
Pastor Eric