Hi First Presbyterian,
It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! Tonight in my Bible Study, I’ll be talking about the apostle Paul. So much of the theology in the New Testament is influenced by his thinking. The fact that we have his theological thoughts is indirectly the result of his extraordinarily impactful missionary work. He wrote letters to churches he founded or had otherwise had relationships to; we still have many of the letters he wrote; and, as a result, his theology has been preserved for posterity.
Paul is an important person in the New Testament and for the history of Christianity, and, that may cause us to want to elevate him in status in our minds. However, it’s important to realize that he was a human just like you and me. In fact, there seems to be a very "human" moment in his life when he wanted out of his work as a missionary. By piecing together some things that we read about in the book of Acts, in First Corinthians, and in Second Corinthians, we can see a little bit of that moment playing out. Things were unraveling for him. He felt like a failure. His life was in danger. And in 2 Corinthians 1:8, Paul wrote about it and said, “We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of the affliction we experienced in Asia; for we were so utterly, unbearably crushed that we despaired of life itself.” Did you read that last phrase? He said that he “despaired of life itself.” Paul was in a dark place, and he just wanted out of it. I assume that some of you have felt that way. Maybe you feel that way right now. What can we do if we find ourselves there? What did Paul do?
I’m sure if Paul had lived today, he would advise us to go see a doctor, to take our physician-prescribed medications, to talk to a therapist, to talk to a pastor, to talk to anyone. When it comes to religious faith and what it offers us during moments of despair, this is what Paul said about his own experience: “We have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies” (2 Corinthians 4:7-10). In other words, when Paul was suffering, he drew strength from the thought that Jesus also suffered and knew what Paul was enduring. Paul was strengthened to know that he never faced difficulty alone. He was strengthened to know that God offered him presence and empathy.
If you feel despair today, please know that God offers you presence and empathy, too. You are never alone. If you aren’t feeling despair today, offer presence and empathy to someone who is. It’s a holy thing to do.
Peace to you,
Pastor Neff