Revealing the One who Reveals (Part VII) – “Pain Today, Something Beautiful Tomorrow”

Sermon Title: Revealing the One Who Reveals Us

Good News Statement: Jesus reveals our pain

Preached: Sunday, February 23^rd, 2025 at Dogwood Prairie UMC & Seed Chapel UMC

Pastor Daniel G. Skelton, M.Div.

 

Scripture (NRSVUE): Luke 2:22-35 Today’s scripture reading comes from the Gospel of Luke who introduces us to a man named Simeon who not only presents the new born Christ to the Lord, but reveals him to all people. May we find ways in 2025 to reveal who Jesus is in our life. Our scripture reading is Luke Chapter Two, Verses Twenty-Two thru Thirty-Five. May the hearing and understanding of this scripture add a blessing to your life.

 

Jesus Is Named

²¹ When the eighth day came, it was time to circumcise the child, and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Jesus Is Presented in the Temple

²² When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord ²³ (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”), ²⁴ and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

²⁵ Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. ²⁶ It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. ²⁷ Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what was customary under the law, ²⁸ Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,

²⁹ “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,
according to your word,
³⁰ for my eyes have seen your salvation,
³¹     which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
³² a light for revelation to the gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel.”

³³ And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. ³⁴ Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be opposed ³⁵ so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul, too.”

 

This is the Word of God for the People of God; And all God’s people said, “Thanks be to God.”

 

 

Introduction:

The announcement has been made, Mary has given birth to her firstborn son and has wrapped him in bands of cloth and laid him in a manger. The  heavenly host of angels have sung, “Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace among those whom he favors” (Luke 2:14). The shepherds have received “good news of great joy for all the people” (Luke 2:10), they have traveled to Bethlehem to witness what took place, and they shared with Mary, before “glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen” (Luke 2:20), news that she treasured and pondered in her heart (Luke 2:19). Now the Magi have arrived and left gifts of gold, frankincense, myrrh, and have travelled home going a different way and avoiding King Herod. Christ has been born, in the city of David, to a people that need to be transformed.

To commemorate that special day, we lit the Christ Candle. That candle is more than just a symbol of hope, peace, joy, and love: it represents a source of light that no amount of darkness can prevail over nor cover. Through this Candle, Christ has entered our life: “And the Word became flesh and lived among us…” (John 1:14). With this candle we have been given a gift, a name above all names. With Christ now fully present in our life, we must not wait to reveal who Christ is to us. We must not wait to reveal who Christ is to our church. We must not wait to reveal what Christ is calling us to do. We must not wait to find ways to keep his light shining as we enter a New Year: a year filled with accomplishments, successes and failures, joy and pain, new beginnings and setbacks, and good news and doubt. We must not wait to pass along the “good news of great joy to all people” through what we do and what we say.

Today, we look forward to the future as individuals and as a church. Today, we find ways to reveal who Jesus is and what Jesus does for us and the church. Today, we think about how we will reveal Jesus Christ in 2025 by spending time with Simeon—actually several weeks—with a priest who waited his entire career for the day when he would bless the one who would in turn bless him. Luke is the only Gospel writer—writing about the year 85 CE, approximately 50 years after the death of Christ—to mention this moment in Jesus’ life. A moment that revealed the one who reveals us. We continue the story by simply asking ourselves, “What has been revealed to us?”

 

Body:

The year was 1998 or 1999 when I got my first bicycle. The frame was a deep purple and plastered with flame stickers, the handlebar grips were neon green and so were the rims of the tires, there were foam pads on the handle bars and on the frame, and the seat was embroidered with flames as well. And to top it all off, I had a matching helmet and a license plate attached underneath the seat with my name on it. I was the cool kid on the block.

I got my first bicycle for my birthday, and after the candles were blown out and the cake eaten and the ice cream put away, I took that bike outside and went on an adventure. My oldest brother came outside to watch and my mom grabbed our ginormous video camera that recorded films onto VHS tapes. It was a day that is never going to be forgotten! (At the start of the recording, you can hear my mom asking why she couldn’t see anything and my brother responding, “You didn’t take the lens-cover off!”) Once the lens-cover was removed, you can see a happy, joyful, young boy riding up and down the street, attempting to act cool and brave by going over every bump and crack in the pavement, swerving around rocks, telling himself that he is winning the race.

But then, the inevitable happened…that “grand canyon” of a crack—or that’s what it seemed like—caused my front tire to turn unexpectedly and down I went. Tears came pouring out of my eyes, the quiet day was disrupted by my screams, and pain was felt in my right elbow. My mom put down the camera, with it still recording, and ran to my aid. My brother, in his sandals and socks, came strolling over asking if the bike was okay. And I am repeatedly saying, “Bad crash! Bad crash! Bad crash!” To this day, the video recording of this unfortunate event is titled “Bad Crash.”

After that moment, my new bicycle went to the shed and remained there for several months. I didn’t look at it. I didn’t touch it. I didn’t go near it. I had no inkling to even ride it again. What happened on that day was something that will never be forgotten and at the young age of either 3 or 4 my life was changed: the bike wasn’t seen as something joyful or even as an escape from life, but rather as an instrument that brought me pain and fear.

Have any of you ever experienced pain in your life? Whether physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual? Did the pain you experienced change your life? Did the pain you endured bring you fear and worry? Is the pain you experienced—whatever it may be—still present in your life today? What sort of pain have you had to deal with throughout your days? And why?

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in a survey conducted in 2023, “24.3% of adults have chronic pain—a long lasting pain—and 8.5% of adults have chronic pain that frequently limits life and work activities.”[1] Furthermore, “women are more likely to have chronic pain (25.4%)…than men (23.2%).”[2] In 2023, The University of Arizona health sciences published a study showing millions of people live with co-occurring chronic pain and mental health symptoms. Out of twelve million adults in the U.S. 23% experience difficulty doing errands alone because of anxiety or depression, 36% find it difficult to participate in social activities because of anxiety or depression, and 36% are dealing with work limitations due to health problems associated with anxiety or depression.[3] Pain is all around us; and it comes in many different shapes, sizes, degrees, and outcomes. Pain is part of our life and it affects our life.

Today, we end our study of Luke 2:21-35 by hearing the words of Simeon, who tells Mary that she will endure pain: a pain that will pierce her soul. It’s not a very happy ending to a moment that Mary and Joseph described as amazing just a few verses before. But it is a moment that changes Mary’s life. It’s a moment where more of Jesus is revealed to her. It’s a moment by which invites all of us to think about our pains, our sufferings, in light of what Jesus will do with them to change our life. Today, I invite you to think about the pain you have experienced and endured and ask yourself, “Am I letting that pain define me today?” Can I let those pains go so that I can have a new beginning in Christ?

 

Movement One: Reviewing Where We Have Been…

Before we get to text for today, I believe it is important to take a few minutes to remind us where we have been these past few weeks. For the past few weeks, we have been reflecting and studying the story of Simeon blessing Jesus in the temple, and seeking to find how what is taking place in the text reveals the One who reveals us.

We began by reading Luke 2:21: “When the eighth day came, it was time to circumcise the child, and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.” Approximately a month after arriving in Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph take their new born child to the Temple to be blessed and given to the Lord according to the laws of the day. Simeon receives him, blesses him, and reveals him to God and the people. This verse encourages us to think about the name of Jesus. This child is named Jesus. The name Jesus is not just a name: it is a story of redemptive hope, eternal salvation, and unconditional love. The name of Jesus has meaning and a purpose and a reason. The name of Jesus is why we are here today. The name of Jesus is life-changing, life-saving, and life-healing. The name of Jesus is powerful. And because of this name we have the wonderful opportunity to have a new name in glory.

Next, we read Luke 2:22-24: “[Mary and Joseph] brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord…and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.’” The Book of Leviticus states this law, “These are the regulations for the woman who gives birth to a boy or a girl. But if she cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring two doves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering” (Leviticus 12:7-8). Mary and Joseph simply offered what they could afford, what they had. This text teaches us to give what we can.

Mary and Joseph gave what they had and in return, God gave them exactly what they needed. They needed Jesus. They needed healing. They needed comfort, courage, and confidence. They needed to be saved. God isn’t asking you to give the most valuable things in your life to Him. Rather, He is asking you to give Him what you can so that He can give you everything that you need in return.

Then, we looked at Luke 2:25-26: “Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.” Simeon is righteous—living life according to God, is devout—showing obedience to God, and has received the Holy Spirit. What the person and character of Simeon teaches us is that no matter when God speaks to us, no matter how God speaks to us, no matter where God speaks to us, and no matter why God speaks to us, what God says God will do. But are we listening? Do we believe in what He is telling us? Simeon, the person, is a powerful reminder that God is always working in our life, seeking to fulfill the promises He has given us, revealing to us today what He needs us to do tomorrow.

Then we reflected on Luke 2:27-32, which continues Simeon’s response to following through on what God needs him to do which actually turns out to be a blessing: “Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, ‘Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.’”

We are given countless blessings: some we can count and others we can’t, some we can name and others we can’t, and some we can remember and others we can’t. Whether we can count them, name them, remember them, or not, God is blessing us every day because He understands that whatever blessing He gives us, it will change our life. He bless us with strength when we feel weak; He blesses us with confidence when we feel vulnerable; He blesses us with food when we are hungry, drink when we are thirsty, sight when we can’t see, freedom when we are held captive; He blesses us with joy when we feel sad; He blesses us with acceptance when we feel lost; and He blesses us with peace when we feel overwhelmed.  You have been given countless blessings. Receive them. Cherish them. Keep them in your heart. Put them in a jar. As Perry Como would say, “put it in your pocket, never let it fade away…save it for a rainy day.” Each and every blessing is a gift from God that reveals His promises in our life.

Next we read Luke 2:33 which comes after Simeon has blessed Jesus and confessed that God can now dismiss him in peace: “And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him.” Mary and Joseph were amazed! In this account the word amazed can be translated to mean astonishment or wonder. May and Joseph were astonished as they witnessed the blessing of their child. Mary and Joseph were filled with wonder as they pondered what this moment means. It’s never too late to be amazed by what Jesus is doing and has done in your life. It’s never too late to begin remembering all the amazing things he has done. But, when will you acknowledge those moments in your life? When will you be like Mary and Joseph and become amazed at what Christ is doing? Will it be today? Will it be tomorrow? Will it be some time in the near future? I bet Jesus has done something amazing in your life already, but you haven’t noticed because you are waiting for something specific to happen. Don’t wait for something to happen. Instead, realize that amazing things are happening right now in your life because Jesus is always with you.

And last week, we studied Luke 2:34 and the beginning of verse 35: “Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, ‘This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed….” There is no question about what Simeon has just said to Mary. Simeon has just revealed the fate of Jesus.[4] Jesus would bring some to their fall as a stone of stumbling (Isaiah 8:14-15), while to others Jesus would be a cornerstone (Isaiah 28:16) on which to build. Jesus would become the means of destruction for those who oppose God’s redemptive plan, and the source of salvation for those who submit to him.

And above everything, Mary is told that Jesus will reveal the “inner thoughts of many” (Luke 2:35a). Simply put, Jesus will be the one to reveal what is truly on the hearts of the people. Jesus is the one who knows our heart. In 1924 Harry Clarke wrote this devotional and prayer, “Into my heart, into my heart; come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Come in today, come in to stay. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus.” If you need a new heart in Christ, I invite you—no, I encourage you—to allow Jesus to enter your heart today and allow him to stay. Don’t just receive him now and kick him out tomorrow. Keep him in your heart. Make sure you do what you can so that he stays there. To receive Jesus into your heart means that you are surrendering your life to him. You are allowing Jesus to guide you, to nurture you, to strengthen you, to comfort you, to transform you. You are allowing Jesus to calm your storms. You are allowing Jesus to turn your five loaves of bread and two fish into twelve baskets of left overs. You are allowing Jesus to help you get back up and to walk again. You are allowing Jesus to breathe life into you and to be a source of living water in your life. You are allowing Jesus to fight for you in the twelfth round of any fight. You are allowing Jesus to change your life.

Jesus is revealed through his name, through what he asks us to give, what he needs us to listen for, the blessings that are gifted to us, the amazing things he does in our life, and from the moment we ask him to come into our heart. And now, our study of this text ends with words of warning, words of immense pain, and words of contemplation and deliberation. Jesus is revealed through the pain that we experience, endure, and embrace in our life.

 

Movement Two: Where We Are Right Now…

Before Luke writes about Anna, a widow and a prophetess, who at the moment of witnessing the blessing of Jesus begins to praise God, tells us about the pain Mary will feel in Luke 2:35, “…so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.” Simeon ends this blissful moment in his life and amazing moment in Mary’s life by informing Mary that she is going to be exposed to pain because of her son—because of Jesus Christ. I don’t know about you, but I think Simeon could have offered words of encouragement and congratulations and praise to Mary and Joseph instead of taking away the joy and wonder of the situation. What should have been a joyful moment now has been morphed into a moment of concern, worry, and shock.

Biblical scholar Charles R. Swindoll provides feedback on this particular verse in his commentary and insights on Luke. Swindoll notes, “Simeon predicted the boy’s effect on Mary personally and on the nation as a whole.”[5] He goes on to say regarding Luke’s word choice for this verse, “Luke didn’t choose the Greek word machaira, indicating a two-edged dagger; he used rhomphaia, for a broadsword—a giant, slashing-crushing blade.”[6] Essentially, the Messiah’s death will be like a sword to his mother and it will divide the nation like a broadsword, separating true followers of the covenant from unbelievers (Matthew 10:34-39). Again, Jesus will be the reason and the cause to why some will fall and some will rise (Luke 2:34); and now why some will experience pain.

What Swindoll is indicating is that the sword that will pierce the soul of Mary will not be some sort of dagger—a short knife—but a giant, crushing blade—something that does immense and long lasting damage, destruction, and devastation to people and nations. And it’s important to note that Luke is not talking about a physical sword—a physical rhomphaia—but a metaphorical sword that will not just pierce the soul but will pierce the heart leaving wounds of pain and suffering. This is not a happy ending.

Let’s return to the day when Mary received the news that she is with child from the Holy Spirit. Luke 1:30-37 tells us, “The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.’”

Did you hear any words referencing pain from the text? No. Did the angel Gabriel ever tell Mary that she is going to endure pain while raising the “Son of the Most High”? No. Did pain ever come across the thoughts of Mary? Probably not. We know that Mary was perplexed, but she is never told she is going to go through pain, expect possibly during childbirth. However, a month after Jesus is born, Mary is told that a metaphorical crushing blade will cause her unimaginable pain. When? She doesn’t know yet. All she can do is ponder these words in her heart; constantly wondering when this pain will occur and maybe when it will end.

We know when Mary will experience this pain. It won’t come when Jesus leaves to go proclaim the good news. It won’t come when the Pharisees and Scribes fight back against Jesus. It won’t come when Jesus is basically pushed out of his hometown of Nazareth. It won’t come when Jesus is pressed upon by the crowds. It won’t come when Jesus is out in the fields casting out demons. And it won’t come when Jesus is asleep in a boat during a dangerous and life-threatening  storm. Rather, it will be at the foot of the cross, watching her son grasping for freedom, struggling to breathe, tears pouring down her cheeks as excruciating pain and suffering extols from the cries of Jesus, and as she watches her child die before her very eyes and there’s nothing she can do about it. At that moment her heart and soul will be pierced. However, she doesn’t know this yet. But she does know that she will suffer.

Scripture tells us in 2 Timothy 3:12, “all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will [suffer],” and 1 Peter 5:10 informs us, “And after you have suffered for a little while….” We are like Mary: we are told, warned, that we will suffer, that we will endure pain; but we are never really told when we will suffer. Right now, I bet you are thinking of a particular moment in your life when it felt like your soul and your heart were pierced with a sword. You experienced an immense amount of pain that you either saw or didn’t see coming. You endured a season of suffering that words couldn’t explain. You underwent a change in your life that dimmed lights instead of brightened them. We have all been there. We have all been pierced with the sword of pain. Some of you have chosen to leave that pain in the past. Some of you have chosen to hang on to the pain. And yet, some of you don’t know how to deal with the pain so it just sits there and sits there and sits there: you want to move on but you can’t.

I want you to be honest with yourself, right here, right now: is the pain you are experiencing right now something you want to hang on to? Is it something you want in your future? Or do you want to get rid of it? I’m sorry to tell you this, but pain is part of our life—it will happen. But it’s not something that should control us. The second half of 1 Peter 5:10 states, “And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace…will…restore, support, strengthen, and establish you.” Mary knows she will endure great pain and suffering, but until that day comes she is going live a life by which God has control over; and even when that pain comes God is going to restore, support, strengthen, and establish her by giving her to the care of John. She is not going to be alone.

In your pain and suffering, you don’t have to be alone. God is here for you. The people in your life are here for you. I am here for you. There are hundreds of methods, suggestions, and ways that people deal with their pain and suffering, but I encourage you to do what the sinful woman does in the house of Simon the Pharisee or Leper. Luke 7:37-38 tells us, “And a woman in the city who was a sinner, having learned that [Jesus] was eating in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. She stood behind [Jesus] at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair, kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment.” Unlike the story of Jesus bringing back to life the only son of a widow, who he tells “Do not weep” (Luke 7:13), Jesus lets this woman weep and cry on his feet. He doesn’t push her away. He doesn’t stop her. Sometimes to release the pain within us, we have to weep—we have to learn to let things go, to give it all to Jesus, to surrender all that we are to him. And in response he will save us and restore us and will make us whole.

So right now, think about the pain that has pierced her heart and give to God. Let God handle it so that you can live your life until the next round of pain comes. And when it comes, give it to God again. We will experience pain but that pain does not have to control our life. Mary lived her life knowing she was going to experience pain, but she didn’t let what she couldn’t control dictate how she was going to live her life. Can you do the same thing?

 

Movement Three: Where We Go From Here…

As I have stated, pain is part of our life. We are going to experience moments of pain and seasons of suffering: it’s inevitable. But, have you ever thought how the pain you experience in the past has got you to where you are today? Have you ever thought how pain can lead to something beautiful? Listen to these stories:

I recently came across an excerpt from Lori Schumaker, an associate at Amazon. In her blogpost titled “How Jesus Saved Me and Showed me My True Worth and Hope,” she highlights the story of a person named Erica Dunomes. Dunomes shares her testimony of how Jesus saved her from a life of self-destruction, shame, and hopelessness. Jesus gave her a new name and a new destiny, transforming her life completely.[7] Dunomes wrote:

Life got better for me after Jesus came into it. I started spending time with Him, getting to know him through reading His Word. I would pray and ask Him to reveal Himself to me and help me to understand what I read. God proved himself. He proved Himself real, and he proved Himself faithful. In 2009, I met my husband. We married and became a blended family in 2010. 

In spite of the new changes, life in Christ did not get easier. Satan got busier. Many issues arose. Marriage and family issues. Financial issues. Health issues. Whatever the enemy could find to use, he used it with no slack. Yet, through all of it, God remained unchanging. Having been saved for almost twenty years now, I’ve come to realize that all those years ago, it wasn’t really about what I needed. It was all about Who I needed. I needed Jesus. I needed His truth and the gift of salvation that He offered me. How Jesus saved me was by covering me with His blood and by washing away all of my sins.

Did you catch what she said? She said, “…it wasn’t really about what I needed. It was all about who I needed. I needed Jesus.” In a season of pain, Dunomes realized that in order to get through the pain is wasn’t what she need but who she needed. She needed Jesus because it is Jesus who is going to help her remove the sword from her heart.

In a blogpost, the author of Pain Made You Beautiful: My Story of Overcoming Chronic Pain, notes toward the end, “The pain that I endured for so long was the catalyst I needed to challenge my beliefs and to force me to find the solution…. Pain led me to the answers.” Did you know that your pain could actually lead to something beautiful, something new, something lifesaving? Have you ever given any thought to the possibility that the pain you have or are experiencing is helping you become stronger and braver? Pain is not all that bad: it can actually change your life into something better if you let it.

The next story I want to share with you comes from Emily’s Aunt Mary Jorgenson who is battling cancer. In her most recent Facebook post she wrote, “Okay my faithful prayer warriors….God heard our prayers. He has answered. The cancer on my brain is basically GONE! The dozen or so spots I had are not there anymore. The cancer on my lung is almost nonexistent! As is the case with my other cancer areas. Now, I am not cancer free, but I am much better than when this all started! It’s amazing to see the scans and the remarkable appearance of the diminishing cancer! Maybe I should say disappearance! This is the best gift ever! I will never stop singing His praises or giving God the glory! He can do ALL things!” Even during a season of certainty, constant worry, and pain, Emily’s Aunt was given positive news.

The last story I will share with you has to deal with someone we all know: it’s Jesus. Jesus, during his ministry, experienced ridicule, insults,  frustration, and anger; and at the end of his ministry, he endured exhaustion, torture, and pain. He went through all this for you. He endured all this to let you know that no matter the pain you are dealing with it is not too great for him. Jesus, himself, experienced pain so that we could be saved, so that we can be made new, so that your pain could be turned into some beautiful. Jesus carries our pains so that we can be set free to face tomorrow. He wants to carry your pains so that you don’t have to.

Again, we are all going through some sort of pain in our life—whether it is physical, emotional, or mental—but that doesn’t mean our life should stop. We will suffer a little while, but it’s not God’s intent for us to suffer for forever. At some point, when you are ready, let go of the pain so that you can begin living your life again. Give it all to Jesus. Let him turn your pain into something beautiful.

 

Conclusion:

After a few months of ignoring my bicycle after that “bad crash,” I got back on those two wheels. Now, I didn’t ride it on the street. Instead, I rode it in the backyard so if I fell it wouldn’t hurt so badly. The thing that caused me pain shortly became the thing that I controlled. Mary was going to experience a piercing pain, but she still found within herself the will to live her life. Jesus foretold his death three times, but that didn’t stop him from doing what God needed him to do.

Church, friends, pain is inevitable. At some point in your life you will let pain control you—just like the Devil controls you when your faith is low. But, with Jesus in your life, you have someone who is going to help you get through that pain, you have someone who is going to help you ride again, you have someone who is going to help you believe again, you have someone who is going to encourage you to hope again, you have someone who is not going to give up on you, you have someone who is going to take the piercing of the sword for you, and you have someone who is going to turn that pain into something beautiful. You have someone who is going to turn that “bad crash” into a new life.

The blessing of Jesus, although doesn’t end on a cheerful note, does end on a note that encourages us to keep moving forward. We will endure pain, but that doesn’t mean that pain has to have the last word. It’s in our pain that Jesus reveals his strength. Embrace the pain, give it to Jesus, and decide to live a life that reveals the promising work of Christ. It’s time to reveal to the world the One who reveals us to the world. How are you going to reveal Jesus in your life?

Let it be so…

 

Closing Prayer:

Let us pray: Dear Jesus, remove our pain, takeaway our suffering, and remind us that we are not alone. O Lord, turn our pain into something beautiful as we live a life not controlled by pain but by your love. In your precious name we pray, Amen.

 

Benediction:

Whenever you have a “bad crash,” don’t give up. Don’t let the pain takeaway from living your life. This week, decide to give your pain to Jesus so that you can be the person he needs you to be. May the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; and May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26). In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit go forth seeking ways to reveal Jesus in your life. And all God’s people said, Amen. Amen. Amen.

 

 

[1] https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db518.htm#:~:text=Key%20findings-,Data%20from%20the%20National%20Health%20Interview%20Survey,pain%20both%20increased%20with%20age.

[2] https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db518.htm#:~:text=Key%20findings-,Data%20from%20the%20National%20Health%20Interview%20Survey,pain%20both%20increased%20with%20age.

[3] https://healthsciences.arizona.edu/news/releases/study-shows-millions-people-live-co-occuring-chronic-pain-and-mental-health-symptoms

[4] According to Charles R. Swindoll, “After blessing the couple, Simeon prophesied the future of the Christ child. He would be both a blessing and a curse to individuals, depending on how they regard him.”

[5] Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s New Testament Insights: Insights on Luke, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2012. Pg. 74.

[6] Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s New Testament Insights: Insights on Luke, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2012. Pg. 73

[7] https://lorischumaker.com/how-jesus-saved-me/