Yesterday I returned to work, bearing cake. MY aim was to simply clear four weeks of emails. Can I give this lecture. Can I review this paper. What to do with the commissioning people who suddenly want another review when we have completed the job per contract. It required planning. At the same time I am told of illness among colleagues, and people being seconded. Plans have to be unmade and remade.

We all know that in this fallen world most things do not run smooth. Paul had promised he would visit Corinth. He now cannot: he is incarcerated. So he askes if this means God is faithless.

The photo was taken from Whaleoil. It is from the funeral of Steve Askin, who died when his helicopter crashed during the ongoing bush fires we have in Canterbury. We should honour him: he was a decorated veteran on the NZ defence force. And we should pray for his family, who have lost a brother, son, and husband.

But God is faithful, in all things

2 Corinthians 1:12-22

¹²Indeed, this is our boast, the testimony of our conscience: we have behaved in the world with frankness and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God — and all the more toward you. ¹³For we write to you nothing other than what you can read and also understand; I hope you will understand until the end — ¹⁴as you have already understood us in part — that on the day of the Lord Jesus we are your boast even as you are our boast.

¹⁵Since I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a double favor; ¹⁶I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and to come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on to Judea. ¹⁷Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans according to ordinary human standards, ready to say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time? ¹⁸As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been “Yes and No.” ¹⁹For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not “Yes and No”; but in him it is always “Yes.” ²⁰For in him every one of God’s promises is a “Yes.” For this reason it is through him that we say the “Amen,” to the glory of God. ²¹But it is God who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us, ²²by putting his seal on us and giving us his Spirit in our hearts as a first installment.

In this life we will fail. Often. We will be lade: in the wrong place, or making the correct choice too early or too late. But God is always faithful.

When things happen that we do not want and we cannot see the purpose for, we need to remember that his promises remain. WHen all is taken from us we need to continue to be faithful, for his promises remain. There are good things, and times of joy: it is good to have those.

But we will leave this world as we came in to it, one by one, unless the LORD comes.

And all our wealth and plans and schemes will stay here. In the next life there will be those of Christ, and the next death awaits those without Christ. Pray and work that we will have many with us in the next life, for the only thing eternal is people.

And make your plans lightly, for they may have to be changed. You are not in control, but he who is is faithful.