Tag Archives: Revised Common Lectionary

Holding the frame in a new time: the example of Elkanah

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Flight into Egypt Fra Angelico (1387-1455, Italian)

Well, it is New Year’s Day, and the first Sunday after Christmas. In much of the country it was simply awful yesterday. The usual celebrations were cancelled — as Neil Reid reports:

In a year blighted by natural disasters, mother nature was unrelenting to the end, with several New Year’s Eve celebrations cancelled as rain lashed the country.

Campsites were flooded and rain contributed to carnage on the roads. There was also a near-miss for two people whose car was swept into a river near Whangamata.

However, it was fine in Dunedin. I had to break out the Tilley Hat: something I avoid because the thing is ugly, but I needed the shade when walking. In the forests above Dunedin. Besides this, there is some good news in the papers this morning: the suicide rate went down and this is attributed by a worker to increased social cohesion during the rugby world cup and christchurch earthquakes. As a researcher, I’d need to look at the data (for there is a secular trend in NZ that is decreasing suicide rates anyway. As a clinician, I am just happy. For every suicide is a tragedy.

Another bit of good news, from my point of view, is that my favourite left radical had but one of then of his wishes from last year fulfilled. I wish Matt well: he was extremely sick last year and I hope he is able to write a similar column next year.

This is a Sunday, and thus there are two sets of readings. This is from the standard set:

1 Samuel 1:1-2, 7b-28

1There was a certain man of Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham son of Elihu son of Tohu son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2He had two wives; the name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

7bTherefore Hannah wept and would not eat. 8Her husband Elkanah said to her, “‘Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? Why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?”

9After they had eaten and drunk at Shiloh, Hannah rose and presented herself before the Lord. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord. 10She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord, and wept bitterly. 11She made this vow: “O Lord of hosts, if only you will look on the misery of your servant, and remember me, and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a male child, then I will set him before you as a nazirite until the day of his death. He shall drink neither wine nor intoxicants, and no razor shall touch his head.”

12As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. 13Hannah was praying silently; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard; therefore Eli thought she was drunk. 14So Eli said to her, “How long will you make a drunken spectacle of yourself? Put away your wine.” 15But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman deeply troubled; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. 16Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation all this time.” 17Then Eli answered, “Go in peace; the God of Israel grant the petition you have made to him.” 18And she said, “Let your servant find favor in your sight.” Then the woman went to her quarters, ate and drank with her husband, and her countenance was sad no longer.

19They rose early in the morning and worshipped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at Ramah. Elkanah knew his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her. 20In due time Hannah conceived and bore a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I have asked him of the Lord.”

21The man Elkanah and all his household went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice, and to pay his vow. 22But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, that he may appear in the presence of the Lord, and remain there for ever; I will offer him as a nazirite for all time.” 23Her husband Elkanah said to her, “Do what seems best to you, wait until you have weaned him; only — may the Lord establish his word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son, until she weaned him. 24When she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine. She brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh; and the child was young. 25Then they slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to Eli. 26And she said, “Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the Lord. 27For this child I prayed; and the Lord has granted me the petition that I made to him. 28Therefore I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives, he is given to the LORD.“

Many, many sermons have been written about Hannah. But not much is said about Elkanah. For he was her husband, and the father of the last and greatest of the judges, Samuel. We are aware that he was a man of the LORD. He did not worship other Gods, and he kept the law. We are also aware that he loved his wife. He did not despise her because Hannah did not have children (though her sister-wife did). He was a man of wealth: the sacrifices he gave were not the minimal. Compare this to what Mary ahd Joseph offered when they (as people who followed the Law) went to dedicate Jesus

Luke 2:22-24

22When 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”), 24and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons.”

And… he allowed Hannah’s vow to stand. The Law was clear on this: A husband could disavow the vow of his wife. The child needed to be dedicated to the LORD, true, because he was the first born. But this did not mean that the child served in the temple for most. Jesus did not: he went and learnt a trade from his father. Hannah made two vows — they were in addition to the usual — that her child would serve at the temple and that he would be a Nazirite (a vow that is allowed in the Law for a period of specail devotion and purity) from birth. Elkanah let this stand. And once they had agreed to this course of action, Elkahah and Hannah did what they had promised.

Now, what should we take from this? Three suggestions.

  1. Firstly, we should respect the fervour of women. This does not mean that we should be ruled by it. The priest was correct to question what Hannah was doing. We do not want drunken promises, out of control worship, or people to be ruled by their emotions. But the prayers of women, particularly for their children, are not to be despised. There is a risk for us men here, for there are a large number of  very silly and misguided women out there — many now in positions of leadership or influence — who do not think things through in a rational way, follow their instincts (when we should modifiy our behaviour so we neither damage ourselves or others(. We then discount the women of faith. And that has always been an error.
  2. We need to honour our word, and keep frame. I better explain this a little. The term  comes from supportive therapy. You set up a contract that you will be available at appointed times — and during that time you will listen. You will not act, and you won’t put your stuff (technially, project your conter transference) onto the client. It is a professional relationship with fairly strong rules around it. For some it is a secular ritual. But, as a therapist, you do not change. You are there. You hold the anxiety, fear, hatred, love, loathing and despair the person has and you do not act on it. The second that you appear to be fearful and out of control the entire experience of therapy becomes unsafe. Elkanah. held frame. He loved his wife, not because she had given him ten sons (I love the hyperbole) but because he had chosen to love her. When she would not eat and cried, he still loved her. And when she made the vow, he listened, decided it was right, and then bent the habits and rituals of the family for that period — and only for that reason. Elkanah is an example of male leadership within the family. This allowed Hannah to grieve, to experience joy: for Elkanah made it safe for her.
  3. Thirdly, all three adults in the family (Hannah, Peninnah and Elkanah) worshipped the LORD in a planned manner. They did not wait for the spirit to spontenously arrive. Here I think Barna is making an error in his criticism of the methods of worship we have.  The very structure of worship (and he is correct, the protestant service is a modification of a late medieval mass: we spend too much money on churches when we should hire halls: and scripture has but some very simple rules on worship). allows us to work through the task of worship in a planned manner.

There is a reason that I use the lectionary and daily readings here. It is not because I have taken a vow to read the missal, or to do morning and evening prayers. For many years I did not do this: I read the bible, chapters at a time.  But the structure of the lectionary is useful. The structure of our services is useful.

So what am I wishing for those who read this? Well, again, I am borrowing from the lectionary.

Colossians 1:9-20W

9 For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. 11May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Happy and blessed new year everyone, May you keep your covenants and vows, and may this year be one of joy and growth.

Power and Stumbling.

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There is a lot of newsworthiness in being contrary. A few examples over the last days… such as charity being bad because it destroys dignity. (Yes, Charity requires you accept what you have not earnt, and that destroys self worth (which is what the author meant) and builds humility). Or pretending that child abuse is not an issue in certain groups (in New Zealand, Maori) and calling any discussion of this racist. Again, it is not about preserving the feelings of adults. It is about preserving the welfare of the little ones.

For in todays reading Jesus says that the angels protecting children are always before God.

Matthew 18:1-14

1At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2He called a child, whom he put among them, 3and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

6“If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea. 7Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes!

8“If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and to be thrown into the eternal fire. 9And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into the hell of fire.

10“Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven. 12What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? 13And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.

So what are the stumbling blocks I need to be aware of? I don’t beat my kids into a pulp. But at times I am less holy than I ought to be — and my boys see that. I don’t pretend that I am a ruler of the church or in the kingdom — but I am going to work today, where I run (or rule) an acute psychiatric ward. I cannot pretend that I am without power.

And to offend… these little ones, puts one at risk of great punishment. Calvin notes.

But whosoever shall offend one of those little ones. This appears to be added for the consolation of the godly, that they may not be rendered uneasy by their condition, if they are despised by the world. It is a powerful obstruction to the voluntary exercise of modesty, when they imagine, that by so doing they expose themselves to contempt; and it is hard to be not only treated disdainfully, but almost trodden under foot, by haughty men. Christ therefore encourages his disciples by the consoling truth, that, if their mean condition draws upon them the insults of the world, God does not despise them.

But he appears to have had likewise another object in view; for a dispute had arisen amongst them as to the first place of honor, from which it might naturally have been inferred that the Apostles were tainted with sinful ambition. Every man who thinks too highly of himself, or desires to be preferred to others, must necessarily treat his brethren with disdain. To cure this disease, Christ threatens a dreadful punishment, if any man in his pride shall throw down those who are oppressed with poverty, or who in heart are already humbled.

Under the word offend he includes more than if he had forbidden them to despise their brethren; though the man who gives himself no concern about offending the weak, does so for no other reason, than because he does not render to them the honor to which they are entitled. Now as there are various kinds of offenses, it will be proper to explain generally what is meant by offending If any man through our fault either stumbles, or is drawn aside from the right course, or retarded in it, we are said to offend him. 504 Whoever then desires to escape that fearful punishment which Christ denounces, let him stretch out his hand to the little ones who are despised by the world, and let him kindly assist them in keeping the path of duty; for Christ recommends them to our notice, that they may lead us to exercise voluntary humility; as Paul enjoins the children of God to

condescend to men of low estate, (Ro 12:16,)

and again says that

we ought not to please ourselves, (Ro 15:1.)

To hang a millstone about a man’s neck, and drown him in the sea, was the punishment then reckoned the most appalling, and which was inflicted on the most atrocious malefactors. When our Lord alludes to this punishment, we are enabled to perceive how dear and precious those persons are in the sight of God, who are mean and despised in the eyes of the world.

Now how do we offend? I do not think this is about feelings. I think it is about disrespecting the status of the poor, the downtrodden and oppressed, as adults. As equals. Adults do not need protection from harsh words, or being told “No, you cannot afford this”. Adults have a role — to protect their little ones. Adults need to work — to provide for their children, to improve their community, to ensure that the little ones are protected, safe and growing.

We spend too much time being careful about what we say, and not dealing with problems in our society. Among Maori, some leaders acknowledge there is a problem with violence. If you do not name the problem, confess the problem, you leave a stumbling block. And when people in power prevent this, there is a great evil — as Calvin points out, Jesus teaches this, by alluding to a terrible punishment.

NOTE ON IF YOUR HAND OFFENDS YOU. Jesus teaches by parable and hyperbole. He does not command us to take those who lie and drown them. In the same way, he does not command us to cut various parts of our anatomy off, What he commands is that we examine ourselves, and surrender all of our lives to him. Which is as painful, at times, as having an amputation without anaesthesia.

Soveriegnty is not ours.

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The Lordship and rulership of this world is not given to us.

We can’t control it. No matter how good our engineering, all we can do is mitigate disasters. They happen. When the land beneath the foundations of your building liquifies, the craft with which you built the foundations is naught.

Samuel was confronting the people of Isreal who no longer wanted to wait for a judge. They were reaching for security. They now wanted a king, like the nations around them.  When they lost the kingship (for neither the people nor the king followed the law consistently) then they looked for the coming king. But Jesus’ kingdom was not built in slaughter and battle.

I Samuel

12But when you saw that King Nahash of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ though the LORD your God was your king. 13See, here is the king whom you have chosen, for whom you have asked; see, the LORD has set a king over you. 14If you will fear the LORD and serve him and heed his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the LORD your God, it will be well; 15but if you will not heed the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD will be against you and your king

Luke 23

1Then the assembly rose as a body and brought Jesus before Pilate. 2They began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man perverting our nation, forbidding us to pay taxes to the emperor, and saying that he himself is the Messiah, a king.” 3Then Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” He answered, “You say so.” 4Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no basis for an accusation against this man.” 5But they were insistent and said, “He stirs up the people by teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee where he began even to this place.”

via Daily Lectionary Readings — Devotions and Readings — Mission and Ministry — GAMC.

Since we are not sovereign, we must all submit to the will of the soveriegn — that is Jesus. Like soldiers, we are under orders. And like an army, there is a structure in the way we should order our church: The eldership guide the deacons and head of families who have the duty to teach their children. God’s intrusive: and the most systematic set of rules of living (developed by our Catholic brothers and sisters) gets quite direct about what should happen, even inside the marriage bed. My understanding of this is that it can be simplified by men to two commands and one piece of guidance.

  1. Love your wife as Christ loved the church.
  2. Do not oppress her.
  3. Use both Islam and feminism as a guide. Both are deeply in error, so if they advocate something, it is probably wise not to stray to that course of action.

There are patterns of rebellion.

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Consider, if you will the sermon that Stephen gave — or his defence against blasphemy, if you will. He is accusing the council of ignoring Jesus as their ancestors ignored Moses.

But to say to the rulers at that time — who were all proud that they were sons of Israel and kept the Law of Moses — that the very ancestors who they saw as their justification rebelled and rejected the law was unthinkable. Unspeakable. Blasphemy.

In rage, Stephen was stoned.

Acts 7.

30“Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush. 31When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight; and as he approached to look, there came the voice of the Lord: 32‘I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses began to tremble and did not dare to look. 33Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. 34I have surely seen the mistreatment of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to rescue them. Come now, I will send you to Egypt.’35“It was this Moses whom they rejected when they said, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ and whom God now sent as both ruler and liberator through the angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36He led them out, having performed wonders and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for forty years. 37This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘God will raise up a prophet for you from your own people as he raised me up.’ 38He is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors; and he received living oracles to give to us. 39Our ancestors were unwilling to obey him; instead, they pushed him aside, and in their hearts they turned back to Egypt, 40saying to Aaron, ‘Make gods for us who will lead the way for us; as for this Moses who led us out from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’

via Daily Lectionary Readings — Devotions and Readings — Mission and Ministry — GAMC.

If we, like Stephen, argue that the main aim in life is to glorify God, then we will at times think and say that which is unthinkable. You are not allowed to mention things. And if there is data supporting your position, you must disavow the data. From the O’herald

While Alasdair Thompson has issued an “unreserved and unqualified” apology for suggesting women’s periods affect their productivity in the workforce, figures show there is just 1.6 days annual difference between that taken by men and women working in the public service.

The figures were based on data in the State Services Commission’s Human Resources Capability Study and show that in 2010 men took on average 6.8 days sick and domestic leave annually while women took 8.4 days.

Um, that is a difference of 1.6 days. If that happens, you must appeal to a secular deity to explain it.

The figures showing the actual differences in time taken were released by the Public Service Association and national secretary Brenda Pilott said that given that the majority of responsibility for children and other family members falls on women, she was surprised there was n0t a larger difference in the amount of days taken.

Now, as a Solo Dad, I am unsurprised by the assumption that Ms Pillot has that women do the child care. Not the case here — but the theology of feminism requires that this is said. (Yes, she is making assumptions based on sex. Not OK for Mr Thompson, because he is white, male, and an employer. Is OK for Ms Pillot, because she belongs to two protected minorities –  women and unionists).

All this can lead us to get distracted from what we are called to do. Be witnesses, and glorify God. Witnesses tell the truth. And part of the pattern of rebellion is that the truth must be kept silent.

Priesthood.

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Paul contrasts the Priest of the temple with Jesus. In the paragraph before this, he describes Jesus as the great high priest. He then talks about the role of the priest:

Hebrews 5.

1Every high priest chosen from among mortals is put in charge of things pertaining to God on their behalf, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness; 3and because of this he must offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people. 4And one does not presume to take this honor, but takes it only when called by God, just as Aaron was.

Now, Jesus was his own priest and his own sacrifice. Calvin’s commentary on this argues quite closely.

Taken from among men, etc. This he says of the priests. It hence follows that it was necessary for Christ to be a real man; for as we are very far from God, we stand in a manner before him in the person of our priest, which could not be, were he not one of us. Hence, that the Son of God has a nature in common with us, does not diminish his dignity, but commends it the more to us; for he is fitted to reconcile us to God, because he is man. Therefore Paul, in order to prove that he is a Mediator, expressly calls him man; for had he been taken from among angels or any other beings, we could not by him be united to God, as he could not react down to us.

For men, etc. This is the second clause; the priest was not privately a minister for himself, but was appointed for the common good of the people. But it is of great consequence to notice this, so that we may know that the salvation of us all is connected with and revolves on the priesthood of Christ. The benefit is expressed in these words, ordains those things which pertain to God. They may, indeed, be explained in two ways, as the verb kathistatai has a passive as well as an active sense. They who take it passively give this version, “is ordained in those things,” etc.; and thus they would have the preposition in to be understood; I approve more of the other rendering, that the high priest takes care of or ordains the things pertaining to God; for the construction flows better, and the sense is fuller. [84] But still in either way, what the Apostle had in view is the same, namely, that we have no intercourse with God, except there be a priest; for, as we are unholy, what have we to do with holy things? We are in a word alienated from God and his service until a priest interposes and undertakes our cause.

I think that no orthodox person would argue that all the reconciliation that we have revolves around Christ and his intercession on our behalf. He is the high priest: the person that all others are dependent upon for our salvation. Any authority on spiritual issues comes only through him.

Where I think there needs to be another correction is that this authority is not as of right. Calvin again expands this:

… What makes an office lawful is the call of God; so that no one can rightly and orderly perform it without being made fit for it by God. Christ and Aaron had this in common, that God called them both; but they differed in this, that Christ succeeded by a new and different way and was made a perpetual priest…

If one beleives that the church is in this earth to make disciples, to teach and do the work of Christ, it follows that any person leading the church must be called of God. And this call needs to be tested. There is no right of a human to demand a call: there are qualifications for such a call, and it is not our place to break them. For those churches that hold a high view of priests as in an apostolic succession from Peter and Paul themselves, this is especially important, as they claim to stand before the people and intercede on their behalf.

But this is getting lost, particularly in parts of the Anglican and Catholic communions. This kind of service is not seen as part of the kingdom of heaven, but instead part of some form of clerical civil service, and the secular standard of tolerence is seen as replacing the need for call, and indeed the glory of the call. The lectionary today also has the call of Ezekial and Jesus being seen in heaven — and the reaction of the observers (Ezekiel and the Apostles) was trembling fear.

The liberals are claiming as a right what angels themselves fear to be. I hope that they are blinded by their sense of general good-will, for if they are thinking clearly they should know that it is indeed a fearful thing to fall into the hands of God.


Blots, Labels and Kirk.

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Galatians 5:1

For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

via Daily Lectionary Readings — Devotions and Readings — Mission and Ministry — GAMC.

This was not the text today: the correct text and the one preached on was John 9:1 –41. We concentrated on the following:

1As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. 4We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. 5As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, 7saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent).

Barry led us to consider how we have been limited by the words and blame that have been attributed to us by others. From being called infidels or racists (which I fully expect, given my most recent post) to being told one is a dweeb, useless and unloveable… if we are told often enough we lose the sober assessment of our strengths and weaknesses we need to function.

Our perspective is incomplete. The idea that one is blind from birth — unable to fend for oneself, begging — is unjust. The healing is miraculous. But Jesus strips away the comfort that this is some kind of karma or familial curse. Sometimes things happen that are unjust to allow a miracle. (This should not have been a surprise to any Jew: for Moses recorded that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart so he would not repent, and in the process not only allowed Israel to be liberated but damned Egypt. Israel’s freedom came at a price). I can’t understand this. It is beyond me. Like Job, I am aware there are things that are too great, and I shut my mouth.

But… for two things.

Firstly, I pray for miracles. For healing. For the opening of people’s lives beyond any script that this world puts on them. Particularly in my family,  but beyond my family, nation and religion.

Secondly, as we were reminded at Kirk today, miracles and healing comes from God. And there is but one way to God, through the life and sacrifice of Jesus. For our liberation and healing also comes at a cost — that of Jesus being tortured and killed in our place.

Through Christ we can destroy the blots and labels that have been shoved on us. It is not of our doing, and in this liberation we cannot claim any credit.

Second Sunday after Epiphany.

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One of the difficulties I have had since this year began is finding the appropriate RCL readings on line. For about a year I used the Presbyterian link from the US. This is a link from an episcopalian site. It includes the collect or prayer for each day.

The Collect

Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory, that he may be known, worshipped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Isaiah 49

But I said, “I have labored in vain,

I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;yet surely my cause is with the LORD, and my reward with my God.”
And now the LORD says, who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him,
and that Israel might be gathered to him, for I am honored in the sight of the LORD, and my God has become my strength–he says,
“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

I Corinthians

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind– just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you– so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

I spent yesterday on call, and much of the day at work. In this, I was glad that the boys were on holiday, but this morning I’m in recovery mode. Dealing with the pain of others hurts — and when it stops hurting you are officially useless as a therapist and a human being. As I result I slept through both the time of my usual kirk (which closes over the summer break) and the 10 am standard services.
We are told to wait patiently, that our faithfulness is for the glory of God and a witness to his glory in the nations. We are not told that this will be without pain or will be easy.
And those who say this…. are at best in error.