Today, we want to continue to take a look at Lifesong Lessons. What is our lifesong? Our lifesong is what our life sings about the one we worship. Two weeks ago we looked at how everything we do is worship. We asked the question what does your life say about the one you worship. Last week we looked at how we worship when faced with the storms of life. Do we simply worship God when everything is going right or do we worship him at all times?

This morning is really a sequel to last week’s sermon. We want to take another look at trials. Yes, we know that trials happen. As we have been reading through Job this week, we understand that. But we want to take a look at how other’s trials affect our worship. Now I know I’ve already lost some of you. Here is the question. How do we worship God, by helping others through their trials? We’ve already established that everything we do is worship and that worship should be directed to God Almighty, the maker of heaven and earth. If that is the case, then helping others is part of our spiritual act of worship; especially helping those who are going through especially trying times. Can I suggest that this IS the church’s purpose? James captures the heart of Jesus’ message in James 1:27, “Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us.” I don’t think it takes it out of context to say not only the widows and orphans in their distress, but anyone in their distress. We want to take a look at helping all those who are going through trying times. How do we help those going through trouble? We do what Jesus would have done. He would have loved them. Sometimes that means we might have to get messy. Look how the “religious” misunderstood Jesus. Jesus harshest words were often aimed right at the religious. Those who were sinners, liars, and tax collectors often avoided Jesus’ wrath. They needed his love and He gave that to them. In helping those who are in distress, we put hands and feet on Jesus, we literally become Jesus’ hands and feet. What are the implications for us? Listen to this familiar passage from The Message. “Are you tired? Worn out? Burnt out on religion? Come to me, get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me, and work with me, watch how I do it, learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” See, Jesus is not just religion…He is a relationship. We often look at that word yoke and think Jesus is making things harder for us. In reality the yoke makes it easier to get the job done. There are many who are tired, worn out and burnt out on religion. When they are going through a difficult time, the last thing they want is “religion.” That even applies to religious people like you and me. They want Jesus with skin on. That Jesus is you and me and as the song says, you and I may be the only Jesus they will ever see. Sometimes that ministering is as simple as holding their hand. It really doesn’t take much to be a good friend to someone going through difficulty. If we have learned anything from Job, it’s to keep our mouth shut when we don’t know what we’re talking about.

When others are going through difficulty, we need to remember this passage. “That is why we have a great High Priest who has gone to heaven, Jesus the Son of God. Let us cling to him and never stop trusting him. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.”

One of the things that I’m learning is that very few people will refuse prayer in times of trouble. In a way, to love them like Jesus, we can become intercessors on their behalf. We can pray for them. It was just a few years ago, during prayer meeting that a mother-in-law mentioned to pray for her daughter-in-law. We weren’t given any details, but she told us it was serious. Later that week, I received a phone call from Pam. The church was getting together for an impromptu prayer meeting. The daughter-in-law had been diagnosed with aggressive cancer. Wow! What do I do? It didn’t take me long to realize that I needed to be there. What do I say? What do I do? It took Pam about 15 minutes to come pick me up and another 15 to get back to the church. In the meantime, I prayed. God, I’m relying on you. I can’t identify with this situation. I have no idea what to say. As I got to the church, the prayer meeting was already in full swing. There was quite a group from that small congregation. I sat in the back pew for a few moments, still asking God to help me know what to say. I was terrified to say the wrong, stupid thing. My young shepherding skills were inadequate at best for the task. Maybe that was a good thing, since I relied totally on God for the task. As there was a break in the prayer, I made my way to the front. I grabbed by anointing oil from the pulpit and made my way to the front pew. There was a modesty rail in front of that pew so I knelt on the other side and began to minister to the congregation. She talked for a few moments and as she talked, I continued to ask God for guidance. When she was done, I proceeded slowly and God gave me the words for the hour. Do I remember what I said? No, I would be great because I could use them for the next time, but God through the ministry of the Holy Spirit worked that afternoon. It was a long year for that couple, who was just about our age. Eventually through a lot of prayer and the care of the doctors, she was healed and the church rejoiced.

We live our lives as jars of clay Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:7-18, “7 But this precious treasure—this light and power that now shine within us—is held in perishable containers, that is, in our weak bodies. So everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own.
8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don’t give up and quit. 9 We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going. 10 Through suffering, these bodies of ours constantly share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.
11 Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be obvious in our dying bodies. 12 So we live in the face of death, but it has resulted in eternal life for you.
13 But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, and so I speak.” 14 We know that the same God who raised our Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself along with you. 15 All of these things are for your benefit. And as God’s grace brings more and more people to Christ, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.
16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. 17 For our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! 18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.” This jar of clay felt totally inadequate for the job of ministering that afternoon, but through Christ I was made strong for the job. Because of what Christ has don for us, we can have a great hope in cause of trouble and we can take that hope and give to others who are going through difficulty and we can take them through it. We looked that this same passage last week. We have a hope that will last forever and we can help others see the hope we have. That’s how we love them like Jesus. We need to carry them to Jesus. We don’t need to have all the answers; just like that afternoon several years ago. I didn’t have any answers, but I came and prayed and loved them and carried them to Jesus.

Several of you know that my friend Mark Wilson’s wife collapsed this week. It was really cool to see the outpouring of love from his church back to him and his wife. I love what one person wrote. As you hold the hand of Kathy, God will hold on to yours. Perhaps there’s someone in your life who could really use you today. They could really use the love of Jesus in their life. Our challenge this morning is to come to the altar and pray for someone you know. If you can’t come to the altar, I encourage you to come sit in the front pew and pray for them. If you don’t have anyone you know in need, I encourage you to come and help me pray for Mark and Kathy Wilson.