A Few Words

 

A few words can go a long way, as in all the way from Louisiana to Nova Scotia.  A special friend of ours gave us these monogrammed t-shirts a while ago.  She loved Mom from the moment she met her and I am thankful for this kind lady’s sweet thoughtfulness.  While studying at Université Ste Anne, here in Nova Scotia, she adopted Clare’s Community Church as her own and we have all been the better for it.  Blue is Mom’s favourite colour.  Even though, because of dementia, she cannot quite comprehend how the initials work, she is just plain happy with the gift and recognizes that someone loves her.  Add to this our Easter outing, and her day was as special as it could be. 

Somehow, we think we need to do some grandiose gesture to show our love of Christ and for Christ; to demonstrate grace and mercy to those around us.  Not so.  Our world is full of the lonely, the heartbroken and the disillusioned.  Being made in the image of God, we have the imprint of intimacy on our hearts; we are made for fellowship, reflecting the perfect companionship of our triune God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. 

Some time ago, I had the privilege of caring for a special 98 year-old senior citizen, in the city of Toronto.  She had a Companion who came to spend time with her every day.  After having lived in Long Term Care for one year, her doctor stated: “If this lady did not have a Companion, she would have died some time ago.  She would have died from loneliness.”

I am not surprised that loneliness is now considered one of the greatest health hazards of our generation.  http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2017/08/lonely-die.aspx We are lonesome, first of all, for fellowship with God, caused by our sin and rejection of Him.  And, by virtue of this, we are also prone to loneliness even in the midst of a crowd- we were made for more than that; we were made for true companionship.   The Gospel transcends these divides and brings us into fellowship with God through the work of Christ’s death and resurrection, paying for our sins so that we will not be forever lost; so that we will know what true friendship is, forever found in Christ. 

Let’s show our world the power of the gospel, by loving and serving others; by breaking through the fog of loneliness where so many people are lost and hurting; by introducing them to Christ.  No doubt you can think of someone right now who could use a visit, a phone call or even a wee gift.  And it could very well be someone next door, let alone someone who lives thousands of miles away.

Ecclesiastes 4:9,10

“Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labour.  For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion.  

But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up.”