Stephen King’s character, Ted Brautigan, tells youthful Bobby Garfield, “When you’re young, you have moments of such happiness, you think you’re living in someplace magical, like Atlantis must have been. Then we grow up, and our hearts break in two.” (“Hearts in Atlantis”)
That breaking comes in many ways. Because of sin’s onset, God “subjected” (creation) “to futility”…and placed it in “slavery to corruption.” (Romans 8:20, 21) Friend, who knows when futility and corruption will manifest themselves?
For example, consider “Sam”, a sprightly older man in his late 70’s. We met after a lecture regarding the care of words. Our conversation ran deep.
As an infant, Sam simultaneously contracted two serious diseases. The doctor, called to Sam’s parent’s farmhouse, held out no hope. Already having lost other children to disease, Sam’s Mother with deep groaning poured out her soul in prayer like Hannah (1 Samuel 1: 10-17).
Mercy, mercy! God spared Sam’s life. Like Hannah in the Bible, Sam’s Mother encouraged Sam to go into the ministry. And he did.
Sam and his wife, “Sarah”, raised six children. And there were challenges with churches – he even had the sad duty of closing one.
Sam’s greatest challenge came after the children had left. Something broke in Sarah. She became dangerous. On numerous occasions, she tried to take Sam’s life. Finally, a daughter helped him commit Sarah to a mental hospital.
Once, after Sam visited Sarah, a doctor pulled him aside saying: “Sam, following your visits, it takes days for your wife to settle down. For her well-being and ours, we ask you not to visit your wife.”
What a story!
I asked Sam: “What good has God been in all of this?”
Sam, who had thought much about life, with unwavering voice replied: “God’s love is incorruptible.”
Friend, “incorruptible” leads us to the majestic New Testament book, Ephesians. Paul and the Holy Spirit conspire to make “incorruptible” the last word – the word that continues to ring in our ears and dominate our thoughts.
“Incorruptible” had that effect on me.
Traveling from Helena to preach Sunday, August 27, 2023, for a 4:00 service in Laurel, MT (3+ hours away), I felt an urge – by the Holy Spirit? – to stop and worship at dynamic Trailhead Christian Fellowship – north of Townsend.
Although I walked in late, that unexpected stop paid rich dividends.
Pastor Mark, completing his series on Ephesians, preached from 6:21-24: Note verse 24: “Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with ‘love incorruptible.’”
“Love incorruptible” – what a pair of words!
I wondered, was “incorruptible” the base word of the same word Paul used in Romans 8 when he wrote that God has enslaved creation to “corruption?”
My Bible Hub phone app showed me the words in Romans 8 and Ephesians 6 are the same – except the word in Ephesians 6 has the little letter “a” as a prefix. That brawny “a” flips the whole idea from corruption and brokenness to vibrant life!
Christian, being enslaved to corruption is not the final word. “Love incorruptible!”
My heart leapt at this last word.
Now, some backstory. From 10/21-7/22, our now 43-year-old son Jordan went through great adversities. He responded to ongoing wicked trauma on many fronts by trying to take his life three times. We felt the power of that vortex too.
Once, in Mexico, he jumped from a tower, broke his back and smashed his feet. His back required 8-hour surgery. It is remarkable he can walk on his shattered feet.
After we exhausted mental health resources in Montana, friends recommended Menninger Clinic in Houston. Menninger charged $50,000 to walk in the door.
God provided.
What a story of God’s love through leadership from Rocky Mountain Community Church, Billings, MT ($20,000 – I pastored them for three months while their pastor was away on sabbatical), Peace Presbyterian, Cary, NC ($10,000 – I pastored this church for 18 years), and friends giving through a Christian go-fund-me site ($26,000).
Somehow, Jordan believed God’s love through so many. God answered friends’ prayers. Needed meds worked. Jordan turned a corner. Praise God! If you pray, please continue to pray for Jordan.
According to J. R. R. Tolkien, history, for Christians, is a “long defeat — though it contains some samples or glimpses of final victory.”
Although God’s kingdom is already coming, evil is not yet exterminated. Like Tolkien’s Middle Earth, our world is subjected to futility and enslaved by corruption. But Christians hope in God. God can, and indeed already has, conquered sin and death in Jesus. No longer enslaved without hope, Christians pray and fight the “long defeat.”
In Andrew Peterson’s 2018 congregational song, “Is He Worthy?”, we ask: “Is all creation groaning?” We answer: “(It is).” And we ask in hope: “Is a new creation coming?” We affirm: “(It is).”
Dear follower of Christ, focusing on God’s HOPE, Romans 8 is our solid foundation. Ponder the entire passage: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”
