That's the way we at St. John's feel about the happenings of this week-we "ain't never seen a wreck like this before." Shock is the only word that keeps coming to mind. I am still in shock. It's hard to understand how Bishop Smith could forcibly take possession of the church building and it's contents, in the face of the lay leadership's opposition, have the locks changed while the lay people looked on, install a priest-in-charge without consultation with the vestry, and all, he says, for the health and stability of the parish! Trinity be warned.

Shock also that a good and faithful priest has been suspended from priestly ministry because he stood in opposition to his bishop on theological and moral grounds in a time when our world-wide Communion has rebuked the position of that bishop and those who think like he does.

The pain of loss, the sense of violation, the anger we feel, the sense of confusion, of what to do next is heavy on our hearts and minds. We're left with a feeling of helplessness. We want to cry out with the psalmist, "How long, O Lord, how long!"

Because I planned to take a weeks vacation starting today, I had prepared my sermon early and had it finished by Tuesday evening. Then came the events of Wednesday the 13th (we'll refer to it now as 7/13) and my sermon went out the window for those events made those words irrelevant. My text for today was to be on the gospel and the parable of the weeds and wheat, which could be relevant but as I looked over the readings in light of 7/13, I was drawn to the words of Romans, chapter 8, a portion of which was read this morning. In fact, I was drawn to read all of the 8th chapter and in those verses, God spoke to me and comforted me in my shock and dismay. I suggest you go home today and read it as well. But I want to pick out several of those verses this morning in the hopes that they may speak to you in your dismay over the events of this week.

Paul says in verse 16 and following that if we suffer with Christ, we suffer so that we may be glorified with him. And then he continues with these words: "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God."

What does it mean to "share in His sufferings?" We suffer with Christ in the sense that, although we are children of God, we still experience the ills of living in the body and the ills of living in a fallen world of sin. Jesus, although the Son of God, suffered the trials and hardships, the pain and death of this world before He was glorified. Should we expect any different? We too will share in those sufferings. But those sufferings don't compare, says Paul, with what will be the final outcome. We should not be discouraged because our future glory is sure!

In the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, a Japanese gymnast, Shun Fujimoto, was competing in the team competition. Somehow, during the floor exercises, he broke his right knee. It was obvious to all reasonable observers that he would be forced to withdraw. But they didn't count on the determination of a true competitor. On the following day, Fujimoto competed in his strongest event, the rings. His routine was excellent, but the critical point was still to come-the dismount. Without hesitation, Fujimoto ended with a twisting, triple somersault. There was a moment of intense quiet as he landed with tremendous impact on his wounded knee. Then came thundering applause as he stood his ground. Later, reporters asked about that moment and he replied, "The pain shot through me like a knife. It brought tears to my eyes. But now I have a gold medal and the pain is gone."

We will go through painful times but one day the pain will be gone and the glory will be lasting. It doesn't matter how much faith we have, how much of the Spirit we have, we will suffer! This is true simply because we have not yet received the fullness of what it means to be children of God. We have only the beginnings of our inheritance. As Paul says in verse 23 we have the "first fruits of the Spirit."

This doesn't mean our troubles cause us to go through life despondent, defeated, overwhelmed and without joy. We don't need to respond to suffering this way because we recognize that "our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." In other words we can say, like that Olympian, "It is all worth it!" The pains of this life are small and temporary when compared to the glory and eternity the future holds for the children of God.

Paul uses the word "consider" in verse 18. In the original Greek this was an accounting term that meant to calculate something. Paul says that he has done the math and added it all up. He has added up all the sufferings of this life on one side of life's ledger and he has added up all the glories of the future life on the other side of the ledger and the glory far exceeds the pain. The sufferings in this world are nothing compared tot the glory of the next!

In a week such as this, we need to do this spiritual math. We need to look at 7/13 from an eternal perspective. Yes we need to recognize that there is incredible hurt and anguish. Yet, we must also look ahead to the glory to come. Only then will we be able to have the attitude of hope and patience that Paul calls for.

Paul continues in verse 28, "We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose." We generally take this to mean that no matter how bad things look right now, in the end, everything will turn out for the best; which usually means the way we want things to be. We usually take verse 28 to support our own ambition and purposes. We prefer to quote the promise that "In all things, God works for the good, " but we leave out the condition "For those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

When suffering comes our way, when things don't work out as we planned, the first thing to remember is that God has a purpose for us! What is God's purpose, God's ultimate goal for each one of us? What is the purpose of the sufferings of this past week?

During a business recession, a man lost his job, a sizable fortune, and his beautiful home. To add to his sorrow, his precious wife died; yet he tenaciously held to his faith-the only thing he had left. One day when he was out walking in search of employment, he stopped to watch some men who were doing stonework on a large church. One of them was chiseling a triangular piece of rock. 'Where are you going to put that?' he asked. The workman said, 'Do you see that little opening up there near the spire? Well, I'm shaping this stone down here so that it will fit in up there.' Tears filled the man's eyes as he walked away, for the Lord had spoken to him through that laborer whose words gave new meaning to his troubled situation.

Some of us have the mistaken idea that God's purpose is for us to be happy, or for everything to go smoothly. We assume that happiness is our right and goal. Doesn't the constitution say we have the right to the pursuit of happiness! But God's ultimate goal for us is not happiness. God's purpose is to make us like Christ. God's plan will ensure that this goal is achieved in us. We need to look to the events of this week and consider how they might be in God's plan-his plan to make us more like Christ.

The problem is we have our own plans too and sometimes they do not coordinate with God's plan. We can make plants, but it is God who determines our course in life. Does that mean we should not plan? Of course not. Scripture repeatedly commends the wise steward and the diligent worker but we need to hold our plans loosely up to God in humble obedience. When our plans seem frustrated we need to look to God's higher purpose and ask how this event can be within God's plan to make us more like Jesus.

And then in the closing verse of Chapter 8 we have perhaps the most comforting verse in all of Paul's letters. "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (We might add 'nor bishops')

A little boy was eagerly looking forward to the birthday party of a friend who lived only a few blocks away. When the day finally arrived, a blizzard made the sidewalks and roads nearly impassable. The lad's father, sensing the danger, hesitated to let his son go. The youngster reacted tearfully. "But Dad," he pleaded, "all the other kids will be there. Their parents are letting them go." The father thought for a moment, then replied softly, "All right, you may go." Surprised but overjoyed, the boy bundled up and plunged into the raging storm. The driving snow made visibility almost impossible, and it took him more than half an hour to trudge the short distance to the party. As he rang the doorbell, he turned briefly to look out into the storm. His eye caught the shadow of a retreating figure. It was his father. He had followed his son's every step to make sure he arrived safely.

That is how God is with us. As we struggle through the difficult paths place before us, we can be assured the Father's love shadows us in every step we take. When roadblocks seem to be thrown up to our dreams, when our plans and hopes seem broken and in pieces, we need to remember God's presence. When we have hardships or persecution, when we're penniless, friendless, hopeless and loveless, it can feel like God has forsaken us. But v. 38 assures us that nothing, nothing...can ever separate us from God's love. Death can't. Life can't. The angels won't and all the powers of hell cannot keep God's love away. Our fear for today, our worries about tomorrow, nothing will ever be able to separate us from the love of God demonstrated by our Lord Jesus Christ when he died for us.

Where do we go from here? The future path is unclear. We may not have passed through the suffering of this present time, but God's Word assures us that the suffering we have to go through won't compare with the glory yet to come. God's Word assures us that he will use the adversity that comes our way to his purpose. He will use 7/13 to make us more Christ-like. And finally, God assures us that he will shadow us every step of the way and that nothing will ever be able to separate us from his love and presence. So, in these assurances, we continue to do the word God has given us to do-to love and serve Him as faithful witnesses of Christ our Lord.

--The Rev. Clayton Knapp is associate rector at St. John's, Bristol, CT. His superior is the Rev. MArk Hansen who was recently inhibited by Bishop Andrew Smith.
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