4th Sunday in Advent - " Stress"

 

Stress for " 4th Sunday in Advent"

 

Stress

    Who was one of the best generals of the Civil war?  Without a doubt it was Stonewall Jackson of the Confederacy.  One time though even he did not accomplish the mission in time.  When he was supposed to come to the aid of Lee in 1862 to defend Richmond  , he was oddly late.  " He did not try and fail.  He simply made no effort...He spent the 29th of June in camp in disregard of Lee's instructions, and he spent the 30th in equal idleness  at White Oak Swamp .  His 25,000 infantry practically did not fire a shot in the two days." Best little Stories from the Civil war. Kelly.  Apparently according to one civil war historian Jackson had was totally exhausted from the previous ten days of his "whirlwind Shenandoah Valley campaign."  Medical finding in 1960 said this was the effect of stress .

     All of us are subject to this.  We can go along with what we think is the right action and the right decisions, but later we find we were making these decisions and actions in the middle of a whirlwind of stress.  Our old testament lesson points out today that , " not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts." Zechariah 4:6.  The people of Israel were now back in their homeland but they had been slow in rebuilding the temple.  Vs. 9 talks about finishing the house of the LORD.

     By our own power things cannot be accomplished without God's help.  Psalm 127:1 says it this way," Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it."  I was looking at the trees in the backyard and wondered.  How do they stay green in the weather we have been having?  The roots are deep and they get the water deep from the ground.  We too need deep roots if we are to stay strong when the times are tough. Psalm 1 talks about the tree that is planted by the rivers of water that brings forth fruit.  The preceding says it. " Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners...but his delight is in the law of the LORD and in is law he does meditate day and night."

     My favorite account of how things did not work out even though Elijah had been on a mountain top experience is in I Kings .  Elijah has just seen the prophets of Baal defeated, but then he runs after being threatened by Jezebel, the wife of Ahab the king.  " he requested....O LORD, take away my life." 19:4  But God gives him rest by the juniper tree.  " An angel touched him, and said ...arise and eat."  God allowed him the rest and recreation that he needed after the big event that he was a part of.

     In Mark 6:31 after the apostles were telling Jesus all they done he does something rather extraordinary. He says, " Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest awhile." Not expected was it?

     Isaiah 40 talks about the youth that even have no strength and are weary. " But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength: they shall mount up with wings as eagles ; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."  vs 31.  I was thinking.  How do birds fly in the strong winds ?  Yes.  Of course they do not look for them.  But they glide and let the winds carry them.  It reminded me of the tree that does not fall as well in strong winds.  The tree bends with the winds.  It does not fall.  We strive and strain and stress but need to let ourselves be carried by the strong arms and hands of Almighty God in these times.

      Zechariah caught this idea did he not.  Not by might or power but by my spirit says the LORD of hosts.  Isaiah 26:3 says, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee."  How do we practice this in our lives?  Well of course our services are set up to assist us with a regular rhythm of Psalms, hymns, and Scriptures in our prayer books.  We also have some prayers which are not used as much as they could be but are very good for us.  Look at pg. 595, " For Quiet Confidence " for example:

  " O GOD of peace, who hast taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and in confidence shall be our strength; By the might of thy Spirit lift us, we pray thee, to thy presence, where we may be still and know that thou art God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

Another one I like and use is " For Trustfulness" on p. 596

" O Most loving Father, who willest us to give thanks for all things, to dread nothing but the loss of thee, and to cast all our care on thee, who carest for us; Preserve us from faithless fears and worldly anxieties, and grant that no clouds of this mortal life may hide from us the light of that love which is immortal, and which thou hast manifested unto us in thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." Amen.

We can  and must rest in the " never-failing providence of God"  who ordereth all things both in heaven and in earth as our morning collect ( prayer) said.  These things we see are temporal, but the things which do not see are eternal.  Nothing as the apostle reminds us in romans 8 is " able to separate us from the love of God , which is Christ Jesus our Lord."

Now the hard part.  We can believe these things, and not act on them.  That would be like getting a lovely pecan pie given to you in the south and not eating it.  But we are guilty of doing this very thing.  We neglect God's Word, His commandments and His will for our lives and wonder why we are stressed.  We should now re-commit ourselves to Him knowing that He does things for us that we can are above what we can ask or think of ourselves.  A great God.  A great Church , which is His own body placed for us in this place.  Who can stand against us if God is for us?