Talk 17th Feb Supporting others through difficult times
looking at how as Christians we can support others, How we can get support, how that support makes a difference.
Readings Mark 2 1-12 Ruth 1 16-19
To day we are looking at Supporting others through difficult times both spiritual and bodily.
- Do you feel you get Christian support when your life is hard?
- Do you give Christian support to others when there life is difficult?
- What is Christian support?
Lets look at our 2 readings first.
in the first one from Mark we have 4 friends who care enough about there friend to want to help him in his difficulty in life.
They take him to where he can get help, they cut there way through the roof to make sure he gets that help. They didn’t sit around wondering if maybe there was some other way to get there, they didn’t worry about the time or the cost, and there must have been a cost to repair the hole.
No they just took him and made sure he got the help he needed.
That help was physical and spiritual.
This seems to raise a few questions for us.
- just how far will I go to help others in there need?
- Would I just get there and say well I tried?
- Am I prepared to give my all to help someone, to help them to a relationship with God?
- Or will I only help when its easy and has no cost in time or resources.
In our second reading Ruth will not accept that Naomi has to go home on her own and insists on staying with her.
This brings up some of the earlier questions and a few more
- Are you prepared to go totally with that person, walk there path with them? Stay with them until they reach the end of the journey?
- Will you stick with them until there need is sorted, even if it means a long time?
- Would you move, home, job to be there for someone else?
Well that would seem to be the talk done, but maybe we need to look a little deeper and see what Jesus would do did do. What we as disciples of Christ should be doing. Wither as individuals & the church we are doing that.
So How far did Jesus go to help us?
Well he died for us, how much more could he do?
We are in Lent leading up to remembering His sacrifice.
His death was to allow us access to God forgiveness and therefore inner healing.
What did he do for others other than that?
He healed the sick, mourned with those who had lost someone, He helped at parties, He helped people fishing, understood the hurt of those persecuted, He forgave those who hurt Him, He helped those on the margins, He knew when to let others take over.
He was on a journey and asked others to be with Him on it.
He even walked with others to ask and explain in the story of the ‘Road to Emmaus’
How did they do?
Then the early church in Acts. They shared all they could to help each other, we have looked at that before and it is what Faith in Action is based upon.
Have you offered your help to this group? so that they can help others.
So as His disciples we should be trying to support the sick.
those suffering losses.
those working.
those persecuted.
those who hurt us.
those who no one else helps.
those in spiritual need,
just as the early church did.
So now we need to look at ourselves the church here and ask are we doing these things, am I doing these things.
Well we do have faith in action, which has helped and is helping people both in and outside our church.
We have a pastoral visitor group who visit those who need it, bring them a listening ear, and prayer.
However are enough of us part of it so that all those who need a visit from someone happy to listen to them get it often enough.
We have prayer healing in church, but do we need to take that outside as well offering it to the community?
We also have Cell Groups to support each other spiritually as well as hopefully in other needs.
That is the things that are organised centrally, but what about our own responsibility to support others.
I know that some here are very good at supporting others in there need. This can run from helping with bills to transport.
I have been given transport when I have needed to get to hospital and Bern has been away.
Many here have felt supported through prayer. This prayer support is very important, I find it wonderful, It helps me when I can not pray myself.
I know some have had food cooked for them and there families when they were unable to do it themselves.
Support makes a difference.
Here is a story, I have permission to tell.
Joan who comes here has been struggling with her mothers needs over the last months. She helped me on Alpha even though she struggled with the time, but felt that God wanted her to. I had felt that she should be helping me and that God would bless her.
She became good friends with one of the quests and that quest in the last month has been helping her clear her mothers flat and clean it now her mother is in a home.
For Joan that was a real help as she struggled with the emotions of doing it, and having someone to talk to and share the load with was very supporting.
Joan helped others on there journey and God blessed her on hers, she is quite sure that God wanted her to be on the course so she could met the person who could help her.
My own experience and that of others is that having people around who really care for you helps you through the rough patches of life.
Sometimes that care is practical other times it is presence.
SO to finish.
We are called to love our neighbour as ourselves. We would want help when we are in need so we should be supplying it to others.
God has given new life to you, so you need to bring it to others as well.
Who do you know who needs help, who needs some support through a difficult time?
Can you help them or do you need others to help you help them?
Do they just need a loving listening ear?
Do they need some practical or financial support?
Do they just want prayer?
Do they need spiritual support?
Will you stick with them rather than just doing a one off.
A lot of people need ongoing support.
That might just be going round, phoning or e-mailing to see how they are day by day or weekly.
It might be that you have to go on there journey with them. Putting yourself out.
Could you do what the 4 friends or Ruth did?
That is real support in difficult times.
Would you not want that support when you are struggling?
I would.
Much of my time is spend alone, often I feel unwell and find it hard to pray or read the bible, I find the support of my cell group really helpful as it gives me a support group most weeks.
Do you need to join a cell group to get more support spiritually?
Also remember that often we need to ask if we need help, others do not always know what we are coping with and our need. This extended family should be a safe place to ask for that help, just as we can ask God for His help and support.
God always supports us Jesus said that our burden would not be more than we can cope with when we have His support.
So let us have a time of quite.
Think about your needs and how others might help you with them.
Decide if you need to ask for help.
Now think about others you know, how can you help them.
Do you just need to spend time with them?
Is here things you can do to help them?
Are you prepared to journey with them.
Father we come to you and ask that your Spirit will show us where you want us to help and how.
We also ask that we would be open to getting the help we need as well.
Amen
A Christian Warrior 