There used to be a show on television about really rotten jobs. Mike Rowe was featured on a program called “Dirty Jobs” where he was shown performing difficult, strange, disgusting, or messy occupational duties. What’s the worst job you have ever done? What’s the worst job you know of?

I don’t know if this is the worst, but I know that our local Sheriff has a particularly bad job, some days. I know this because his job intersected with mine over a month ago, early on a Wednesday morning. It was sometime between 4:00 and 4:30 am. I heard a pounding on my bedroom window and then a knocking on my door. I knew not who was knocking nor what was going on. Neither did I realize that life in Cable and for the Cable Community Church had already changed.

The next hours and days are a blur of hospital and family visitations. We celebrated Easter in there, somewhere, and then our small community buried five of its own. It was a very difficult few weeks.

My barber told me that he wouldn’t trade jobs with me “for a million bucks.” That’s good news, because I don’t think I can cut hair. I know what he meant. What does one say to people who feel like they’ve just lost everything? How can one comfort and console those heavily ladened with grief? The short answer is simple. You can’t. There isn’t a man or woman alive who can offer true comfort and help in such times. Though plenty of folks try, all of us fail. Yet there is One who can comfort the hurting and heal the broken-hearted. My job, such as it is, is to point folks to the ONE WHO CAN.

From Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi :
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:4-9)

Praying that “the God of peace will be with you,”

Pastor Clint