Emotional Sunday

Yesterday morning, we experienced a very emotional service due to a difficult experience a family in the church just went through. A young couple in the church had been expecting their first baby. About two months ago, she began to have some serious difficulties in her pregnancy. Finally the doctors decided that they needed to take the baby even though she was only about 6 months pregnant. When little Rafael was born, he weighed less than a pound. He fit into the palm of your hand. After about four weeks of struggling to live, Rafael passed away on Friday afternoon. Saturday was the burial service. On Sunday morning, much to everyone's surprise, Jaime and Gaby were in the service for the first time in two months, when she had begun having the serious problems. Jaime stood and read a two page, handwritten letter detailing some of the experiences and lessons they had learned. Hearing their words, I could only marvel at the unbelievable testimony to God's grace that we were seeing and hearing. The only way that someone could go through that type of experience and respond with such unshakeable faith is when God's grace has been poured out in their hearts. Wow!

It was hard because I had to preach after them. I must admit that it took me a full minute to overcome my emotions and even be able to speak a word. That young couple had just preached the most eloquent sermon that could ever be preached: one that came not from a study but from the furnace. That kind of sermon can never be matched.

Part of the text I was preaching included 1 John 3:2, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." My study had also led me to Romans 8:23 "And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." On Saturday as I prepared to preach, I groaned in my spirit. Not only was Rafael buried on Saturday, but some very close friends also buried a child they had lost after seven months of pregnancy. My heart cried out for that time when creation would be fully redeemed, when our glorious position as children of God would finally be revealed and every blessing brought to realization.

These difficult situations also made me realize that every "normal" birth is really a miracle. With Susan pregnant again, I must say that I am more nervous about this pregnancy than the other two. A person just assumes that things are going to be fine until seeing situations like these. Please pray for Susan and her pregnancy. She has been sick for about four weeks now. She either feels extremely tired or has morning sickness virtually 24 hours a day. While I try to shoulder some of the load at home, a 2 and a 3-year old don't really understand that "Mommy doesn't feel good."

In spite of all these things we rejoice because we know the wonderful privileges that the love of God has given to us as his children. 1 John 3:1 "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God."