The Comfort of Community
- The Rev. Jamey Russell
- Jun 28
- 2 min read
Hello Saints,
As most of you know by now we lost Karen Halligan on Tuesday of this week. This is a little less than a year since that family also lost Jeremy. If you haven't already, please reach out to her husband Steve by emailing stephen.halligan@usa.net or by sending a card to: 240 Hawthorne Road, Washington PA 15301.
It's at times like this when being part of a loving church community can be so important. We of course have the comfort of knowing that she is now with Jesus. We will see her again. But it still hurts. The comfort of fellow believers is so important at times like this. Grief can steal our joy, absconds with our peace, and rob us of our sense of Jesus' promise to always be with us. Acts of kindness and care, even small ones, battle against this. A card in the mail, a frozen casserole brought over, or a phone call in a few months to check in again - because grief can attack again at any time - can be a lifeline. There have been times like this in our own lives where our faith was carried by the kindness of the believers around us. It reminds me of what Paul says in his second letter to the Corinthians.
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in
all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.
Our modern culture makes stable, loving communities difficult to form and keep. Trinity is blessed with many members who have known each other a long time. This loving church, open to others, is what our newer members have been struck by and a reason why they have joined. We continue to be thankful for Trinity, especially at times like this.
In Christ,
Jamey +
Romans 12:15
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.
The song Carry by Future of Forestry is one of my favorites. It's a good one to listen to at times like this.
Spotify Link
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