One of my favorite theologians, Frederick Buechner says, "Snobs are people who look down on other people, but that does not justify our looking down on them. Who can say what dark fears lurk behind, or what they suffer in private?" Taking the snobbery out of the quote, I think it has power for our lives as a community.  I'd invite you next Sunday when you come to church to remember this reality, people suffer in silence. People are hurting. Suffering is great.  And when we hurt, it becomes difficult to put on a "happy" face and be present. The story today is to acknowledge the silent suffering happening in the lives you encounter and offer grace. Behind your dark fears, and beyond the suffering you face, there is the love of God, and the power of God's community to be part of your journey.

 

As Johnny Cash says in  Hurt, "I focus on the pain, the only thing that's real." Suffering is part of the story of Christianity. Without suffering, love can have no redeeming power. May you love greatly, and find grace and presence in a community willing to be part of your suffering journey.