“I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:18)

I was asked to reflect on this scripture reading. This passage always reminds me of the story of the woman who requested to be buried with a fork in her hand. She said her favorite part of any meal was when the dishes were cleared before dessert. The host would say, “Save your fork. The best is yet to come!” That is how she thought of the promised life beyond her time on earth. “The best is yet to come!”

When Paul wrote this passage, he was not only thinking of glory to be revealed in heaven, however. He anticipated glory to be experienced by the Roman Christians during life on earth. Roman oppression would not last forever. Paul described their suffering as labor pains (Romans 8:22), suggesting the birth of a new world. The timing for such new life is never clear, but resurrection faith asserts it is inevitable.

My retirement is creating “labor pains.” A new world is being born for me in which I will no longer be focused on my next sermon, my next visit, or my next church meeting. A new world is being born for you in which another pastor will arrive to serve as a bridge pastor, between me and your next settled pastor.

The story is told of a pastor who was leaving his congregation. A member of the church was quite upset about this news. She went to the pastor in tears. The pastor assured her that God was still in charge of the future. He suggested the next pastor might be even better than he had been. This made the woman even more distressed. The pastor asked why she had that reaction. She replied, “That’s what the last pastor said when she left, but instead we got stuck with you!”

I wish life guaranteed us all a steady upward trajectory from one glory to the next. Unfortunately, life comes with ups an downs. I do not believe suffering is God’s desire for any of us, but I do believe God works to transform human suffering into new life. Paul writes that this comes through “the revealing of the children of God.” (Romans 8:19) Whenever we experience anew the identity of ourselves and our neighbors as God’s beloved children, a whole new world is born.

Peace, Pastor Tim