This week on Fab

Hi Fabbers

This week has been a tough week. A dear friend and colleague of ours was found dead on Friday evening. Her name was Elsa and she was our bishop’s assistant and diocesan administrator. She had a tough life, including losing her beloved husband to Covid a few years ago. She will be sorely missed.

Grief is a strange thing. We have no control over it. It comes in waves and happens to us. It is irrational in the sense that we do not consciously think, ”I’m going to grieve now.” Still… it does seem to get easier — i.e. we learn to cope with it — over time as we are able to express it. We all grieve in different ways and at different times, and if there is one thing I have learned as a pastor, is that there is no right or wrong way to grieve and it takes as long as it takes.

This week, as I was ministering to a person who was dealing with trauma, another person chimed in with ’God does not give you more than you can bear’. They were quoting directly from Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth, but is it really true? Does God let us be tested more than we can bear? Now here’s a thing. When Paul writes:

”No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13 NRSV)

We must remember that the ’you’ is plural and he even starts that whole section writing to ’Brothers and Sisters’. So, although it is true that God will not let us (plural) be tested beyond our strength, this does not apply to the individual. It is evident (and I am testimony to this) that on our own, we can become overwhelmed and unable to cope. The point is that we are not meant to do this thing called life on our own. We need each other and we need the strength of others.

I’m reminded of this verse from Ecclesiastes:

”Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labour: if either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 NIV)

So… yes, when you are at the end of yourself, if you are suffering from grief and loss, lean into God, but also lean into your family in Christ. Reach out because we need each other. x

Rev Gav

This week on Fab…

Who was Nathanael?

This week’s Insight and Podcast is on Nathanael — a hugely symbolic story but is also an important part of John’s invitation for us to meet Jesus. You might want to have a read of John 1.43-51 before you engage with the Insight here.

Action

Our weekly devotions continue ploughing through Luke’s gospel and we find ourself in Luke 3:10-17 where John’s advice two thousand years ago is as relevant today as it was back then — for us to have compassion and to act with love.

Holy God
Because you are radically generous,
you call us to a radical generosity.
Help me to put my faith into action
by giving from what you have given me.
May I be a blessing to those around me,
this day and for ever.
Amen.

You can read this week’s devotion here.

We hope and pray you have a good week and that you will be Jesus to all you meet.

Heaps of Peace

Rev Gav and Helen.