5-24-26 Kenwood Church of Christ Live Stream

 

​HANG IN THERE: Darkness Disappears in the Light - May 24, 2026

​HANG IN THERE: Darkness Disappears in the Light - May 24, 2026

 

INTRODUCTION

 

Hang in there.

 

Survival.

 

Life is hard.

 

Job 23:1-17 NIV

 

“Then Job replied: “Even today my complaint is bitter; his hand is heavy in spite of my groaning. If only I knew where to find him; if only I could go to his dwelling! I would state my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments. I would find out what he would answer me, and consider what he would say to me. Would he vigorously oppose me? No, he would not press charges against me. There the upright can establish their innocence before him, and there I would be delivered forever from my judge. “But if I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I do not find him. When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him. But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside. I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread. “But he stands alone, and who can oppose him? He does whatever he pleases. He carries out his decree against me, and many such plans he still has in store. That is why I am terrified before him; when I think of all this, I fear him. God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me. Yet I am not silenced by the darkness, by the thick darkness that covers my face.”

            Job 23:1-17 NIV

 

Let me begin by acknowledging that this is a difficult passage to hear, as is much of the book of Job. We have a tendency in our modern world to like things to be nice and clean; neat and easy to understand; joyful and upbeat. Job is really none of those things. We tend to try and make Job manageable by focusing on the “patience of Job,” it is even a modern-day cliché; but Job is far more complex. Job does much more than merely exhibit patience. The book of Job is messy, complicated, and even depressing at times. Yet, this is precisely why Job is so important. We balk at the idea of being angry at God. We look at God as an ever-present, ever-loving being, and when all we feel are emptiness and sadness, we are afraid to talk about it because somehow this seems to be an inappropriate front to God. We have this general idea in our heads that we are being disrespectful if we cry out that God seems totally absent from our lives. And yet, this is precisely what Job does, and the passage we heard a few moments ago is a prime example of that. Job gives us permission to feel bitterness in the face of injustice. Job allows us be upset and to cry out when God seems absent. But Job also tells a story of faith; a faith which does not falter in the face of the greatest trials. And like Job, we must keep the faith no matter what we face.

 

We begin today a series on hope. I think to really talk about hope; about the importance of hope in our Christian journeys, and about having hope, we have to acknowledge that there are times in our lives when things are so bad it is as if all hope is lost. So we begin today with Job, who was in such a situation himself. As we know, Job is hit with one trial after another. And in the passage we hear this morning, Job is at his wits end. He admits a bitter complaint. Job acknowledges a heavy hand, despite his groaning. Job expresses his desire to go before God in trial, desperate to be free of his many difficulties, but laments that even this is not possible because he cannot find God; God is absent. Job cries out that his heart is faint and he is terrified. I think we all have at least a sense of what Job is feeling; perhaps at times such feelings have been more prevalent than at others, but it doesn’t change the fact that there are times when we desperately need God and it seems as if God simply is not there.

 

I believe we are all familiar with Mother Teresa; known the world over for her work with the poor, sick, orphaned, and dying in the slums of Calcutta, India. By all measures, she was and is an exemplar of the Christian faith. But as we began learning after her death in 1997, Mother Teresa’s faith was not as rock-solid as outward appearances would indicate. Like so many who seek after God, Mother Teresa struggled in the midst of great doubt, wondering about the presence of God. In 1979, three weeks after accepting the Nobel Peace Prize for her work, Mother Teresa wrote in a letter to a spiritual confidant, “Jesus has a very special love for you. [But] as for me, the silence and the emptiness is so great, that I look and do not see,--Listen and do not hear – the tongue moves [in prayer] but does not speak…I want you to pray for me – that I let Him have [a] free hand.” In personal letters and writings, Mother Teresa spoke of “dryness” and “darkness.” In a lament to Jesus, Mother Teresa wrote, “When I try to raise my thoughts to Heaven – there is such convicting emptiness that those very thoughts return like sharp knives and hurt my very soul. – I am told God loves me – and yet the reality of darkness and coldness and emptiness is so great that nothing touches my soul.” At times, she was even driven to a doubt about the existence of God. This spiritual pain seemed to persist through much of Mother Teresa’s life and ministry. 

 

I. LIFE IS FULL OF DARKNESS 

 

            A. Darkness is everywhere.

 

The truth is we all have periods of “darkness” in our lives. We all face the pain and sorrow of losing a loved one. Or we agonize in watching a loved one suffer. Some struggle themselves in the face of overwhelming illness or disease. Parents worry about their children; sons and daughters worry about their parents. Families break and marriages dissolve, leaving nothing but stress and depression in their wake. Such darkness in our lives is compounded when we cry out to God for help and for comfort and find no response, no reprieve, no respite from the agony. How can there be hope in the face of such hardships?

 

            B. There is hope in the darkness.

 

All is not lost. There is always hope. But hope is nothing without faith. You may recall the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11 begins this way,

 

Hebrews 11:1 NIV

 

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

            Hebrews 11:1 NIV

 

Faith brings assurance to hope. Our hope lies in the future, but it is mere optimism if we do not have faith in the God who raised Jesus from the dead. As difficult as it may be; in the “darkness” of our lives, we must seek to maintain our faith in God and hold fast to it. As we heard this morning, even as Job laments the absence of God, he forges ahead, persisting in his search for God. “God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me.” Job says, “Yet I am not silenced by the darkness, by the thick darkness that covers my face.” Job is persisting in his faith. Despite the darkness cloaking his life, Job declared that he would not be silent, that he would continue to cry out for God. When we are relentless in our faith, we can hold on to hope.

 

Mother Teresa, too, continually sought after her faith even in the darkest despair. She found ways to live through her spiritual struggles, and she never abandoned her belief or her work. That is our task too. If you are like me, then you have wondered how Mother Teresa maintained her belief and forged ahead in her work in Calcutta. Throughout her life and career, Mother Teresa had spiritual advisors and confidants. In perhaps her darkest hour of doubt, her spiritual advisor, Joseph Neuner, told her three things she desperately needed to hear, and things that we need to hear too. 

 

1.     Rev. Neuner told Teresa that there is no human remedy for the “darkness” we sometimes find ourselves in. 

2.    He told her that feeling Jesus is not the only proof of his being there, and that her very craving for God was a sure sign of God’s hidden presence in her life. 

3.    And finally, Neuner advised Mother Teresa that the absence she sensed was a part of the “spiritual side” of her work for Jesus. 

 

II. WE ARE CREATED TO LONG FOR GOD

 

            A. Our need brings us to God.

 

Psalm 42:1-2 NIV

 

“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?”

            Psalm 42:1-2 NIV

 

We were created to long for God. We are designed to desire God in our lives. God has made humanity this way. And when it seems that God is completely absent, this craving, as Neuner says, is a sure sign of God’s hidden presence in our lives. This longing becomes the basis for faith, and with this deep desire for God within us, we must forge ahead. If we are to maintain faith in the dark hours of our lives, it requires patient perseverance. 

 

            B. Keep on keeping on.

 

When John Wesley himself was in the throes of a period of doubt in his life, the German preacher, Peter Bohler said this to him, “Preach faith until you have it, then, because you have it, you will preach faith.” We must preach faith until we have it, so to speak. We have to be diligent in our prayer life; even if that means our prayers are full of laments in God’s absence. We have to study God’s Word through the Scriptures. We have to abstain from those things which distract our attention from God. We must follow God’s call and seek God’s will. Of course, none of these things are easy, but they are the building blocks of our faith and in turn our hope.

 

III. FEELING THE ABSENCE OF GOD POINTS US TOWARD GOD 

 

            A. Hunger and thirst are reminders.

 

Psalm 107:9 NIV

 

“for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.”

            Psalm 107:9 NIV

 

            B. Talk to God even if you are not sure He is there.

 

In the midst of everything, Job never stops talking to God, and neither can we. Job may not understand how God hears him, but it is a statement of faith that Job is able to voice even his pain and confusion to God. We are better off to rail against God as Job does, or cry out to God in pain as Mother Teresa does, than to turn away from God in our time of darkness. God has willingly entered into an hour of darkness on our behalf. God in Jesus Christ came to this earth and subjected himself to hatred, brutality, and even death, so that we might have hope. Will we shun that great act? We know God more fully because God incarnate walked on this earth. We know God’s love and grace more fully because Jesus not only taught us about God’s love and grace, he demonstrated it as well. Might we know God more fully even when God seems absent? In some way, we often come to know the meaning of a thing through its absence rather than its presence.

 

            C. Search with ALL your heart.

 

Jeremiah 29:13 NIV

 

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

            Jeremiah 29:13 NIV

 

Think of it this way. A carpenter goes into his well-furnished workshop, complete with stacks of wood, containers of nails, and racks and racks of tools. As the carpenter focuses on the work of his project, he thinks very little of the individual items.  The wood, the nails, the hammer are simply taken for granted as part of the carpenter’s activity. But then, in the midst of his diligent work, the hammer breaks as the shaft snaps off at the head. Suddenly, the carpenter is acutely aware of the hammer. Once simply taken for granted, the image of the hammer, what it does, how essential it is to his work, are all vividly present to the carpenter precisely because of its absence. So it was for Job, who felt not the justice of God, and so longed for it even more. So it was for Mother Teresa, whose soul was empty, and so she prayed God’s hand at work in her life all the more. And so it shall be for us, if we hold fast to the faith as Job did and as Mother Teresa did. God’s love and passion are no less real to those who hold fast the faith than the hammer is to the carpenter. 

 

Psalm 63:1 NIV

 

“You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.”

            Psalm 63:1 NIV

 

God’s time is not our time. God’s ways are not always our ways. But we have known and experienced God’s love in our own lives; that is most likely the reason we are all gathered here this morning. And having known and experienced God’s grace and love, we can doubt its existence no more than our own reality. The Bible teaches us that if we meet the trials of life with the steadfast constancy of faith in Christ, life becomes infinitely more splendid than it ever was before. The struggle is the way to glory, and the very struggle itself is a glory. So, in those deepest, darkest hours of our lives, we can have faith because we already know of the reality of God’s love through Jesus Christ. When that darkness stretches on for weeks, or months, or even years, we must cling to that faith and strive after it. And in our striving after faith, we will find hope. All is not lost. God is at work in this world. God is at work in our lives. What a glory!

 

CONCLUSION

 

Life is full of darkness. We are created to long for God. Feeling the absence of God points us to God.

 

INVITATION

 

It is our custom to offer an "invitation" following the preaching of the Word.  You may want to follow Jesus.  You may want to proclaim your faith.  You may want to repent (stop doing ungodly things and start doing Godly things).  Perhaps you want to be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins     and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Possibly, if you have already responded to God’s call in these ways, you would like to become a member of Kenwood Church.  If you have been moved by the Holy Spirit to make a decision in your life, you can come forward now.  If you would like, I would be honored to speak with you following the service about what God is doing in your life.

5-17-26 Kenwood Church of Christ Live Stream

 

​CHURCH AS FAMILY: Church as a forever family 5-17-26

​CHURCH AS FAMILY: Church as a forever family 5-17-26

INTRODUCTION

Church is family.

Church is a family of faith.

Church is a faithful family.

Church is a loving family.

Church is a forgiving family.

Church is a forever family.

Jenny Kelm has gone home. Kenwood has never known a day without Jenny until last Sunday.

The spring carries powerful reminders of the brevity of this life for my family (Paula’s dad and my dad passed 2 years ago). 

‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

““Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.””

‭‭ John‬ ‭14‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Let us pray.

I.  THIS IS NOT OUR HOME

Someone named, James Langdon Hill, once said, "Life Eternal! How shall I express my thought of it? It is not mere existence, however prolonged and free from annoyance. It is not the pleasures of the senses, however vivid. It is not peace. It is not happiness. It is not joy. But it is all these combined into one condition if spiritual perfection - one emotion of indescribable rapture - the peace after the storm has gone by, the soft repose after the grief is over, the joy of victory when the conflict is ended."

"Leaves of Gold," Revised Edition, edited by Clyde Francis Lytle, c1948: A.C. and D.G. Remley, published, Williamsport, Pennsylvania: The Coslett Publishing Company, p. 92.

In the 1938 Pulitzer Prize for Drama three-act play, "Our Town," written in 1937, by the late great American playwright and novelist, Thornton Niven Wilder (1897 - 1975), one of the characters says: "I don’t care what they say with their mouths - everybody knows that something is eternal. And it ain’t houses, and it ain’t names, and it ain’t earth, and it ain’t even stars...everybody knows in their bones that something is eternal, and that something has to do with human beings...There’s something way down deep that’s eternal in every human being."

"Life More Abundant," by Charles L. Allen, c1968 Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, LCCN 68-28432, pp. 149-154.

A. We cannot imagine what is next.

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭2‬:‭9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him—”

‭‭ 1 Corinthians‬ ‭2‬:‭9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

B. We are destined for a better place.

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭21‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.””

‭‭ Revelation‬ ‭21‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

C. We are made for something more.

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭4‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

‭‭ 2 Corinthians‬ ‭4‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

II.  WE ARE BUILT FOR ETERNITY

Norma Lauby, of La Mesa, California, was browsing in the ladies’ department one day with her son who was just learning to read. Trying to read all the signs he could, he came upon one in the maternity department. “Look, Mom!” he said excitedly as he pointed at the sign. “They’re even making clothes for eternity now!”  Norma Lauby, La Mesa, CA, “Heart to Heart,” Today’s Christian Woman.

A. We have eternity in our hearts.

‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.”

‭‭ Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

B. We have a destiny awaiting us.

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭25‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people.”

‭‭ Genesis‬ ‭25‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

C. Death is not the end.

‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭4‬:‭13‬-‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.”

‭‭ 1 Thessalonians‬ ‭4‬:‭13‬-‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Heaven Bound by Reverend David Roger’s

Walking through the storms of life

Facing all the strife

I realize that I am all alone

Facing the lighting and the crash of thunder

Oh How I wonder

Is there no hope of me ever going home

I was walking through the storm all alone.

Fear and despair all around

No hope could be found

And then a light within the storm did I see

Jesus Christ had come for me.

No longer am I alone

Now He faces my storms and I follow along

Now I walk on water for all to see

He has raised me above those sinking seas

Satan no longer has any control over me

Jesus has saved me and set me free

Hope has now been found

And now I am Heaven Bound

Thank you Jesus for setting me free

Thank you Jesus for saving a wretch like me.

Now I see eternity

Now I realize Heaven is for me

Thank you Jesus for saving me.

And even though my home is now far far away

And this old body is made of clay

I pray that my life will sway

At least just one to come this way.

Poem written by Rev. David Rogers, 1/16/2007.

III. WE AWAIT THE GREAT FAMILY REUNION

Family reunions - gathering with Paula’s family in Ohio, seeing mom next week, Paula’s, the Malone reunion, 

A. The parable of the great banquet

‭‭Luke‬ ‭14‬:‭15‬-‭24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’ “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ “ ‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’ ””

‭‭ Luke‬ ‭14‬:‭15‬-‭24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

B. The parable of the wedding feast

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭22‬:‭1‬-‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’ “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless. “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ “For many are invited, but few are chosen.””

Matthew‬ ‭22‬:‭1‬-‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

C. The marriage supper of the Lamb

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭19‬:‭6‬-‭9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.) Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.””

‭‭ Revelation‬ ‭19‬:‭6‬-‭9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Come And Dine”

By C.B. Widmeyer / S. H. Bolton

Jesus has a table spread

Where the saints of God are fed

He invites His chosen people

Come and dine

With His manna He doth feed

And supplies our every need

O 'tis sweet to sup with

Jesus all the time

Come and dine

The Master calleth

Come and dine

You may feast at Jesus' table

All the time

He who fed the multitude

Turned the water into wine

To the hungry calleth now

Come and dine

Soon the Lamb will take His bride

To be ever at His side

All the host of Heaven

Will assembled be

O 'twill be a glorious sight

All the saints in spotless white

And with Jesus they will

Feast eternally

Come and dine

The Master calleth

Come and dine

You may feast at Jesus' table

All the time

He who fed the multitude

Turned the water into wine

To the hungry calleth now

Come and dine

© Public Domain

CONCLUSION

This is not our home. We are built for eternity. We await the great family reunion!

‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭3‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬

“But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.”

‭‭ 2 Peter‬ ‭3‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬

INVITATION

It is our custom to offer an "invitation" following the preaching of the Word.  You may want to follow Jesus.  You may want to proclaim your faith.  You may want to repent (stop doing ungodly things and start doing Godly things).  Perhaps you want to be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins     and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Possibly, if you have already responded to God’s call in these ways, you would like to become a member of Kenwood Church.  If you have been moved by the Holy Spirit to make a decision in your life, you can come forward now.  If you would like, I would be honored to speak with you following the service about what God is doing in your life.