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Comic strips are sometimes a good source of sermon material for preachers, and often a commentary on life's sometimes harsh realities. The one that caught my eye depicts a clergyman sitting at his desk looking rather pleased with himself. On the desk was a sign which read, 'Twenty-three weeks without a bad sermon'. Modesty forbids me to claim that I've ever had anywhere near such a long run of good sermons!
Comic strips or no, we don't live in a cartoon kind of world. Bad things do happen to us, even when we've been good. It's not to say, however, that life is some kind of lottery, that there's no point in striving to do good.
The truth is, God works with us for good. That means we don't sit back and wait for whatever life dishes out for us – good or bad. When setbacks come, as they do in this imperfect world, then we have to hold the faith that God is somehow working his purpose for us and know that it will ultimately be for our good.
I once came across a definition of an optimist: 'An optimist is a happychondriac!' So it's worth thinking about. Confessing Jesus as Lord doesn't bring an automatic exemption from life's woes, but co-operating with him does mean that we will have an inner joy that no earthly circumstance can snatch away.
When there's nothing but sunshine, the result is like a desert – like parts of Namibia I used to know. And in just the same way that any congregation has to put up with bad sermons in among the good ones, so, when into life a little rain inevitably falls, may you know that, with Christ's peace, the future will be good – even when the present seems bad.
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