Wednesday 05 January 2022

Psalm 149

Background

On the night before he died, Jesus told his disciples that he would send them an advocate to be with them forever (John 14:16). In some versions of the Bible it is translated as 'comforter'. In today's reading, Paul describes the comfort he has received from God in the face of all his troubles. 'Comforter' can also be translated as ‘encouragement’ or ‘counsellor’. The word suggests that there is someone sitting alongside Paul who listens carefully to what he is saying and gives him the support that will enable him to cope with all that life throws at him. In Paul’s mind, that ‘someone’ is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus.

This gift keeps on giving. When Paul receives comfort, he is able to pass it on – he understands the process of listening and supporting, so that he can share it with someone else in trouble. The comfort cascades through the Christian community, God’s comfort flowing from one to the next. And this matters because when the Christians face suffering, this too is communal, not individual (v. 6). In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul reminded them of the well-known image of the community as a body: "If one member suffers, all suffer together with it" (1 Corinthians 12:26). The whole community is affected by the troubles of an individual.

 So when troubles come, there is always the capacity to share them and respond to them within the Christian family. Because God has first listened to us, we can listen to each other. Later in the letter, Paul seems to suggest that the more he suffers, the better it is for him (12:10). Perhaps he intends the Corinthians to recall this link between suffering and comfort. The tougher life gets, the greater the resources of compassion and comfort that flow into his life from God, and the more he has to share with others who face trouble.

To Ponder:

• Have you ever met a really good listener? If so, what did it feel like and what difference did it make?
• People are different and need different forms of support. What strategies for comforting one another have you come across in church life?

 Prayer

God of all comfort, we thank you for your support and compassion when we are in trouble. We pray that you will help us to listen to each other and to share the comfort that flows from you. Amen.