2 Corinthians 4: 8 - "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair." (NIV)

When I was in high school, one of my English teachers required us to memorize poetry. I have forgotten a good deal of it, but one poem which impressed itself on my mind and has remained there includes the line, "On the branch of an oak tree in November".

The author and title of the poem now escape my recollection, but the image of a solitary bird sitting "on the branch of an oak tree in November" has remained with me as a picture of someone contemplating, alone, the prospects of life and the future, shrouded in the mist of dull and dreary surroundings. Adding overcast skies and the Maritime fog or icy drizzle that so often accompanies the day of national remembrance on November 11th completes a canvas which no thousand words can adequately express.

Depression or despair is a real part of life for many, and the onslaught of cold weather, the disappearance of the coloured flowers and bright leaves, and the arrival of cold and ’flu season can cause us to feel the weight of other burdens in our lives more heavily.

Serious illness, sorrow accompanying bereavement or estrangement, the pain of watching young ones being squeezed into the mould of a fallen world, or the sadness of standing by while elderly loved ones slip into confusion are very much part of life. Random terrorist attacks and the looming clouds of war darken the horizon even further.

Paul suffered too. While seeking to help those who were searching for God and truth and reality in a world full of illusions, he was misunderstood, mocked and scorned by the very people he was trying to help. While striving to honour Jesus Christ, by preaching and teaching God’s word for no personal gain, he was assaulted, arrested, and a vow taken by many to kill him. If any had reason to despair, it was Paul.

Yet he writes in 2 Corinthians 4: 8: "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair." What lifted him up? What sustained him? He tells us, "We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus." (verse 10) Paul identified with Jesus and his suffering. Because Paul had opened his life to Jesus Christ and welcomed him, he was never without the presence of Jesus’ Spirit. As one of us, Jesus suffered in his body much severe pain and in his spirit much mental and emotional anguish. Yet Jesus himself had known the presence and power of God to sustain him while in the crucible of his human suffering, and he persevered, and ultimately defeated the demons of discouragement, despair, and death. With Jesus’ inspiration and with Jesus’ presence in his life, Paul was able to do the same. He understood that "We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." (verse 7)

Paul’s struggles foreshadow ours. The grace of God which sustained him is available for us too.

Let us not make light of the burdens that weigh upon those who sit amid November’s barren branches. At the same time, though, let us not forget that the leafless trees of November will produce the buds and blossoms of another spring’s beauty. Jesus’ bleak and barren tree on Calvary’s darkened mount gave way to the glorious dawn of His resurrection. The suffering and death he knew remains with us, but so does His life.

In Christ, and therefore hard-pressed but not without hope,

Your pastor,

James T. Hurd.