Hickey Theology

I am retired from ministry, or I have taken a break for a short period of time. I have spent time these past few months remembering all the special moments that occurred during my ministry. If I am honest there have been some very difficult moments and events. There is one moment that devastated both me and the community.I remember the day as if it just happened yesterday. It was December 22, 1997 when I received a phone call from a frantic Amy Todd. All I could hardly hear out of her deep sobs was that Kay and the girls were in the house and it had burned down.

Kay Fesler was a young woman who was a member of our church. Kay had two beautiful girls, Laurie and Ashley. Kay loved them so much! She brought her two girls to our little church in Kaw City every Sunday. She had become very active in helping in the Kaw community with youth events. And now after all her struggles, all she had worked to accomplish and to overcome had come to a fiery end.

After I arrived and I learned, thank God, the girls were able to break away from the murderous grip of the individual, who had killed Kay, and escaped the burning house. The community rallied around the girls and were present with them, offering comfort in the mist of this tragedy.

It was only after hours of being with the family and keeping reporters at bay that I left for home. When I passed the fire station I saw so many cars. I just wanted to go home, but I turned around and entered the station to find a room full of grown men crying or simply starring off into space. They looked up at me as if maybe I could give an answer to their pain. They wanted to be comforted.

When we lose loved ones, when tragedy overwhelms us, we struggle sometimes to find ways to experience God’s comforting love. So, where do we seek comfort when our lives are turned upside down. I can hear someone thinking, well Shane, in the Word of God, and you would be right.

When life’s struggles threaten to overtake us, we can find comfort in The Living Word of God, you can feel God speaking to you. Someone else may be thinking, well Shane, there is prayer and you would also be right. There is something peacefully and powerful in knowing that God is waiting to listen to us to share not just the troubles of our life but the joys.

When God hears our sorrow God cries with us, and God rejoices in the joys of our life and this gives us comfort knowing God is present when we are alone, but, for me anyway, God gives us another way, a very powerful, life-giving , life-changing way to find God’s comfort when the tragedies of life come.

God created us for relationships. God never, ever intended us to be alone. God gave us God’s presence in the people. When the tragedies of life assail us, whether it be the loss of a loved one, a dear friend, or the struggles we have on a daily bases in just living life, yes we can turn to God’s Word,  yes, we can pray and feel God’s presence, but we can and do experience God’s comfort when we allow ourselves to be surrounded by others, who bring to us Gods’ life-giving love and healing compassion.

We need to give comfort to someone who is hurting and they need to know they are not alone. YOU ARE THE PRESENCE OF GOD AND JESUS CHRIST! You have been given the gift, the purpose of being God’s love and compassion. Sometimes, when a tragedy strikes, people don’t need words, they just want somebody to be there for them. Isn’t it amazing how we are comforted through the presence of others? Just think how much more the comfort of God’s presence will do wonders in our lives.

When I entered the fire station the day of Kay’s murder, I heard the crying of grown men, some who had grown up with Kay and had witness the horrible scene of finding her charred body. The moment I stepped into the room everyone jumped up and rushed toward me and we gathered in a circle, not a word was spoken, only sounds of grieving through tears.

We all need comfort from time to time. We don’t, even though we might think so, need explanations or plans or reasons to be comforted, we just need someone to be with us. There are so many who are suffering in the world. There are those who we know who are suffering in silence. There are so many whose lives have been turned upside down and they feel like they have no one they can turn to. They feel they can’t because they are physically, spiritually and even emotionally unable.

They need comfort not just from a tragedy but just from the things of life that have overcome them. They need to know they have not been forgotten. We can bring them comfort! God gave us a very special gift, we can and do find God’s comfort in the tragedies of life, and that gift is, that God gave us each other. Until next time!

Grace and Peace