Outsiders to the gospel (and some insiders) stumble over what is sometimes named the problem of evil: How can an all-powerful God permit bad things to happen to good people? But I can’t think of a better place than a congregation, this congregation, to live out circumstances of pain or difficulty. Jesus has the last word on what Isaiah first preached, in his second beatitude: Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. (Matthew 5:4) Amen.
