Bowling Green Covenant Church

The Traveler’s Advisory

Friday 26 October 2006

“May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” —Romans 15.5-6

Several years ago, our family was returning to our home in Canada after visiting family in Northern Virginia. It was the middle of March and we were trying to outrun a snowstorm. Despite the fact that we would share the driving, neither Jill nor I were looking forward to an intense fourteen-hour ride home in bad weather.

By the eleventh hour we had reached St. Catherine’s, Ontario. We had three hours to go and the snow was increasing in intensity. Hungry, tired and in need of a break we pulled off the highway and into a Tim Horton’s coffee shop. We each had a bowl of soup with a sandwich. An hour later, with our bellies full and hope renewed we set off for home.

As we made our way back to our van we noticed the snow had stopped. By the time we were an hour from home, the sky had cleared so much we could see the stars. Obviously, our stop at the Tim Horton’s did not cause the snow to stop. However, by stopping there to eat and refresh ourselves we all noticed an improvement in our attitude and in our behavior the rest of the way home. Before we stopped we were tired, hungry and short of patience. After the stop we were in a much better frame of mind.

Our rest stop at that Tim Horton’s was the benediction we needed to encourage us to continue. Weary travelers need the benediction of rest stops. Weary travelers need the blessing of places where they can refresh themselves. Weary travelers need the encouragement of places where they can become reenergized so they can continue and complete their journey.

People who follow Jesus need rest stops, too. They need the benediction of rest that comes from God’s word. We all need the encouragement to endure as we follow Jesus through sunshine and storms. The apostle Paul often included benedictions in his letters—sometimes more than one. For example, Romans 15.5-6 is the first of three benedictions Paul writes in the chapter (cf., 15.13; 15.33).

For Christ-followers, a benediction is like a well-placed rest stop along a well-traveled road. It refreshes and encourages because it feeds the soul and reenergizes the spirit. A benediction renews our hope so we can continue and complete our journey. A benediction gives us the assurance that if we endure the journey will end happily.

Thus when Paul writes, “May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,” his goal is to inspire his readers to keep following Christ by reminding them of their (and our) ultimate responsibility and privilege, to glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The benediction is also a reminder that since we do not travel alone we must try our best to live in harmony as we make our way toward our eternal home. We are reminded that the God we serve is THE God of endurance and encouragement. When we need endurance He is our source. When we need encouragement He is our supply. When we need to learn how to live in harmony He is our teacher and our example. Compared to eternity we spend a brief time on this earth. Still, from our perspective life can be a very long, very lonely, and very tiring journey.

We all need rest stops at which we can revive our endurance and renew our encouragement. How good it is to know that the God we serve is THE God who gives both without limit to those who trust in His Son.

You think about that.

MM