Comfort for Life and Death
Scripture Reading — Romans 8:28-32
Your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you . . . . You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
We live in a world obsessed with comfort. The number of air conditioning units in the world is expected to triple by 2050. Tens of billions of dollars are spent on pain medication every year, and the market is forecast to increase 50 percent by 2032. Myriads of other products offer comforts we “can’t live without.” And yet nearly every day in my work as a college chaplain I meet and pray with people who are anxious and stressed out!
We all need comfort, and we all have important needs, especially for our physical, emotional, and spiritual health. But too often we look for comfort in the wrong places.
Being part of a community and having a sense of belonging is part of the answer to finding comfort for daily living, but the best way to find comfort is in a right relationship with God, who provides the true and lasting comfort of full life forever.
The apostle Paul reminds us that we do not belong to ourselves but have been bought at a price—through the blood of Jesus, God’s Son—who came to offer us new life through the gift of his own life. Belonging to Jesus, we are connected to each other as well.
This world provides only limited, temporary comforts. But belonging to God through Jesus offers true and lasting comfort for both body and soul, during life and in the face of death.
God, thank you that we are not our own but belong, “in life and in death,” to you. Amen.
About the author — George Koopmans
George Koopmans has served as an ecumenical chaplain at Medicine Hat College in Medicine Hat, Alberta, since November 2021. Prior to entering into chaplaincy, George served as a pastor to two congregations—one in Minnesota (Luverne), and the other in Medicine Hat. George and his wife, Emily, have four adult daughters and three grandchildren. Hiking, biking, and birdwatching are his favorite hobbies.
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