House Of Christ

House of Christ

by

Dr. Gale A. Ragan-Reid (10/5/2013)

“If I wait, the grave is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness” (Job 17:13, King James Version, KJV [Job declares his innocence]).

Greetings to the dearly bereaved,

Come, let us go to the house of Christ to praise his name, for it is cold, laid down in the grave.

If, I said, anything at all, then, I have said too little, when I say it is difficult, to let go, of your beloved and let God, have his way. When I saw the grave workers lower my loved ones down to the grave, I could not think, of anything else or anyone else; the silence inside of me overwhelmed me to grief and it was the silence, inside of me that I claimed as my friend, to the world. At that moment, my face held a thousand words yet it spoke nothing.

I have not felt such sober awareness as the feelings that arose up in me, when I laid my mother, to rest and before my mother, when I laid my father to rest. Later, my brothers and my sisters brought back the same sober awareness of my flesh and my spirit, of which I felt that I escaped, to my spirit, for it was too much for me to bear, in the flesh. I felt so light, in weight and so empty of the needs, of the flesh, I knew I was as close to total spiritual awakening as one could get, while still in the flesh. Yet, I wait, and I plead my course, of innocence, as Job did, in the flesh (Job chapter 17, KJV).

Job, a poetical book, in the law, of the Holy Bible, “deals with human suffering and in that regard particularly the afflictions of the righteous, for not all suffering is a result of sin in the life of the sufferer” (Holy Bible, n.d.). Job said, “I have said to corruption, Thou art my father: to the worm, Thou art my mother, and my sister. And where is now my hope? As for my hope, who shall see it? They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when our rest together is in the dust” (Job 17:14-16, KJV).

We must stay, those of us, who yet live, in a generation, of malice that must change. Job asserted that: “Upright men shall be astonished at this, and the innocent shall stir up himself against the hypocrite. The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger” (17:8-9). Who among you, is upright and who among you, is righteous? Why are you silent; as if you are dead and already in your grave; not strong, at all?

Then, are you grieving for those you lost, smiling in your sleep, to keep the malice of the world, at bey and the evil spirits that lurk in the night, away (Job 1:7; 2:2, KJV [Satan came before the LORD). Job said, “He that speaketh flattery to his friends, even the eyes of his children shall fail” (Job 17:5). This matter of your heart, you cannot hide it and you cannot sweet talk your way around it, for we are broken yet we remain. “My days are past, my purposes are broken off, even the thoughts of my heart” (Job 17:11). When, my grief swallows up my breath and threatens to consume me, for I know my grave waits as your grave waits, I must think of Job, who lost everything just because he was a righteous man, pious before God Almighty, worthy of the test, for change?

Are you strong enough, to wait for change? You hear folks saying, “Change is coming.” You must ask yourself, “Am I strong enough, to wait for my change?” You keep hearing the voices, of the believers and some in unbelief say, “Change is coming.” Job said, “If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come” (Job 14:14, KJV [Job waiteth for his change]).

Your fear, only served to betray the anxiety of your flesh but are the screams from the darkness of the pit louder than the screams, that rail all who hear, to listen to you, for your friends and your family, no longer believe? Job said, “He hath made me also a byword of the people; and aforetime I was as a tabret” (Job 17:6). Who of you, will believe for your change, to the end? How about your faith?

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Amen.