The Comfort of Presence in the Word

By Pastor Benjamin Glaser - Posted at Thoughts From Parson Farms:

How Visitation Informs the Life and Death of God's People

Howdy,

When I started in this series looking through the original Westminster Directory of Public Worship part of my goal was to help explain the nature and purpose of Reformed worship and why we do what we do at Bethany ARP. I hope this has been helpful in your own walk of faith. What is particularly useful for me personally are the little asides the DPW has to say about the duties and responsibilities of the minister. It is certainly good for all us to be on the same page concerning what I am supposed to do and also what you as a member should expect to take place. It is also the case that often the most intimate interactions that a pastor will have with the sheep take place in difficult circumstances, often in a hospital room or care facility.

For your preacher then to understand the how’s and why’s of visitation not only gives peace to his soul in the midst of the trial, but also grants comfort to the believer in knowing that they can be expected to be ministered to by the word of God and the presence of Christ in the hope of the gospel. We live in a day where people always are asking for “what works” and what is going to help me in the right now, and sometimes in the believer’s life that comes not in the practical do this type thing that is wanted. Often those things which assist us the most in dealing with stuff we are going through is the remembrance of Jesus and His work, and the application of that in the labor of the Holy Spirit in comforting our souls in ways we may not be able to perceive at the moment, but can look back in providence and know the power of God’s word to do its work.

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