Rev. Richard P. Smith
The horrific storms which hit six states on Friday night, Saturday morning have riveted all of us. Currently, there may be 50+ deaths in Kentucky and 14 in the other states. Beyond the loss of life, there is the loss of livelihood; the extensive loss of property; and dreams shattered.
Moreover, these devastations follow upon Covid-19 disease and deaths; the tragic shootings in Oxford, Michigan on November 30; the other recent tragic shootings, etc.
I believe that this Jesus whose birth we celebrate this Holy Season can guide us and speak to us amidst these challenging losses. Let me share four insights.
Jesus Would Not Provide Trite and Easy Answers
You never find Jesus when he speaks to the crises or difficulties of people’s lives doing so in trite, simplistic, or Pollyanna ways. Quite the opposite. We discover in the Gospels a Jesus who fully comprehends the sufferings and heartaches of this world and how hard they can be to bear.
Note these ways Jesus understood the difficulties of life.
*He understood the realities of life. He said, “The rain will fall on the just and the unjust alike and the sun will rise on the just and the unjust alike.” In other words, good things happen to good people but good things also come to bad people. Bad things do happen to bad people but bad things can also happen to good people.
*He wept tears of agony when his good friend Lazarus died. He knew that grief is real and must not be ignored.
*He felt the agony of betrayal and heart-wrenching spiritual struggle when he ended up on the cross. He knew that life could be brutal and unfair.
Jesus Reveals The God Who Meets Us Where We Are
This is what Advent is all about…Incarnation; Emmanuel, God with us. It’s the truth that God has come to earth in human form. That He walks among us in Jesus of Nazareth. That He knows what life is like; the good and the bad. That He knows what we go through.
The way I like to say it is that God meets us in the mire, the muck, and the mess of life. He’s not removed from the ups and downs of this world; he’s right in the middle of things, even the messes.
This isn’t to say that we won’t struggle in times of great challenge with who God is and how God is at work. Again, as noted above, Jesus knew that life could be harsh.
But, amidst the mess, amidst the muck and mire, God is at work. He is here! Jesus believed that; even on those occasions (Gethsemane, The Cross) when he was honest with God about his own struggle.
His final words on the cross sum up his fundamental trust…”Into your hands, God, I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46).
Jesus Would Have Us Love And Care For Each Other
I don’t need to tell you that the central commandment of Jesus was that we love each other as he loves us (John 15:12). All our liturgies and institutional religion prove empty if we do not seek, as best we can, to love each other; especially the hurting among us.
We each have manifold opportunities to reveal this love by our acts of generosity; acts of service in the stricken areas; financial generosity; and encouraging conversations with persons who are truly struggling emotionally and spiritually.
Jesus Believed That Our Prayers Matter
Study the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and you come away inspired by how often Jesus prayed; how regularly he knelt before God and connected with God; how faithfully he trusted prayer as a necessary venue for tapping into the resources of God!
So, for what do we pray?
We pray for people affected, whether we know them or not.
We pray for leaders to make wise decisions and know how to encourage their people.
We pray for community churches, temples, and mosques to rise to the occasion (even where they’ve lost their buildings).
We pray for the first and second responders whose tasks will be ongoing for some time.
| Remember my blog post on November 29 titled, On God And Suffering. |
