Last Wednesday was Ash Wednesday - the beginning of Lent. We had ashes smeared on our foreheads to remind us that we are dust... and to dust we shall return. A reminder that our precious moments in this world are numbered. Lent is a time to pray, to reflect, and if some adopt the original discipline - it also involves fasting. It's a time of self-denial. A time to remember what God has done for us on the cross.
Hearing those words... and actually living into those words, however, are sometimes very different things.
Friday morning we awoke to news of a horrific tragedy. An 8.9 magnitude earthquake that shook the foundations of the world's third largest economic country, followed thirty minutes later by a tsunami that swept inland for 6 miles, destroying everything - and everyone - in its path. The world watched in horror as the surging waters literally wiped out entire towns and villages, sweeping away not only homes and vehicles - but people and animals.
In a strange and perhaps morbid way - what has happened is truly the essence of Lent - the epitome of human suffering, of having everything taken and ripped away from you. Of actually facing death. We may do some symbolic gestures as a spiritual discipline. The Japanese, however, are experiencing it literally.
I think the truly humbling aspect to all this is the very blatant reminder - we are NOT in control, no matter what we may think. Since the beginning of recorded history, humanity has been attempting to control its environment. Attempting to control the world around us. Earthquakes by themselves are frightening enough - but the Japanese had worked diligently in their attempts to outsmart mother nature by having very strict building codes that would sustain a massive earthquake. And indeed - it seemed many of the structures initially survived the 8.9 trembler.
But the tsunami... humanity has yet to figure out how to stop a force of nature that is that strong, that sudden, and that destructive. All the earthquake-resistant structures in the world can't stand up to a wall of rapidly moving water.
And now - to make matters worse - the nuclear plants that were built in this area are exploding and releasing dangerous radioactive particles into the atmosphere. They now face a potential meltdown that would rival the Chernobyl disaster.
It all sounds like a really bad made-for-tv disaster flick on the SyFy channel... only this is reality. This is really happening. People are really dying - there is no heroic last ditch miracle like in the movies. This is the real world - and not in a fabricated MTV sort of way.
As we watch the destruction and the attempts to bring humanitarian aid to this part of the Pacific Rim - I can't help but feel a sense of overwhelming helplessness. Sure - I donate my money to the ELCA Disaster Relief Fund so those trained to actually respond to such disasters have the supplies they need. But let's face it - most of us feel better if we're actually physically DOING something to help. And for most of us - physically doing something is a problem of logistics - not to mention the fact that no doubt, like in the Haiti earthquake just over a year ago, too many volunteers can actually hamper relief efforts.
So we sit and we watch in horror - our hearts breaking for the lives that have been lost and destroyed. And it causes many to ask - as most disasters usually do - where is God in this? What hand does He have to play? Is he punishing the people of Japan for being greedy as the Governor of Tokyo recently suggested? Is He just sitting idly by watching this all unfold as part of some "grand plan" to bring about the end of the world? Is God indifferent to the suffering? The death? The destruction? Is God just sitting back being amused at our attempts to control the uncontrollable? Or... worse yet... has God taken a permanent vacation and left us to fend for ourselves?
I recently was sent a video of a young woman who claimed she had started praying on Ash Wednesday for God to reveal to the atheists of the world that there was a God - and to show them that God loved them. She interpreted the earthquake and tsunami as a sign that her prayer had been answered. That God had grabbed the predominately heathen people of Japan, shaken them so as to say, "I'm here, don't you see?" Apparently the resulting tsunami was just another added little greeting card from the Almighty. "See how much I love you? Here comes a devastating earthquake and tsunami... now you'll worship me, no doubt."
Indeed - many are pointing to scripture - Japan, one of the great economic greats - represents the fall of Babylon - much like the fall of the World Trade Center Towers represented the same thing almost 10 years ago. Surely, people claim, Jesus will come soon now - since nation is rising up against nation, and there are wars and rumors of wars, and earthquakes in many places, etc. etc. The Biblical proof-texting regarding end-of-the-world scenarios at the hands of an angry and wrathful God are flooding the cyberspace bandwidths with theories and ideas about how God is punishing the world for not worshiping him. And most will point to the Book of Revelation to confirm their theories.
The irony (or should I say tragedy?) of this interpretation by many Christians is that the Book of Revelation actually points out that disasters and terrors do NOT cause people to turn to God in worship - but rather, cause people to curse His name. "And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible." (Rev. 16:21) And the disasters do nothing to alter how they worship or behave.
When the people witness this feat - when they encounter the good news of the resurrection, that is when they give their praise to God. Yes, there's an earthquake midway through chapter 11 - but the earthquake is muted. Only 7000 are killed - a reversal from Elijah's day when only 7000 faithful remained.
And then comes the clincher... when the seventh trumpet finally sounds... rather than disaster as one would expect, we find the angel declaring: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever." (Rev. 11:15) When people encounter the Good News, they encounter the Kingdom of our Lord on earth.
So what can we say about God? Are his purposes ultimately destructive? Is God out to get us?
Contrary to popular opinion... not according to Revelation. According to Revelation - God is looking to heal the nations, not destroy them. (Rev. 22:2)
So if God is not using the tsunami and earthquake to grab the world's attention, how is he doing it? And what, then, is with these horrific disasters?
Revelation states that the way God has made himself known is through the lamb who was slain. The lamb who ransoms us, heals us and nourishes us. The lamb who washes the faithful clean by his own blood - not the blood of others. By the lamb entering into the battle of Armageddon armed only with the sword of His mouth and wears a robe dipped in his own blood. It is the sword of His mouth - His word - that overcomes and triumphs in the battle of armageddon - not missiles, bombs, literal swords, or any other form of warfare.
While this event is indeed a horrific reminder to us about how fleeting life can be, how quickly the structures of our world can fall down around us and be removed or destroyed - Christians are faced with a unique opportunity in the midst of this destruction. Rather than sitting back and proclaiming God's judgment upon the godless, now is the time for Christians to be focusing on how the Lamb who was slain can enter into this situation. How the Word of God who seeks to heal the nations of the world by promising to wipe away every tear, to destroy death and hades, can - and does - enter into human suffering. For us to be the hands and feet of Christ to the Japanese people - offering food, water, shelter and clothing. To be with them in their grief. To enter into their sorrow and feel their pain so that we might provide a comfort that can only come from the gracious arms of God.
This is what Ash Wednesday and Lent are all about. The beginning of our reflection on what God did in and through the person of Jesus Christ. God entering into the human experience. God coming down and suffering along with us. Not magically whisking us away from suffering - but entering into the death and the destruction that we face on an all-too-regular basis. Experiencing for himself what we feel during these times - that God is not there. God is not present. God is not listening. "My God, My God... Why have your forsaken me?!" These are not empty words. These are cries of anguish from the lamb of God... knowing what it feels like to be separated from God. To feel as though God is not listening and does not see or hear his pain.
It's what we - and especially the Japanese people right now - undoubtedly feel in the midst of this tragedy. God is absent. Or at the very least - cruel and punishing.
But my faith goes in a different direction than the angry and vengeful God hell-bent on destroying the godless. Instead - I believe God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son to walk with us in our times of distress. Its not "God so loved the world he sent an earthquake and tsunami to get people's attention," but rather, its God so loved the world that He sent His Son to live and dwell among us, and to die an excruciating death for us.
Earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, hurricanes... these are all natural disasters that are a part of our fallen world. The earth itself is in as much need of redemption as we are. "We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time." (Romans 8:22)
So if I could ever have the chance to speak to the woman who prayed that God would reveal his love for the atheists - I would tell her that He did that already, through the blood of the lamb of God who was slain. His love for us has been revealed in Jesus Christ - not earthquakes and floods.
Hearing those words... and actually living into those words, however, are sometimes very different things.
Friday morning we awoke to news of a horrific tragedy. An 8.9 magnitude earthquake that shook the foundations of the world's third largest economic country, followed thirty minutes later by a tsunami that swept inland for 6 miles, destroying everything - and everyone - in its path. The world watched in horror as the surging waters literally wiped out entire towns and villages, sweeping away not only homes and vehicles - but people and animals.
In a strange and perhaps morbid way - what has happened is truly the essence of Lent - the epitome of human suffering, of having everything taken and ripped away from you. Of actually facing death. We may do some symbolic gestures as a spiritual discipline. The Japanese, however, are experiencing it literally.
I think the truly humbling aspect to all this is the very blatant reminder - we are NOT in control, no matter what we may think. Since the beginning of recorded history, humanity has been attempting to control its environment. Attempting to control the world around us. Earthquakes by themselves are frightening enough - but the Japanese had worked diligently in their attempts to outsmart mother nature by having very strict building codes that would sustain a massive earthquake. And indeed - it seemed many of the structures initially survived the 8.9 trembler.
But the tsunami... humanity has yet to figure out how to stop a force of nature that is that strong, that sudden, and that destructive. All the earthquake-resistant structures in the world can't stand up to a wall of rapidly moving water.
And now - to make matters worse - the nuclear plants that were built in this area are exploding and releasing dangerous radioactive particles into the atmosphere. They now face a potential meltdown that would rival the Chernobyl disaster.
It all sounds like a really bad made-for-tv disaster flick on the SyFy channel... only this is reality. This is really happening. People are really dying - there is no heroic last ditch miracle like in the movies. This is the real world - and not in a fabricated MTV sort of way.
As we watch the destruction and the attempts to bring humanitarian aid to this part of the Pacific Rim - I can't help but feel a sense of overwhelming helplessness. Sure - I donate my money to the ELCA Disaster Relief Fund so those trained to actually respond to such disasters have the supplies they need. But let's face it - most of us feel better if we're actually physically DOING something to help. And for most of us - physically doing something is a problem of logistics - not to mention the fact that no doubt, like in the Haiti earthquake just over a year ago, too many volunteers can actually hamper relief efforts.
So we sit and we watch in horror - our hearts breaking for the lives that have been lost and destroyed. And it causes many to ask - as most disasters usually do - where is God in this? What hand does He have to play? Is he punishing the people of Japan for being greedy as the Governor of Tokyo recently suggested? Is He just sitting idly by watching this all unfold as part of some "grand plan" to bring about the end of the world? Is God indifferent to the suffering? The death? The destruction? Is God just sitting back being amused at our attempts to control the uncontrollable? Or... worse yet... has God taken a permanent vacation and left us to fend for ourselves?
I recently was sent a video of a young woman who claimed she had started praying on Ash Wednesday for God to reveal to the atheists of the world that there was a God - and to show them that God loved them. She interpreted the earthquake and tsunami as a sign that her prayer had been answered. That God had grabbed the predominately heathen people of Japan, shaken them so as to say, "I'm here, don't you see?" Apparently the resulting tsunami was just another added little greeting card from the Almighty. "See how much I love you? Here comes a devastating earthquake and tsunami... now you'll worship me, no doubt."
Indeed - many are pointing to scripture - Japan, one of the great economic greats - represents the fall of Babylon - much like the fall of the World Trade Center Towers represented the same thing almost 10 years ago. Surely, people claim, Jesus will come soon now - since nation is rising up against nation, and there are wars and rumors of wars, and earthquakes in many places, etc. etc. The Biblical proof-texting regarding end-of-the-world scenarios at the hands of an angry and wrathful God are flooding the cyberspace bandwidths with theories and ideas about how God is punishing the world for not worshiping him. And most will point to the Book of Revelation to confirm their theories.
The irony (or should I say tragedy?) of this interpretation by many Christians is that the Book of Revelation actually points out that disasters and terrors do NOT cause people to turn to God in worship - but rather, cause people to curse His name. "And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible." (Rev. 16:21) And the disasters do nothing to alter how they worship or behave.
The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts. -Rev. 9:20-21Revelation acknowledges - disaster is not how God gets people to turn to Him. Revelation 10 & 11 point out that God's judgment on humanity is not a full on assault, but rather it is in fact muted. Before the seventh trumpet can blast - when the seven thunders proclaim their judgment... John is told not to write the judgment down. God stops it. There has to be a different way. Disaster and affliction isn't working. So instead, John is given a scroll to eat that tastes sweet, but makes his stomach turn sour. It's reminiscent of Ezekiel eating the scroll - it's how the Word of God is internalized. So as John takes the Word of God within him, it is sweet - but also bitter because in order for God's purposes to be fulfilled - more of the faithful will have to fall at the hands of the wicked. John is told to once again prophesy to the nations, to proclaim the gospel once again. And we see a vision of the two witnesses, who embody the characteristics of the prophets of old, being killed and after three days being raised back to life.
When the people witness this feat - when they encounter the good news of the resurrection, that is when they give their praise to God. Yes, there's an earthquake midway through chapter 11 - but the earthquake is muted. Only 7000 are killed - a reversal from Elijah's day when only 7000 faithful remained.
And then comes the clincher... when the seventh trumpet finally sounds... rather than disaster as one would expect, we find the angel declaring: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever." (Rev. 11:15) When people encounter the Good News, they encounter the Kingdom of our Lord on earth.
So what can we say about God? Are his purposes ultimately destructive? Is God out to get us?
Contrary to popular opinion... not according to Revelation. According to Revelation - God is looking to heal the nations, not destroy them. (Rev. 22:2)
So if God is not using the tsunami and earthquake to grab the world's attention, how is he doing it? And what, then, is with these horrific disasters?
Revelation states that the way God has made himself known is through the lamb who was slain. The lamb who ransoms us, heals us and nourishes us. The lamb who washes the faithful clean by his own blood - not the blood of others. By the lamb entering into the battle of Armageddon armed only with the sword of His mouth and wears a robe dipped in his own blood. It is the sword of His mouth - His word - that overcomes and triumphs in the battle of armageddon - not missiles, bombs, literal swords, or any other form of warfare.
While this event is indeed a horrific reminder to us about how fleeting life can be, how quickly the structures of our world can fall down around us and be removed or destroyed - Christians are faced with a unique opportunity in the midst of this destruction. Rather than sitting back and proclaiming God's judgment upon the godless, now is the time for Christians to be focusing on how the Lamb who was slain can enter into this situation. How the Word of God who seeks to heal the nations of the world by promising to wipe away every tear, to destroy death and hades, can - and does - enter into human suffering. For us to be the hands and feet of Christ to the Japanese people - offering food, water, shelter and clothing. To be with them in their grief. To enter into their sorrow and feel their pain so that we might provide a comfort that can only come from the gracious arms of God.
This is what Ash Wednesday and Lent are all about. The beginning of our reflection on what God did in and through the person of Jesus Christ. God entering into the human experience. God coming down and suffering along with us. Not magically whisking us away from suffering - but entering into the death and the destruction that we face on an all-too-regular basis. Experiencing for himself what we feel during these times - that God is not there. God is not present. God is not listening. "My God, My God... Why have your forsaken me?!" These are not empty words. These are cries of anguish from the lamb of God... knowing what it feels like to be separated from God. To feel as though God is not listening and does not see or hear his pain.
It's what we - and especially the Japanese people right now - undoubtedly feel in the midst of this tragedy. God is absent. Or at the very least - cruel and punishing.
But my faith goes in a different direction than the angry and vengeful God hell-bent on destroying the godless. Instead - I believe God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son to walk with us in our times of distress. Its not "God so loved the world he sent an earthquake and tsunami to get people's attention," but rather, its God so loved the world that He sent His Son to live and dwell among us, and to die an excruciating death for us.
Earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, hurricanes... these are all natural disasters that are a part of our fallen world. The earth itself is in as much need of redemption as we are. "We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time." (Romans 8:22)
So if I could ever have the chance to speak to the woman who prayed that God would reveal his love for the atheists - I would tell her that He did that already, through the blood of the lamb of God who was slain. His love for us has been revealed in Jesus Christ - not earthquakes and floods.
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. - 1 Kings 19:11-12
