As we gather to begin our second day of Synod Council meetings prior to the meeting of the Synod Assembly we are engrossed in the observation of a deadly manhunt in Boston. The danger for us, it seems, is that the pain and suffering of our fellow Americans would remain distant and we would fail to express the relatedness we know to be true that comes from being children of God. Offers of prayer feel like platitude. Electronic media scrubs and sanitizes. And yet, there is messiness... fear... pain... death. There is a tension present in the life of an honest person of faith. In theological parlance it is a question of 'theodicy', that is "Where is God when bad things happen?" Philip Yancey said it with his book title, "What Good is God?" And, Eric Ohrtman would offer, "What the f*#k, God?" It is in the acknowledgment of that reality that I find a need for the God made manifest in Bethlehem and hung on a cross. That God, is the only God I can imagine speaking into the misery of the human experience. That God knew sickness, suffering, pain, messiness, even death-painful innocent death. It is to that God who does not ignore human pain, who does not cover over the messiness of life, but who speaks hope and life into places where there is none to whom we pray:
"God made man, we pray to you today for our broken and needy world. You know the depths of human depravity and you choose to work in the hands and hearts of those who live love and compassion. Be present with those who today offer care in our world, especially in Boston and Boise. Reveal your glory in this moment so that we might offer praise and thanksgiving once again. In the name of your Son Jesus the Christ, who lives and reigns with You and Your Holy Spirit. Amen"
No comments:
Post a Comment