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In the Midst of Trauma…You cling to Christ!
Devotional & Discussion THought fo the Day:
7 Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8 He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. 9 God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:7-9 (NLT)
855 Everything may collapse and fail. Events may turn out contrary to what was expected and great adversity may come. But nothing is to be gained by being perturbed. Furthermore, remember the confident prayer of the prophet: “The Lord is our judge, the Lord gives us our laws, the Lord is our king; it is he who will save us.” Say it devoutly every day, so that your behaviour may agree with the designs of Providence, which governs us for our own good. (1)
Twelve years ago, this Sunday, I walked into Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Yucca Valley, and began another transition in my life. I had been the pastor of a great -non-denomination church in the same town, and served as a hospice chaplain there as well. It is in the latter experiences that I came to appreciate what I had dismissed for years. The role of liturgy, especially in regards to repetition done with meaning and emphasis. All repetition is not vain, itcan easily become so, but it can also become that which drives the message deeply into our heart, past the mind’s memory which can fail, and often does.
I learned this as I would visit people with dementia, or alzheimers, or who were on pain meds to deal with their broken, dying bodies. They wouldn’t remember my name, or often those around them, but when it came time to pray, something miraculous happened. Voces that only mumbled would strengthen, their tongues loosen when we read the 23rd psalm. They would have a sense of calm strength as we recited the Apostles Creed, and oh would their bodies and voices resonate the Lord’s Prayer, or when we would sing “Amazing Grace”, or “It is well!” Oh and the peace with which they would savor the Lord’s Body and Blood!
In those moments, they found their connection to God, they remembered, deep in their heart and soul, His love. It for a second or two – or for an magnificent moment, broke through the haze……and they found themselves in the presence of God.
This is exactly what each of us needs, every moment, every day. To find ours in communion with God, to be Christ’s partner’s. To know His presence to the depth of our souls, to see it shatter the darkness. This is the glory of Christ, shared with us!
I love what St. Josemaria advises us to memorize. Oddly, it is a very Lutheran passage.
It notes that God is our judge, that His laws are the ones which govern us, by which we will be judge. (this is the “Lsw” of “Law and Gospel”)
It then notes that He is our Lord, our King, the One who takes responsibility for us, and will rescue us from the penalty of that law. (the “Gospel” part”)
We need to know this – we need to have it ingrained on our hearts, our minds, our soul.
We need the fear of being judged, and the calmness that knowing He has saved us brings. We need to cling to Christ in those times where our bodies, our minds, and yes our souls fail us. To cling to him like someone who thought they were drowning clings to the life guard. Or perhaps more approariately put – we relax when He clings to us..
May you this day, as you cry out for his mercy, realize that He will keep you strong… that He is faithful to His promises, that He has bound you to Jesus, and therefore you cling to Him. In that place – there is a peace that cuts through any darkness.
AMEN.
Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). Furrow (Kindle Locations 3503-3507). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Being Blunt and Honest With God….. A Necessity..even when I am ticked off
Devotional Thought of the Day:
7 LORD, you have deceived me, and I was deceived. You are stronger than I am, and you have overpowered me. Everyone makes fun of me; they laugh at me all day long. 8 Whenever I speak, I have to cry out and shout, “Violence! Destruction!” LORD, I am ridiculed and scorned all the time because I proclaim your message. 9 But when I say, “I will forget the LORD and no longer speak in his name,” then your message is like a fire burning deep within me. I try my best to hold it in, but can no longer keep it back. Jeremiah 20:7-9 (TEV)
333 Think about this carefully: being transparent lies more in not hiding things rather than in wanting things to be seen. It is a matter of allowing the objects lying at the bottom of a glass to be perceived, and not trying to make the air visible. (1)
it has been one of those weeks. The kind I have had far too often recently, but this one is up there.
Six years ago, even though I read the verses above from Jeremiah many times before, I actually preached on it. I was at the time deciding to accept a call to the church I presently serve. Leaving behind friends and a church that was described by my predecessor as the nicest church he had ever encountered in 50 years of ministry. So why would I leave? And what did it mean that I would preach on this dark passage from Jeremiah?
Weeks like this one. Where I started the week praying for friend that was likewise moving from one parish to another, at the choice of his supervisors. Trying to grieve the change, while ministering to those he was coming to serve. Difficult. Very difficult. Another old friend this week revealed that he was also moving from one church to another – re-assigned by his supervisors. A challenging move for him as well, and then another friend last night, was told it was time to move in his ministry.
I am praying for one of the men I had a part in training for ministry, he has brain cancer and is fading fast. Another friend I found out this morning, who I also trained as a deacon, had a heart attack. Last night, out of the blue, I found myself discussing the death of one of the best friends in my life, who ministered at my side for far too long. There as well was another of my best friends, who lost his dad a month after I lost mine, and a few months later, his mom went to be with God as well.
Tomorrow, as our children wish us Happy Father’s Day, for the first time we can’t go to lunch with our dads, or talk to them on the phone. Some 15 of our friends lost dad’s or a granddad after ours passed.
This is not counting the trauma of those around us, which dwarfs our own. Dear friends with health problems. Families torn apart and going through death, others through divorce, family facing issues with those they love who are in bondage to drugs or alcohol. People dealing with financial crisis, people dealing with disabilities, including those of the mental health variety. Missionaries who are trying to deal with poverty that makes our headspin, or with violence and threats and potential martyrdom. Other people making decisions that will wreck their lives, decisions they know are wrong, but justify with justifications that…
It is enough to make you want to scream “stop”, or yell out in anger and frustration.
And if we admit it, if we are honest and transparent, the One we want to yell at …. is God.
Couldn’t He do something? “In only you had been here Lord,”the sisters of Lazarus has said. Whose fault is all of this suffering, all this pain? Why can’t life be simple and pleasant and without all this…. painful crap… (I wrote something else there.(shit).. but edited it)
It took preaching on Jeremiah’s hitting the breaking point, to be able to realize that it was ok to yell at God. That you can say that God tricked you, deceived you, to cry out like a 5 year old, “That’s not fair” or “This sucks…. That transparency with God, about our feelings, our frustrations our pain is a good thing, and I will dare say, it is necessary.
Because being that transparent with God is a matter of faith, it is necessary if we are to trust Him to bring us through the situation, if we are going to allow Him to walk us through the fire, through the storm, even through the valley of the shadow of death. It is necessary to grieve, because then acknowledging the pain, we can let Him, ask Him, count on Him, to bring healing, to bring peace, to flood our lives with His love, and comfort.
You can’t do that if you are hiding it, if you are bottling it up, letting it turn to resentment. Pouring it out on those who become you victims, because you won’t let the frustration and anger be turned on the One who has shoulders to bear it, shoulders that bore the stripes of whips, the very stripes that Isaiah prophesied would heal us, cleanse us… save us.
Have to admit, I don’t like writing this blog. Have to admit – I would love to just spend tomorrow walking along Lake Ossipee, with my son, and yeah – with my dad.
It needs to be written, for my own sake, but perhaps for yours as well. To give us the confidence to say,
Lord have mercy…. which can only be said… when we know we need it… even desperately need it.
Amen.
(1) Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). Furrow (Kindle Locations 1555-1557). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
In Hard Times Like These… hug Christ
Baptism of Christ. Jesus is baptized in the Jordan River by John. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
1 That is why we must hold on all the more firmly to the truths we have heard, so that we will not be carried away. 2 The message given to our ancestors by the angels was shown to be true, and those who did not follow it or obey it received the punishment they deserved. 3 How, then, shall we escape if we pay no attention to such a great salvation? The Lord himself first announced this salvation, and those who heard him proved to us that it is true. 4 At the same time God added his witness to theirs by performing all kinds of miracles and wonders and by distributing the gifts of the Holy Spirit according to his will. Hebrews 2:1-4 (TEV)
When the branches are united to the vine they grow to maturity and bear fruit. What then should you and I do? We should get right close to Jesus, through the Bread and through the Word. He is our vine… We should speak affectionate words to him throughout the day. That is what people in love do. (1)
Been through a bit of stress this week… and part of me wants to lock myself in a room – or dive into a book or a video game. It takes a lot to make me go introverted… and while it is a defense mechanism… it is dark at times when you are alone. (What is really hard is when I need to do the opposite – and have many people encouraging me to climb into my hole and lock them out..)
I added 10 people to our prayer list this morning…. people recovering from surgery. People mourning friends who we won’t see until we are before the throne, I’ve talked too others, very afraid of another war, and others whose finances are so stretched beyond belief. These are hard times, for so many, times of tears and weariness and emotional exhaustion.
THe strength we have, if at all, in these times, is remarkable and extraordinary. It comes from deep within us… yes, even as it is not ours, and is clearly something alien to our basic nature. It is because at such times, everything is cut away, and we find ourselves in Christ’s embrace. And there, we find His heart, and the strong beat of life that calms our soul.
When my 6 year old was an infant, he used to go to sleep at night in my arms with his head over my heart. Because I have two artificial heart valves – my heart literally clicks. Its funny – on the nights when he 2-4 and was scared or sick and desperately asks to sleep in our bed – he usually ended up with his head pressed (not just touching) about the same place – or against my back – where he could hear my heart click. I can only imagine it brought him comfort and security. He could rest.
We need to be like that with Jesus, that close, that spiritually aware, that intimate, that involved in the relationship. As Escrvia says – we do this with the Bread and in the Word, as we connect to Jesus, to our Lord. As Lutherans our way of saying this is through word and Sacrament. For as we hear the word, the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life does more than just “teaches” us, that word is planted in us and grows, and we don’t just know it academically, but intuitively, with all that we are. The same thing as we commune with God, and notice it is not you or I, but we…. the family of God. It is these times we see Christ, revealed to us is His very Heart, the love He has for us… and how He has taken us into His heart, even as the Holy Spirit abides in ours.
There is a part of me that hates these hard times… I despise the pain, the abslutely… stripped feeling I have. The seeming loneliness, the emotional rollercoasters…
Yet there is a part of me that has learned to deal with them… to welcome rather than run… because I know in these times… the Lord who makes us one with Him is there… ready to love, ready to show mercy… ready to embrace us….
And for that… what else can we do but adore Him?
(1) Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). The Forge (Kindle Locations 1683-1686). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
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Why, God? Why?
Devotional thought of the Day:
1 At that time some people were there who told Jesus about the Galileans whom Pilate had killed while they were offering sacrifices to God. 2 Jesus answered them, “Because those Galileans were killed in that way, do you think it proves that they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? 3 No indeed! And I tell you that if you do not turn from your sins, you will all die as they did. 4 What about those eighteen people in Siloam who were killed when the tower fell on them? Do you suppose this proves that they were worse than all the other people living in Jerusalem? 5 No indeed! And I tell you that if you do not turn from your sins, you will all die as they did.” Luke 13:1-5 (TEV)
A lot of people are writing today about 9-11, the memories, the pain, the “we will never forget” type statements that are true on such anniversaries, but aren’t always remembered 4 months and 13 days from now.
We remember where we were, I was at a Del Taco in Yucca Valley, grabbing a quick breakfast before heading to play golf at a Marine base. We remember the shock and hurt and pain. I remember calling the radio station in town and telling them my church would be open for anyone to come and pray.. or to come and talk. Many did, then other churches did the same…
But I don’t think about that every day. There have been other tragedies Katrina and Sandie, other traumas (wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, other events like closing our school), other deaths (over 100 friends since then… including close close friends like Clyde and Warren and Joseph).
And in each rtauma – I want to hear the same answer – the question that everyone wants to ask, and some do.
Why, God? Why?
There are the cliche’d answers, Some are true – but empty sounding at the time.
There are the answers given in ignorance, that simply ingore the pain, the hurt, the anxiety.
There are hard sermons and message and blogs – some even using the passage above – that basically say, “before another trauma hits – you better get your act straight with your God.” and “repent – for death can come in the twinkling of an eye.”
And they miss the point.
Repentance is not something we come to naturally, it is not something we can “will” when our hearts our tugged and made to feel guilt and shame. In Acts 5 and 11 it says it is granted by the Holy Spirit, it is a gift. It is the changing, not just of behaviors, but of minds and hearts, things promised to us when Christ is revealed, when God cleanses us of all unrighteousness – to be honest – something we struggle with at the best of times.
But repentance brings us to a place where we can deal with life – even with the traumas and trageides of life. It’s not something we do, it’s something we become. It’s that place of peace, that only comes from trusting in God’s faithfulness, in God love. It’s a place where we know God is God. Not just academically, but with our spiritu, our heart, our soul. Repentance, this amazing transformation is the place martyrs find, when they like Stephen cry out those those killing them be forgiven. It’s the place where we find God so present, that we fall in awe, crying even as His relief sweeps over us.
It is where we realize we may not in this life ever understand the “why?”, that the answer given may evade us… and we are okay with that.. because we know God is with us.
It is the place where hope conquers despair, where trust overcomes our doubts…. where life conquers death.
12 years ago, as planes crashed, as towers fell, people who hadn’t stepped in a church for decades… came… they came two weeks later to Desert Christ Park, where hundreds gathered to worship and pray. Despite our pain, despite our anxiety…. from the hearts of people a song rose out – and after the verses finished, the chorus seemed to just keep going – even without us musicians playing….
Hear these words we sang… and let them help you realize… the answer you need..
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Refrain:
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
Refrain:
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
Refrain:
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
May the Lord’s mercy be so evident, may His faithfulness be so revealed to you… that even on these days where sorrow again tears at our heart… that you know it is well with your soul!
Anymore time for games?
Devotional/Discussion thought of the day:
There is a game that we play, that came to an abrupt end last Friday.
I call the game, “Utopia”, and I think we get addicted to playing it.
The premise of the game is to see how well we can pretend the world is “perfect”, that there are no problems, or that the solution to them is as easy as whose name we check on a ballot. Or what we will unwrap on Christmas day will finally put us in the winner’s circle of the game. Or perhaps getting that new job, or being able to retire. Or if we find the right partner, (and if they aren’t perfect, we toss them away and try again). Even our schools prefer to have perfect images, and sometimes ignore the kids with serious issues, until it is too late. In churches as well, we often fail to see our own heresies, our own legalism, our own devotion to our culture more than our devotion to our community. Our empty sanctuaries are too hard too fill – with 100 times more people in our community than when they were built, so let’s close their doors and turn them into a starbucks, or a museum
We like perfection, and we avoid those things that would call us to admit there is work to be done. If things are perfect, if we are not in control, anxiety looms, more powerful and stronger than our wills. Often, in defense, we project the problem a distance away, its someone else’s fault, their problems, their issues, their weaknesses are now affecting us! If only they would pull their weight, if they only followed our wisdom,
There is a very subtle evil, a very determined narcissistic nature, a very powerful form of self-idolatry, that is alive and well as we play such a game as Utopia.
And one of the reasons we all take tragedies, whether natural ones like a hurricane or earthquake, or man-made ones like 9/11, Columbine, Paducah, Va Tech, or now NewTown, so hard, is that they stop our games. We can’t pretend our world is perfect anymore, we can’t play the game… it just seems…vain.
Which the game always was… vain.
We are free of the vanity now… but will we embrace it again?
There is an option to Utopia – it is reality.
A reality not of blind optimism, or some kind of hopeless fatalism. There is God’s reality. There is His work in our lives, there are His promises.
The risen Christ, Christ in glory, has divested himself of the things of this earth, so that we men, his brothers, should ask ourselves what things we need to get rid of.
Part of me wants to rebel against this – to dismiss it as some sort of fanaticism, some form of Amish like pietism.
But when trauma robs us of everything on earth – even the lives of those we love, we have something. We have Christ. We have His glory, we have His love and the promises that all is not lost, all is not vain and empty.
For what becomes the center of our life is a relationship, with our Mentor, our Guide, our Master, our Protector, our Healer, our Advocate, our Righteousness, our Lord, our Comforter, our Brother, our Father….our God,
The One who loves us.
The One we don’t see when we play Utopia…
So live in the reality of His love, look to Him every day, ask Him to cleanse you of your idols, ask Him to strengthen your trust, your love, ask Him to remind you that you dwell in His peace…..
Ask Him, Lord have mercy!
And rejoice, in knowing He has promised, and His is doing this very thing – even now.
AMEN
Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). The Forge (Kindle Locations 1990-1991). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition. 526
The Answer to that question
The Answer to “That” Question
Isaiah 63: 15
† In His Name †
As we ask the questions, we cannot find the answers to, may become aware of God’s richest grace and mercy and love enfolding us, allowing us to poor out our pain, our grief, our anger… on the One who came to take it away…
It is a movie I watch a few times a year – one of those favorites, that even though you know the lines, the plot – and in this case – the incredible martial arts… you love to sink yourself into.
As a kid, I loved it because of the martial arts, and the hero taking on odds of 20, 50 even 100 to one. As an adult – as an one studies mankind, the movie is fascinating in a different way – as there are different reactions to injustice, to hatred, to evil.
There are the bad guys, who do whatever they want – and do not care about the victims. The ones we love to hate, yet in the end, find ourselves pitying, even as they get what they ask for.
There was the sheriff and the doctor – who though on the side of good, restrained their public speech against those who “controlled the town.
There was the pacifists – who took action by doing their own thing – trying to protect everyone – even at the cost of their own suffering, even hiding that suffering in a supposedly noble desire to avoid further violence, further pain, further sin.
Then there was Billy, the one who could spin and kick and whose presence could intimidate and cause people to behave for the moment… but who couldn’t be everywhere at once. Over the movie, he would transform – from a man focused on retribution to one who would publicly submit – that there could be some hope for reconciliation, some hope for peace… some hope for a future.
As the credits role at the end, as the hero is taken away in police cars, as the people honor him, the trauma is still left behind, and while there is some hope for the future… there is also a past to heal from. I look at that… and it is…right.
For none of those involved in the story have the answer… and in this world, it seems like all we can do some time is try to project how to prevent such trauma in the future. And maybe that should be enough – but for me it is far from it.
There is a verse that expresses what my heart cries out to :
Isaiah 63:15 (MSG) 15 Look down from heaven, look at us! Look out the window of your holy and magnificent house! Whatever happened to your passion, your famous mighty acts, Your heartfelt pity, your compassion? Why are you holding back?
Today, in light of Robert’s funeral, in light of the massacres in China and Connecticut on Friday, in light of all the trauma – the question has been asked to me multiple times – where is God? Where is He? Has He abandoned us?
Advent of all times in the year – perhaps gives us the best answer…
One that wasn’t heard in the movie, which is why, it left me with questions, with just a momentary hope, and no peace in the present.
The Pain –
In the movie – all the reactions to something so horrible, so incredibly unjust, are our normal reactions. Even if we are only witnesses from a distance, we almost adopt the people involved – as we are grateful the incident wasn’t here, or across the street. The sorrow and grief grows – especially if we have been in a situation similar, or cared for those who were. If we’ve seen the life-less eyes, robbed of joy. The pain grows as we hear things, some true, some not so true.
With the pain, there often comes frustration – we can’t even begin to conceive a logical explanation for these times of suffering – and that frustration turns quickly into anger. Anger at the perpetrator, anger at the evilness of society, anger that something wasn’t done, anger that we can’t do anything to help.. anger at God for even allowing such evil to exist.
That anger soon turns on those who allow it to ferment – and we saw that in the last two days, as people tried to diagnose what caused the young man in Connecticut and the man in China. Such anger also occurs, when rather than praying, we find ourselves engaged in debates on how to prevent further incidents such as there. We try to work everything out while we are still pained, stressed, grieving, remembering… and we end up, in our pain, not seeing, or caring for those who are likewise trying to grieve and process the news and emotions.
Heck – I find myself incredibly pained and frustrated and angry at how my friends treated each other, as they tried to make the case for their positions, when instead we should have all been on our knees, praying for the comfort of those directly affected, and those whose scars from prior tragedies have those scars ripped open again….
We might even find ourselves, internalizing all of this or trying this time – to ignore the pain, the grief, or trying to find someone to vent upon – or pour out our wrath upon…and then the guilt is added to the scenario – if we realize we too…have our victims.
The time to purge…
…
We can’t avoid dealing with these things… we can’t just bottle them up – we have to find a way to vent it all, and to vent in a way that doesn’t create other victims. Things like this aren’t supposed to happen – we should never ever not be in pain when they do.
There is a key to this, that is in that verse….there – right in the middle –
“Whatever happened to your passion? Where is your pity? Your Compassion?
You see, they knew of God’s love – even when they were in pain. Isaiah described it a few verses before…
I’ll make a list of GOD’s gracious dealings, all the things GOD has done that need praising, All the generous bounties of GOD, his great goodness to the family of Israel— Compassion lavished, love extravagant. 8 He said, “Without question these are my people, children who would never betray me.” So he became their Savior. 9 In all their troubles, he was troubled, too. He didn’t send someone else to help them. He did it himself, in person. Out of his own love and pity he redeemed them. He rescued them and carried them along for a long, long time.
Isaiah 63:7-9 (MSG) 7
They knew His compassion, His love, that we indeed are His people – it isn’t his nature to leacev us alone – it never has been, from Adam and Eve, to Abraham and Lot, to Moses or Joshua or David… or Job.
I love it that it says – in all their troubles, He was troubled too…
And it is incredible to realize – that God comes down, that He doesn’t leave these things up to others – but in these times – He is here…
And that is the message of advent.. He doesn’t leave us alone….. He never planned to, He never does, even when it seems that all is going to hell in the world…for that is what Mary had to treasure…the manger would lead to the cross, to the bearing of all sin, all pain, all anger. Isaiah again says it well
1 Who believes what we’ve heard and seen? Who would have thought GOD’s saving power would look like this? 2
4 But the fact is, it was our pains he carried— our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought he brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures. 5 But it was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins! He took the punishment, and that made us whole. Through his stripes we get healed. Isaiah 53:1-5 (MSG
Can we lay our burdens on the crucified one?
I know we hurt, even those on the fringe, or who see the fears for their children lived out in the lives of others. We in our anger and pain want to strigke out – want to rail against the evil – we want to take on something. I understand that! I know that desire – to somehow focus all of our rage, all of our pain on someone….
There is only one place to focus that rage – to focus that pain, to focus the anger…..the place that God focused it – along with all His wrath – not just for this massive evil example of sin, but all of the sin we deal with…
We have to go to the cross – to pour out our pain, our anguish, our anger on Jesus Christ – as He lies there – a victim unlike any other – for He chose to be the victim – to take all of the wrath for such actions, to let such sin, and the grief it causes to be nailed with Him there to the cross.
It is there – that our reactions, which can in themselves be sinful and trauma causing and sinful.. can be poured out…. on Jesus, as the cross…
Empty of the pain, our eyes perhaps unable to cry anymore… we find at the cross peace…
Who are we to focus our anger and pain on?
Devotional/Discussion thought of the Day:
The cries of pain kept me up late into the night, as I remember the words on the radio, the comments on television, the wars of words that filled Facebook and twitter.Even as I struggle amid the realization that I cannot understand the evil that drove a man in Connecticut to act in such an.. evil.. way, the responses didn’t seem to want to diminish the evil but rather revel in hate. Even as I was starting to get to the point where I could pray, the news of another massacre in an elementary school, this one in China, filled my screens… Add to that the publicity-seekers, who rather then send their condolences private, but issued condolences via press releases, and those speculated on the why’s, and the how to prevent the next unpreventable tragedy.
For those who have been involved in such traumas, as I was in 2005*, the speculations and declarations are not something that is beneficial – the most hurtful are those that indicate God allowed such trauma because of this, or that. Indeed, the pain is only increased, the questioning of God that is part of the process of grief made even more painful. The people of God think that God is so petty that He would allow such trauma because we took prayer out of schools? Or that because we didn’t confront one sin directly. ANd then I realize – I am focusing my anger, as inappropriately as those I want to confront for their inappropriate focus….
I know we hurt, even those on the fringe, or who see the fears for their children lived out in the lives of others. We in our anger and pain want to strigke out – want to rail against the evil – we want to take on something. I understand that! I know that desire – to somehow focus all of our rage, all of our pain on someone….
There is only one place to focus that rage – to focus that pain, to focus the anger…..the place that God focused it – along with all His wrath – not just for this massive evil example of sin, but all of the sin we deal with…
We have to go to the cross – to pour out our pain, our anguish, our anger on Jesus Christ – as He lies there – a victim unlike any other – for He chose to be the victim – to take all of the wrath for such actions, to let such sin, and the grief it causes to be nailed with Him there to the cross.
It is there – that our reactions, which can in themselves be sinful and trauma causing and sinful.. can be poured out…. on Jesus, as the cross…
The prophet Isaiah put it this way…
1 Who believes what we’ve heard and seen? Who would have thought GOD’s saving power would look like this? 2
4 But the fact is, it was our pains he carried— our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought he brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures. 5 But it was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins! He took the punishment, and that made us whole. Through his bruises we get healed.Isaiah 53:1-5 (MSG)
And as you pour out your pain, your grief, and yes, your anger on Him, know that He endures it, even as He despises the shame… for the joy of knowing your healing.
God’s peace flood you life.. this day… and each…..
*( I was part of a team that ministered and counseled students dealing with a murder/multiple homicide – an entire family wiped out)
Wednesday… will this week ever end!
Devotional thought of the day:
Idou Ego meth umon eimi pasas hemeras heas tes suntelias tou aionos.
It’s Wednesday, and already a hard one. My cousin back east is in ICU after a crash, my friend’s father passed away, another friend’s grandmother is seriously ill – and the prayer list of my church of 100 or so people is two pages long. Pm top of that there are the Bible studies to prepare, a new confirmation class starting Sunday, a wedding to prep the music and bulletin for, all sorts of other issues going on. As the president of my congregation is known for saying… Sigh… Prayers!
Some people call Wednesday the hump day, that things speed up from this point on. I am not so sure I want them this week to speed up – or intensify. It seems like this week will never end… and even if it does, what happens next week? There are days… weeks and maybe even a year..(or two) when everything seems to pile up – work, obligations, trauma, natural disasters,…sigh. It is overwhelming…
The Greek transliteration above is from the end of the Gospel of Matthew, and it is where I find my “optimistic” attitude in the face of such weeks. (someone said that to me the other day… I’m like..uhm… okay?) I put it there in the Greek – not to show off – but because the English translations.. well – I think they don’t express it as well as the Greek does. Here it is, in English
Look! I with you AM – all the days until the completion of the time!
That is the message we need, that is what we need to realize on Wednesdays, (and every other day) EVERY day – He is here, we live in the presence of God who is with us, for us, caring for us, guarding and securing us in His peace, because He loves us. That whether it is Hurricane Sandy, or personal trauma, or watching the people we love suffer, we know God is here with us.
That gets us through the trauma. It beings us the expectation of eternity, an eternity beyond our ability to imagine. I used this quote earlier this week – it still strikes me as needing to be heard:
(God’s) Covenant blessings are not meant to be looked at only, but to be appropriated. Even our Lord Jesus is given to us for our present use. Believer, thou dost not make use of Christ as thou oughtest to do. When thou art in trouble, why dost thou not tell him all thy grief? Has he not a sympathizing heart, and can he not comfort and relieve thee? No, thou art going about to all thy friends, save thy best Friend, and telling thy tale everywhere except into the bosom of thy Lord. Art thou burdened with this day’s sins? Here is a fountain filled with blood: use it, saint, use it. Has a sense of guilt returned upon thee? The pardoning grace of Jesus may be proved again and again. Come to him at once for cleansing. Dost thou deplore thy weakness? He is thy strength: why not lean upon him? Dost thou feel naked? Come hither, soul; put on the robe of Jesus’ righteousness. Stand not looking at it, but wear it. Strip off thine own righteousness, and thine own fears too: put on the fair white linen, for it was meant to wear. Dost thou feel thyself sick? Pull the night-bell of prayer, and call up the Beloved Physician! He will give the cordial that will revive thee. Thou art poor, but then thou hast “a kinsman, a mighty man of wealth.” What! wilt thou not go to him, and ask him to give thee of his abundance, when he has given thee this promise, that thou shalt be joint heir with him, and has made over all that he is and all that he has to be thine? There is nothing Christ dislikes more than for his people to make a show-thing of him, and not to use him. He loves to be employed by us. The more burdens we put on his shoulders, the more precious will he be to us. [i]
[i] Spurgeon, C. H. (2006). Morning and evening: Daily readings (Complete and unabridged; New modern edition.). Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers.
How to find strength in the face of adversity and trauma?
Discussion/Devotional thought of the day:
There are days when it seems the trials and traumas never end. For a pastor, perhaps we see this more often than others, but I don’t think so. There are so many things out there to cause anxiety, from health issues to financial struggles, to friends and family in trauma, to marriages and relationships that struggle and need supernatural help to survive and heal.
As I related yesterday, I’ve had a few myself – from dieing to surgeries, and to being there for people in the midst of so many issues. I have found that in the midst of adversity, in the midst of trauma, there is both a sense of peace, and strength that is there that isn’t mine, but it is available to me. It is one of the reasons I am writing a book about churches in trauma – to remind them of what is already there… for them..
In this mornings devotion, I came across two notes that reveal it a little, once you think them through:
475 You realize you are weak. And so, indeed, you are. In spite of all that—rather, because of it—God has sought you. He always uses inadequate instruments so that the work may be seen to be his. From you he asks only docility.
476 When you really give yourself to God, no difficulty will be able to shake your optimism. (Escriva, Josemaria (2010-11-02). The Way (Kindle Locations 1165-1168). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.)
I’ve been accused of being too optimistic once or twice, and while I would adjust St Josemaria’s statement a little – I agree with it. My adjustment would be to say “When you abandon yourself to God” rather than give. Give makes it sound like you can, like a child “take back” that which you have given. (and so often we do!) But to come to the realization that there is no other option, no other hope, then you do let God be God, the Master who promises to and designs your life as a piece of artwork. (see Eph. 2:10 – the word for workmanship there is the word we get poetry from!)
I am not talking about conversion here – at least not in the evangelical sense. For there, conversion has little to do with us, God simply reveals Himself and His love, through those who come to us with His word. Wesley may have called this a “second infilling of grace”, Robert Schuller calls this positive thinking (knowing that we are God’s brings about incredible strength in times of need – that’s the hallmark of most of his writing) , the prophet/leader Joshua would ask it this way “choose you this day whom you serve”. The apostle Paul talks about being confident that “all things work for good for those that love God.” Luther would talk about such as a First Commandment issue – don’t have other God’s – but call upon Him in prayer and praise. When you abandon yourself into God’s hands, and are confident that is the thing to do- you simply know and trust in Him.
What is mistaken for optimism – is simply a matter of confidence in God. Trusting Him, having faith in Him, knowing Him.
That is where the other point of St. Josemaria comes into play. When we realize we are weak – when we realize we have no real option but to abandon ourselves to God, then we begin to realize that God has plans, He has designs on our life, and those designs bring us to places we would have never imagined, to work with people we would never anticipate, and see them respond to the work of God in our lives. Not because we can do great things – but in the midst of the storms, in the midst of what should promote incredible anxiety, in the middle of it all… we know God is with us.
Having mercy, pouring out His love and comfort, assuring us of our place with Him……there is our strength, and knowing that, we can be incredibly bold – in being His people.
So know He is God, and you are His chosen people. And let Him do His thing… being God – He’s significantly better at being God than you are!
Good timing? Coincidence? or orchastration Divine
Last night I was up late – a friend had asked me to drop them at LAX – for a midnightish flight. I thought – hey, at least I won’t have to deal with traffic! The request was a couple of weeks ago, and I general like driving people places… but I thought I would be tired coming home.
No problem – turns out I was talking to another friend who is flying into LAX – and can save his family getting out of bed. Get this – they are even at the same terminal! Little things like that – and I get to spend some time with friends (btw – anyone need a ride to the airport next Monday night late?)
Makes me think though – of how God knows us, and our lives, and uses them.
Does He put us in places in life – where we get to be with people who minister to us, while we minister to them? Do our experiences end up preparing us for other things, other times, other places? What does God mean when He says, “all things work for good….” Is that just He can spin it to us? Or does He really keep everything set up in such a way it is a blessing?
The latter is the answer of course, and yet… it is amazing… mindblowing to witness, even more when it is not a short drive to and fro… but a friend’s daughter in the hospital, or a co-worker having an accident, or a deacon-friend taking on seminary while seeing a little church come to life….while he tells them about Jesus presence in His life – that makes the many serious personal challenges…something which gives him the strength to sacrifice more.. not hide…
Timing? Yeah – it’s amazing…. it’s evidence of God’s love and mercy… and wisdom….. His handiwork, His craftsmanship displayed not only in saving us, but in making our lives a masterpiece, as we walk in what He has planned for us… and you know something… it is good …. (even if we don’t see it that way… sometimes)
Lord have mercy on us, this day… and may we get a glimpse of Your plan… Your will, the way in which we be that which You have crafted – for a purpose… to be the work of God!
