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God weeps too!
The
year 2003 did not get off to a good start for many people. Disaster and
tragedy marked the beginning of the year for many around the world. For
some the traumas of tragedy and disaster from 2002 flowed over into 2003,
for others new troubles marked the beginning of the year.
With extreme drought and weather
conditions Australia experienced massively devastating bushfires in most
states. In the nation’s Capitol the destruction of homes and property were
the worst in history. Around the nation a number of lives were lost as a
result of the fires.
Road accidents and rail disasters brought
more death and injuries as the year began. Air disasters with plane
crashes and the fiery destruction of the Space Shuttle
Columbia brought more tragedy and loss.
Political and semi-religious turmoil
continued on a number of continents with ongoing loss of life. Dictators
continued to grasp power and wealth at the cost of lives, as well as
economic and general stability. Poverty, starvation and
inter-racial/inter-tribal clashes continued to bring sorrow and loss to
many more. Storms and hurricanes destroyed homes, whole villages, and
caused some loss of life.
And then there is the Middle East.
The costly fighting between Israelis and
Palestinians continued unabatedly.
War with Iraq became reality. It seems to
have been pursued more aggressively than peace and stability for the
region – and it is questionable that the war will ultimately lead to
greater stability. The war on terrorism in Afghanistan is far from over,
and war lords are seeking support to regain their earlier power and
control of regions, regardless of the Western backed central government.
The Taliban is not totally destroyed, and the al-Qaida terrorist network
still has operatives scattered through many countries and is apparently
planning further destruction for Western communities.
Islamic extremists continued to make
threats in Asia, and North Korea engaged in very dangerous political
brinkmanship.
Economically, executive and corporate
greed and corruption continued to disillusion people and destabilise
communities. Corporate and political economic rationalism have had
devastating effects on individuals and communities – especially in rural
areas. Whatever trust business executives, council leaders, and
politicians may have had, much of it has been eroded, if not obliterated.
All these things made for a depressing
and even frightening view of the future.
Add to these: world and community
troubles, personal traumas through ill-health; loss of loved ones;
unemployment; loss of homes; broken relationships, and more. The
cumulative effects of these things can lead to despair and hopelessness.
Trite clichés, such as: ‘Don’t worry, be
happy!’ are unhelpful and even demeaning.
There are no simplistic solutions to
these troublesome and painful complexities of life. But in the midst of
these tragedies we can give support to each other and walk (at least part
of) the journey with those who are hurting and troubled.
Many Australians, both in the past and in
recent times of adversity and loss, have discovered and experienced the
encouragement of ‘mateship’. Mateship is an expression of empathy and
care that shows itself by the quiet presence of friends (or sometimes even
strangers) who often take initiative providing practical help that enables
the troubled person come through the worst of their crisis situation. It
has been practical provision for the widowed, the homeless, the orphaned,
and those who have suffered significant loss.
Stories of total strangers contributing
everything from essential food, clothing and furniture items, to toys for
the children, for a family whose home was destroyed in fire is not
unusual. Such sharing and caring comes from a readiness to identify with
others in their need and pain.
Such identification is at the heart of
the Christian life.
The Biblical message is one of God
totally identifying with suffering humanity through the incarnation.
Taking part in human life and experience makes God ‘reachable’.
Jesus assures the weary and burdened that
he will share the load:
‘Come to me, all you
who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon
you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will
find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’ (Matthew 11:28-30)
The briefest verse in the Bible is John
11:35: ‘Jesus
wept.’
When he arrived at the home of his friend
Lazarus, he found Mary and Martha weeping over their brother who had died
some days before. Jesus identified with them in their grief and burst
into sobbing.
Towards the closing of his earthly
ministry Jesus went to Jerusalem. He was greatly troubled about the
city. This was meant to be a city of peace – a place where ordinary
people could discover the hope-giving healing power of God’s presence.
But the city was far from what God had intended. Religious specialists
had made the way to God an onerous burden, and the city was destined for
trouble and destruction.
Luke 19:41 tells us:
‘As he approached
Jerusalem and
saw the city, he wept over it…’
Reflecting on close experiences with
personal tragedy some years ago, British Anglican, Trevor Beeson,
former Canon of Westminster Abbey, former Chaplain to the House of
Commons, and former Dean of the Great Cathedral at Winchester, shared a
significant insight:
‘Although God is not
responsible for causing tragedy, God is not a detached observer of our
suffering. On the contrary, God is immersed in it with us, sharing to the
full our particular grief and pain. This is the fundamental significance
of the cross.’
In his 1998 debut album, Things I
Prayed For, Californian singer and song writer, Eli, presents his
song: God Weeps Too.
He sings of the suffering and pain of:
the
illiterate man struggling to make ends meet;
the widow in her loneliness;
the survivors of man’s inhumanity to man;
of our questioning of God when bad things
happen:-
and then shares his insight:
And God weeps too
God weeps too
Though we question Him
for all that we go through
But still it helps me
believe
And my pain it does
relieve
When I think that God
weeps too
God weeps too
In spite of the all the
disasters and tragedies, there IS hope and encouragement. We are not
alone. We can be of encouragement and help to each other whenever,
and wherever, possible AND God shares the burden with us. He feels
our pain and weeps.
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