Annemarie and I were delayed in our trip home from singing at Riverside Church with Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church Chancel Choir last Sunday for 24 hours. Sleeping on the floor of LaGuardia Airport during a nor’easter storm was uncomfortable and stressful, but hearing about the tragedy at Virginia Tech the next morning seemed to break down our resistance to negative feelings about how to witness Christ’s love and compassion in our own circumstances.
Kerstin Lundgren of Skane, Sweden recently published a devotional in the Upper Room about our “Everyday Faith” based on Romans 8:35-39, which says: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, "For thy sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me" (John 14:1). And for centuries devoted disciples and Christian mystics like Kerstin have reminded us that our faith is for all days and not only for Sundays or some other special day; that we must share our faith in everyday life and in every kind of public setting; that those settings include school, workplace, or anywhere we meet people – including places of danger and destruction. Instead of despair, we can expect God's help and guidance through prayer. And “when we listen, God can talk to us and lead us to the right place at the right time to witness our faith.”
Each time we experience world catastrophes like Hurricane Katrina or the 2004 earthquake in the Indian Ocean and the following tsunami that killed or injured thousands of people, we realize how unprepared human life and relationships are for massive deadly change. In a similar way, the tragic evil perpetrated last week in Virginia Tech reminds us of September 11, 2001 in New York and Washington. In the span of a few moments, everything is suddenly different. Many ask why, and questions remain unanswered. In the face of these tragedies, we Christians are called to tell people about the "good news" of Christ: that nothing separates us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. We can still our hearts from trouble and believe in God as we believe in Jesus Christ.
Pray with me: Dear Heavenly Father, we believe that you give us a message that can console and release. Show me in every waking moment how I can share the good news of Christ with others. Empower us through your Holy Spirit to share the message of hope and good news in Christ, that You love us and that You are always with us. Help us to be your instruments for sharing the good news. In the blessed name and gospel of Your son, Jesus. Amen.
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