Eight Years Ago Today

I have recounted at this time last year my thoughts on the Christian's appropriate response to 9/11. I was disappointed then, and still am even today, at the failure of Christians to explain the tragedy of this day in light of God's gospel. This event has been a driving source for reminding me the importance of my vocation to speak clearly the message of Jesus Christ before the church so that the church may possess the necessary spiritual resources to speak the truth regarding events such as as 9/11.

One of the most important things in my life is to be prepared for tragedy. Paul reminded the church that we should not mourn as those without hope. Jesus was moved by his friends' mourning over the tragedy of their brother Lazarus' death. Even for Christians, in times of tragedy, our ultimate hope can seem so distant. This is evident in the symbols we turn to in times of tragedy. Our hope is distant when we are unable to articulate a tragedy such as 9/11 in terms of the Biblical narrative, particularly the gospel. We fail to see the connections between our faith and the problem that our faith dealt with.

The essence of our faith is that in cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ, death, evil, and hopelessness have been defeated. They have no power over the faithful ones. We remember those symbols in the bread and in the cup. We express that faith in the posture of prayer, in the songs we sing on days of tragedy.

How we respond to tragedy is a witness to the world. The symbols we turn to are a witness to the world. They might just be a witness to our selves about who we really are.

Being the Church

Check this out:

http://www.biblicalrecorder.org/post/2009/09/03/Do-church-Or-be-church.aspx

What do you think?