When Bad Things Happen. NOTE: This sermon is mainly a summary of the ideas in the book by Adam Hamilton called When Christians get it Wrong

Transcription

1 Rev. Joan Pell Byron United Methodist Church Sermon: 01/5/15 Series: When Christians Get It Wrong Scripture: Job :11-13, 16:1-5 When Bad Things Happen NOTE: This sermon is mainly a summary of the ideas in the book by Adam Hamilton called When Christians get it Wrong In this sermon series WCGIW we are thinking about issues that turn young adults away from Christianity. Now we might not personally do these things, but it is the perception of Christianity that our young folk are growing up with, and it is repelling them away from all churches. My hope is that this series will give us some better tools and ways to converse and engage with the younger generation. It is based on the book by UM pastor Rev. Adam Hamilton. We ve talked about Christian hypocrisy and judgmentalism, mean-spirited political rhetoric, treating the Bible as a scientific text book, and how we treat people of other religions. You can catch up by reading/listening/watching on our website. Today we are going to be thinking about the sort of things we say and how we treat others when bad things happen. This is our last topic next week we ll be celebrating all the things we do right! But just before I move to bad things. there is one more topic in this book. Do you remember that survey that I quoted on week one about the perceptions that non-christian adults have of Christianity? The figure that I didn t give you is that 91% of adults surveyed who were outside of the Christian faith said that Christians were anti-homosexual When Christians criticize the lives of young adults or their friends, in an age where coming-out of the closet happens in High School, then it drives them away in droves from Christianity. Young adults see this issue differently from their parents / grandparents. Those that have not been driven away do take the Bible seriously but they also recognize that it contains verses that reflect the culture and times in which it was written, rather than the timeless will of God. That s a huge statement to unpack! There s a lot I could say on this topic, but it is a divisive topic in most congregations, and as I am about to go away, this is not the best of timings. When I get back, I d be more than happy to talk to any of you individually. 1

2 And we ll find an opportunity at the right time to explore this topic further in small groups. So, digression over back to today s topic. When bad things happen. Today s 0-somethings were in elementary school when 9-11 occurred. They ve grown up with the war on terrorism, and have friends who are deployed in the armed forces, and friends who have died. Maybe they ve experienced a childhood friend who got leukemia and died in grade school, or a friend who wrapped a car around a tree. In my son s graduation photos they are all wearing a yellow ribbon as a tribute to Michael who died in a freak accident a few weeks before graduation. How can a good God allow (or cause) this suffering? This is problem of evil, or theodicy. We all wrestle with this, not just young folk. But it is things Christians say in the face of suffering that maybe wrong and actually push people away from God. ONE. Everything happens for a reason. It was God s plan. It was the will of God. Is that really what you would say to the person this week who has just lost her parents, two children and two nieces/nephews in a house fire? I invite you to question these type of statements. That won t comfort that young mom and it won t help her draw comfort from God either because it implies that God was responsible for the fire. And sometimes individuals going through adversity are told or think themselves that God is punishing them that it is God s judgment on them or whole nations even. There were those who said Hurricane Katrina and the Haiti earthquake were God s punishment. People of faith have struggled with these questions since biblical times. It is how much of the OT views suffering. But in the middle is a book that counters that idea. It is the book of Job -the story of a righteous man who suffers greatly. His friends arrive to comfort him, and here s what they do first: Job : Now when Job s three friends heard of all these troubles that had come upon him, each of them set out from his home Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They met together to go and console and comfort him. 1 When they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him, and they raised their voices and wept aloud; they tore their robes and threw dust in the air upon their heads. 13 They sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.

3 His friends do what friends should do. They sat in silence with him. No pat words to explain the pain away. They don t have words to make it better. They don t presume to have all the answers. They just sit in silence and grieve with him. Then after seven days, they open their mouths! And they begin to tell Job that the suffering must be his fault. That it is God s judgment. That he should repent, and a bewildered Job protests his innocence. Job 16: Then Job answered: I have heard many such things; miserable comforters are you all. 3 Have windy words no limit? Or what provokes you that you keep on talking? 4 I also could talk as you do, if you were in my place; I could join words together against you, and shake my head at you. 5 I could encourage you with my mouth, and the solace of my lips would assuage your pain. Job expresses to his friends that they are not comforting him they are making it worse. The book ends with God chastising Job s friends and blessing Job. It provides doesn t explain the suffering except to say that it was not to punish Job. There is sometimes a connection between sin and suffering; our sinful actions can have natural consequences on ourselves or on others, but it is not God that is dishing out the punishment. God offers us grace that is freely given. TWO. Everything happens according to the will of God. Christians who believe that God controls everything speak of God s sovereignty. God is the supreme ruler - the highest authority and not dependent upon anything/one else. But does God actually control every dimension of creation? There are 75 to 100 trillion cells in your body. Does God control all of them and all our brain impulses in all six billion people plus all the other creatures plus all 150 billion galaxies? And if God controls everything we do and determines the exact outcome of all things then what is the point of any effort? 3

4 1 in 4 Americans believe God will decide who wins the Super Bowl according to a survey taken this week. 1 That s the sort of statement that fills our young thinking non-christians with perplexity. How can God decide who wins the SuperBowl and not stop genocide? Yes, I believe that all Creation is sustained by God and draws its existence from God but not that God predetermines every single action. Indeed, that would seem to make God out to be like a monster. It is this idea of God controlling everything that troubles people deeply when they encounter a horrific event and someone says that it was God s will. And all the more so when it is an event like a shooting or a bombing. I believe that God is able to redeem suffering and bring good from evil, but to say that God planned, willed and prompted the hearts of those who carried out such evil deeds is just wrong. Much of what happens in the world is not God s will. We humans are repeatedly guilty of doing the opposite of what God commands. We have freewill and can t blame God for our poor choices. If we can t blame God for the wrong, then how can we give God credit for the good? Christians give thanks to God for God s creative and sustaining work. God may not be the immediate cause of all good, but God is the ultimate cause of our blessings. Our own Jim and Linda lost their home in the Alabama tornados of 011. I can only imagine what a devastating experience that was for them. No, I do not believe that was God s plan, but they have come through that experience. They came to California, to our congregation, where they are now able to see their grandchildren weekly. As Linda and I were talking this week, she said that they would never have made the move otherwise. Four years later, they can look back and give thanks for their lives now. THREE. So does God have a Plan for us? Yes, I believe that God has a plan for our lives, but not one that God forces us to follow. We read the scriptures and we try and follow the teachings of Jesus and seek to express our love for God through love and justice for our neighbors. And at times, God will place on our hearts, a special call or opportunity. God leads and prompts us when we pay attention to the little nudges. Maybe that s a nudge to text a friend, or to call them and invite them to coffee. God doesn t cause the bad things to happen, but God is there as folk respond and surround those who are hurting with love and assistance. If you take God out of the equation you remove the single most important source of hope. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said God does not give us everything we want but he does fulfill his promises leading us along the best and straightest paths to himself

5 Here s another quote (unknown source): Faith tells me that no matter what lies ahead of me, God is already there. Of course, this side of eternity, we are never going to have all the answers. God is mystery too, and we cannot rationally explain all things. I have no idea how our prayers are answered, but sometimes they are. I don t want to remove mystery from the equation. I believe we should pray for miracles, but I also know that most of the time God seems to work using the laws of nature that the world was created to work by. So let s think carefully what words we use when we come across someone facing deep tragedy. Sometimes the best thing to say is nothing. What sounds like a good statement about God s plans might be a good thing to state when things are going well but could be inappropriate when someone is in the midst of a raw grief. Let s call upon God as our hope and strength, our help in ages past and our hope for the years to come. Let s listen to the nudges and the way God is calling us to be cocreators offering peace and love and grace to others, and to be the answer to their prayers. That s how we live out God s will and plans for our lives. Thanks be to God. AMEN. Let us pray. O Lord God, you created the world and said that it was very good. Yet we come across so much suffering. Teach us to trust your love. Help us even when we cannot fully know the why of suffering to know that strength and hope come from you as you use turn all situations around to finally serve your good purposes. Grant us the opportunity to serve others who suffer. Allow us to radiate your love, joy, and peace to all those who hunger and thirst. Let your light shine on us all, bringing healing and hope. In Jesus Holy Name we pray. AMEN. 5