Where Was God?

A Sermon Preached by

Eddie Smart

September 11, 2005

at

Zephyr United Methodist Church

Early First United Methodist Church

Matthew 28:16-20

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. ¹⁷When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

       My seminary professors did their best to prepare me for these days. Dr. Lester shared with us the ideas that we are a people of stories. We have stories about our past. We have stories about our present. We even have stories about our future. Those who lost loved ones four years ago today, are living lives that are different than they expected. Their future stories were forever changed. For some getting on an airplane was as routine as walking. Their future story has been forever changed. For some there was a sense of feeling safe in their homes, in this land of the free and the brave. Their future story has been forever changed.

       In a course on Crisis Intervention, Dr. Stone taught us that it is in the midst of crisis that people are most open to experiencing the grace of God. Following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, did you notice prayer was being mentioned more often by more people? The news commentators even spoke of prayer. The Irvin Berlin song, “God Bless America,” became the new national anthem. We didn’t need to know by the light of bombs bursting in air that our FLAG is still there. People wanted to know that their GOD was still there. Then and now people are seeking the hope, love, and peace that only God can bring to their lives. They want to know that the Lord is with us. We have one of the best opportunities we will ever have to share the good news of a loving God.

       Dr. Joey Jeter taught us how to approach the preaching task when confronted by a crisis. He pointed to the danger of our being too quick with theological solutions and the failure of being too slow with our theology. In his book he shares an oft-quoted sermon by William Sloan Coffin following the death of his son.

Many things can be said when a person dies, but there is at least one thing that should never be said.

The night after Alex died, I was sitting in the living room of my sister’s house outside of Boston when the front door opened and in came a nice-looking middle-aged woman carrying about 18 quiches. When she saw me she shook her head, then headed for the kitchen, saying sadly over her shoulder, “I just don’t understand the will of God.”

Instantly, I was up and in hot pursuit, swarming all over her. “I’ll say you don’t, lady!” I said. (I knew the anger would do me good, and the instruction for her was long overdue.)

I continued, “Do you think it was the will of God that Alex never fixed that lousy windshield wiper of his, that he was probably driving too fast in such a storm, that he probably had had a couple of ‘frosties’ too many? Do you think it is God’s will that there are no streetlights along that stretch of road, and no guardrail separating the road and Boston harbor?”

Nothing so infuriates me as the incapacity of seemingly intelligent people to get it through their heads that God doesn’t go around this world with his fingers on triggers, his fist around knives, his hands on steering wheels. God is against all unnatural deaths. And Christ spent a inordinate amount of time delivering people from paralysis, insantity, leprosy and muteness.

       It is easy for us to be too quick with our theological solutions. In this story the woman’s quick theology included that the death of the son was God’s will. For her, God is all powerful and all loving; therefore, God could have stopped his untimely death; therefore, it must have been God’s will for him to die. There is a tension that exists in Christian belief. How can a world created by an all powerful and all loving God contain evil? This is a question that theologians have wrestled with for centuries. There are many, many answers to that question, but most leave us uncomfortable and are incomplete. There are answers that work in some circumstances and offer no help for others.

       I heard Jesse Duplantis witness to the power of prayer this week. He prayed that the southwest quadrant of the eye-wall of Hurricane Katrina collapse before it reached the headquarters of his ministry and it did. Now that was a great comfort to Jesse and assured him that God was in control, but what did that do for the millions who prayed that New Orleans, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama be spared. Do they worship a powerless God?

       Many have used this difficult question about the characteristics of God and the existence of evil as a way of saying that God does not exist. They ask, “Where was God during Hurricane Katrina.” “Where was God during the 9/11 terrorist attacks?” Have you ever wondered where God was in the midst of your crisis?

       It is easy to ask the question of where is God out there? It is more important to you and me to answer the question, “Where is God in my life?” Our God is a personal God. “Create in ME a clean heart, Oh, God,” says the psalmist. “The Lord is MY shepherd.” “The Lord is MY light and MY salvation; whom shall I fear?" To best answer the question, “Where was God during the crisis?” we must first answer the question, “Where is God in my life?” “How have I experienced God?”

       Rev. Safiyah Fosua, whose job with the General Board of Discipleship is to promote invitational preaching, wrote this on their website, “ Without diminishing or trivializing the tremendous losses that so many have been forced to endure or the potential threats that lie ahead, we, like the psalmist, are presented with an opportunity to re-examine priorities: What is the most important thing in each of our lives today? The anniversary of 9/11 provides an excellent opportunity to remember lost loved ones and to gain strength from a deeper relationship with God.”

       If nothing else, tragedies like 9/11, tsunamis, tornados, motorcycle accidents and yes hurricanes bring vividly to our attention just how fragile life is. We are reminded like Job that our life is but a breath. Joey Jeter reminded us preachers, “Do the best you can each Sunday. It may be the last [Sunday] for some people there.”

       ¹⁸And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.

       Some people can’t wait until we decide it is time to go and make disciples. Now is the time! Are we truly disciples of Jesus Christ making disciples?

       Hurricane Katrina has created vast devastation. Some of us are aching to do something and ask, “What can I do?” Listen. Can you hear Jesus? He IS calling, “Go and make disciples.” Christ is counting on you! It’s not something we can put off.