Epiphany 8 Yr a Woodbridge JSM God's love for exiles/Christchurch

Epiphany 8 yr a woodbridge jsm

Isaiah 49;8-16a

Psalm 131

I Cor 4;1-5

Mtt 6;24-34

There can be no better example of how worthless are the things of this world than the earthquake in Christchurch last week.

Whether you had Gucci glasses or a Lamborghini and a frig full of caviar and bin 47 Penfolds when the ground began to shake, all the effort and worry and stress which goes into making the money to buy the best all of a sudden is put into perspective.

This past six months has been a series of disasters in Australia with floods, cyclone Yasi and fires also and New Zealand has had two earthquakes within six months, the first causing no loss of life but enormous damage.  And the mine collapse near Graymouth.

This is the way of the world, there are peaceful years but natural disasters are a part of life and while we take precaution where we can, there are some things which you just cannot prepare for.

Many  people are philosophical when it comes to the damage of bushfires and floods and earthquakes also, when it comes to property, but when it comes to lives it is a different story.

A death is a major trauma for loved ones and we grieve with Christchurch for those lost last week. Our grief is miniscule compared to that of relatives and other residents of Christchurch. A huge number of people are affected between families, loved ones and friends. neighbours, fellow workers. Members of clubs and societies, even the people who travel to work on the same bus or train. When they are not there now it will be a constant reminder of the tragedy.

I read of a counsellor involved in 9/11 who upon hopping onto a train which he was accustomed to catching prior to the disaster when visiting the city a decade later burst into tears when he knew that so many of the people not there were lost in the tragedy.

Every resident of Christchurch will be affected by the communal cloud of grief and this really puts into perspective the waste of time and effort which goes into consumerist persuits.

The upside to tragedies such as Christchurch is the way which the best in people comes to the fore and Christian values are shared in so many ways throughout society.

I spoke of Brisbane last time I was here after the flood a month ago. The Holy Spirit leads people to acts of goodness whether they are churchgoers or not. But for a Christian it is particularly valuable to have a faith which upholds and encourages one during trouble.

It is such a shame for all those who do not have a faith and have to face trauma with their own strength. I cannot imagine how defeated many must feel under the pressures, stresses and strains which many if not most people experience in this life.

God certainly does not intend that people undergo such pain. God has given us promises which are relayed again in the words of Isaiah today which are spoken to us through Jesus who came to fulfil the law and the prophets.

“In the time of my favour I will answer you, I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land.

To say to the captives Come out and those in darkness, be free.

They will neither hunger nor thirst nor will the desert heat or the sun beat upon them.

He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water.

God speaks of his love for his children and the prophet says,

Shout for joy O heavens, rejoice O earth, burst into song O mountains, for the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.

 And goes on to quantify that love by saying that even though a nursing mother may forget her infant, that he will never forget his children, God is saying that the love he feels for his children is greater even, than that of a nursing mother.

Oh! if only it were possible for those who are hurting now to know and believe those words,  comfort for those suffering to be able to rest their pain and grief into God’s hands.

God must have seen the Israelites in bondage in Babylon in the same light because in Isaiah’s poem we hear Zion say “The Lord has forsaken us” and it was to this statement that the nursing mother comparison was relayed by the prophet. The exiles believed that their plight was irreversible and that their behaviour had caused God to desert them. There are no doubt many in Christchurch feeling just the same right now and God would have them hear the same words of comfort that he gave the exiles.

When Jesus in the sermon on the mount says “Do not worry” I am sure he is not just talking about clothes and possessions and what we eat. When we think about worry in a Christian context, we know that worry involves a shutting out or separation from Jesus. We are trying to achieve in our own strength that which we should be leaving to God. To plan is not to worry, to worry is to prepare and avoid the loss of something. The negative side of planning perhaps.

The converse of worrying is to draw closer to Jesus and allow him to share in our concerns, to help us with those which are genuine and those people in  Christchurch have plenty of genuine concerns on their plate right now.

We can pray that Jesus can assist them in their immeadiate needs, for healing, shelter, food, and support. Their needs run deeper than just those needs of survival. There is the need for emotional healing, a process of returning to something like normality. I am sure that counselling will be available through government and church to help in that.

But there is also the even deeper need of spiritual healing which those who are Christian will draw upon readily. People will feel bruised and broken in spirit, and angry that God has “let” this happen. God does however, make the rain and the sun to fall or shine upon the righteous and unrighteous so there will be a natural restoration for many who are non-believers but we know that not all will allow even that natural process to occur.

The prophet Isaiah in the preceding passage to that which we heard today also prophesises that God will make his children to be a light for the gentiles who in their exile and despair may have taken hope that God really had not deserted them and so today, we give thanks that God’s grace is so freely abundant to all who call upon him and take our  role seriously of helping through prayer to bring that light to those who are suffering and without relationship with God through Jesus.

That is the good news however,  that we can pray, alongside of Christians throughout the world, and when we know of the amazing healings and restorations that flow through grace from prayer in our own midst and when we know from reliable sources of the miracles which happen through prayer elsewhere, we can direct our prayer at this time for those who are otherwise bereft of support at the deeper spiritual level and pray God bring light into their lives through people, and through the power of the Holy Spirit that in this tragedy they may find the doorway to peace opened and choose to pass into a relationship of peace, hope, guidance and support and most of all, salvation, for all their lives.

Through our geographical proximity, through blood and friendship relationships the tragedy in New Zealand is very real to us and it is natural to keep family before God as a very high priority, we must also recognise that Northern Africa is experiencing a massive transformation and that Libya has the potential to become the next major human induced tragedy of the world. So we keep the  people of Libya in prayer for safety and a just outcome of this present conflict. Despite the faith differences we know that all people are equally loved by God, so join with all who ask for ask for God’s grace to bring healing, justice and peace to Libya.

Amen