Tsunami: Arbitrary, Sovereign or Satanic?

As I write this post, the death toll is nearing 115,000. Millions are injured. More are homeless. The potential of more deaths because of resulting disease and lack of food and water is frightening - and staggering. This is a tragedy of global and historical proportions.

The news media is covering this tragedy with incredible superficiality. I watched the 'Primetime Live' special program last evening, as Charles Gibson added his commentary to on-site reporters, trying desperately to be profound. Personalized and individualized stories abound, with eyewitness accounts of the wave and its devastation. Stories ranged from the experiences of a swim-suit model (who happened to be vacationing in Thailand) to the fact that many animals managed to escape (as if that were some relief and helps ease the loss of tens of thousands of human lives).

The one issue of relevancy, and what gives this story (and all stories) any significance whatsoever, is God - and God has been amazingly absent in any media report that I've heard. There's the occasional shot of a saffron-robed Buddhist priest chanting over dead bodies, or the mention of Asian stoicism. However, I have not heard anybody ask what I would consider to be the important questions. How does God factor into this great tragedy? Was this an act of God? Was this an act of Satan? Was this a random act of nature that God and Satan had nothing to do with?

There are times when I wonder if the reason we don't want to factor God into tragedy is our underlying fear that God Isn?t big enough to manage the fall out. Perhaps we feel that we need to make apology for Him or that if indeed he had something to do with a tragedy, his actions are indefensible. My response to that is not one of simpleton short answers. I simply say, we think our God is too small.

That being said, I don't buy the option that neither God nor Satan had anything to do with this tragedy and that this was simply a random act of nature that defies any explanation other than a stoic acknowledgement of reality. God is the controller of the seas, as He is the creator of the seas.

Job 38:8-11
8 Or who shut in the sea with doors
when it burst out from the womb,
9 when I made clouds its garment
and thick darkness its swaddling band,
10 and prescribed limits for it
and set bars and doors,
11 and said, 'Thus far shall you come, and no farther,
and here shall your proud waves be stayed'?

God is ultimate in that He is in ultimate control and in that He has ultimate say. I do not believe in anything that is random - and in order to make sense of this tragedy or of any tragedy, the strong knowledge of an active, sovereign God is absolutely necessary.

Some would say - didn't Satan do this? Wouldn't he be the one ultimately responsible for such a tragedy? This poses an interesting question because Satan is a cause of much calamity in scripture. All of the children of Job were killed in some kind of natural calamity involving wind - an air tsunami, of sorts. (See Job 1:6-12, 18-19) The scripture seems to make it clear that Satan had some type of authority over elements - at least in a sense. When Jesus and his disciples faced the storm on their way to the Gadarenes, the Scripture gives a subtle, demonic quality to the tempest (See Matthew 8:23-34).

However, Satan is not sovereign. Only God is sovereign. God is ultimate. Satan is not ultimate. Thus in the end Job says, 'The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.' (Job 1:21) Thus Job did not sin in blaming God for tragedy. Yet - he counts his calamity as coming from the hand of God (Job 42:11).

God has his purposes in showing mercy and judgment. It is interesting that the Indonesian side (where the Tsunami did the most damage) is an area where many radical Islamic terrorist camps are located. It also seems that God is showing mercy to the children of suffering - in that God is working and turning even the worst of suffering and death for their ultimate good.

Creation groaned loudly this week. All of us suffer because of this cursed planet. I believe the questions we need to ask ourselves is - how can I show mercy? How can I be light and salt in times of calamity - even if the calamity is on the other side of the planet? How will I magnify Christ on this cursed and fallen world? I don't claim to make sense of it. I do claim to believe and tenaciously hold onto the wisdom and the goodness of our Almighty God.

Pray for Southeast Asia. Pray for the unreached peoples there. Pray for God's ultimate good and Kingdom Revelation.

Pray: Thy Kingdom Come; Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

The Exorcism of 'Dancing Santa'

I am going to take a very 'Lemony Snicket' approach to this post. If you are reading this with hopes of hearing the pastor's merry thoughts to top off your sugar plum-filled mind with Christmas cheer and enhance your holiday humor - stop reading. Go right to the mall (not to Target stores) and give your loose change to the first person you find ringing a bell and then move on to drinking hot wassel and eating roasted (or microwaved) chestnuts while slurping figgy pudding at your in-laws. Don't read the rest of this post, because it will completely ruin your festive, Santa hat-clad disposition.

This post is for those who are tired of Christmas carols and who cringe every time you walk past a 'Dancing Santa' (ironically enough, I almost misspelled that and said 'Dancing Satan' - I won't even go there...) For many of you, this is not simply a matter of taking on the 'Scrooge' persona - it's a genuine struggle with all things ridiculous and superficial. Last Christmas, I had just returned home from Mongolia and 'Holly Jolly Christmas' rang resoundingly hollow. (Nothing personal against Burl Ives, as some would suspect...) For those who are can't wait to go back to work and normal life on January 3rd, I am writing this post for you.

I know how you feel and the only way to deal with those legitimate feelings of emptiness is to make some choices.

Over the past couple of years, I've made some choices about how I will engage my family without feeling like I was somehow compromising with the lame and listless glitz of the season (and thus avoid seriously bumming out my kids.)

Advent is full of meaning, particularly in terms of history. Yes, I know that it is highly unlikely that Christ was born near winter solstice. However, there is something rich and significant to designating a time of year to celebrate Immanuel. God in flesh is a miracle that is worthy of pondering and signifying. Our family has used these days leading into Christmas to light candles and to pray the Antiphon prayers, preparing our hearts and being reminded that the coming of God to earth in the form of Christ (the God-Man) was the event to which the prophets looked and for which the downtrodden longed.

We've also sought to find meaning and symbol in all of our decorating. The colors on our tree represent different aspects of the Gospel story (Red is the blood; gold is the fact that Jesus is our treasure; white is His holiness - and eventually ours, etc.) I've made it a point to remind my children (and myself) of these truths. We have a metal spike that we hang from the tree every year that reminds us that Jesus was indeed born to die.

A couple of years ago, Renee' and I read the book 'Safely Home' by Randy Alcorn. In this book he told of how many of the workers who are laboring in near slave-like conditions in the Christmas light factories in China are Christians, arrested for their faith. Rather than boycotting Christmas lights (as if that would do them any good at all) we are reminded to pray for our persecuted brothers and sister in China and around the world.

And then there's the story of the tree itself. I love the story of Saint Boniface and this warrior-monk's heroic rescue of the little girl about to be sacrificed by the druid priest during the Winter Solstice pagan festivities. Supposedly, after the girl was rescued and the Druid priest shoved out of the way, Boniface preached the Gospel to the people who were gathered there. He chopped down their sacred oak tree and told them to burn it their fire places. The tree that has caused fear in their lives has no power anymore (thus the Yule Log). He said, now make this Evergreen tree your new symbol - place its branches on your mantle and set it up as a symbol of the Christ child and of eternal life. Somehow stories like this make me less cynical about trees and lights and decorations.

The bottom line is I've decided that I will not allow this world, nor my cynicism, give meaning to this holiday. I will let Christ give meaning to this holiday because it is Christ who gives meaning to everything.

So let the world strategically place their annoying 'Dancing Santas' (Satans?) in the doorway of the season. I will not allow myself or my family to be distracted by such nonsense. I will celebrate Christ on this holiday (holy day) and find every symbol I can that will point our minds and hearts to Him who brings significance because he is the One who is essential to all of life.

As I make Christ truly central to everything that I do, it really doesn't matter what Burl Ives is singing.

Father, circle all who read this with your presence. Keep peace in. Keep tumult out.

Have a happy Christmas.

Trees, Leaves and Churches

A friend from Europe recently asked me about the visibility of churches in America, versus the private practice of religion in Europe. I ranted a bit, but some may be interested in a piece of my response:

Yes, the US is a big country and so there are probably a lot of differences between each region. The northern states are still very different than the southern states, and having lived in both I can say this is so from experience. But here are my overall impressions of American Evangelicalism -- for better or for worse:

Your friends are correct in the sense that religion is 'out in the open' here. The problem I find is that public religion is almost cartoonish (yes, like Mickey Mouse!). Bigger is 'better' here, so churches try to cram as many people they can into large buildings (the American cathedral is a large, square, brick building that holds a lot of people in the sanctuary, with wide seats, air conditioning, and one hour services... the aescetic is almost industrial.) The 'seeker friendly', 'purpose driven' church are American franchises, and it's something we are exporting to the world.

Here's where I personally think we are exporting the wrong thing. I know I probably sound a bit negative -- so forgive my rant if that is so -- but it seems to me that the visible success of the American church is really quite deceiving. The invisible is so lacking. Authentic sprituality and genuine Christian community is a rare find. It's here. And you probably have a better chance of finding it here than you do in Europe, I am aware of that. The problem is that the leaves and flowers that people see on the large trees of American evangelicalism are really quite deceptive, because I don't believe we have or understand the need for the deep roots of the timeless message of the Christian faith. We can get a few big churches, but if you look at the impact the churches are having in the transformation of people's lives -- it's frighteningly minimal. God is not majestically supreme, as I believe he ought to be. Therefore, although we look healthy because of all the show (leaves), our successes are weak when the leaves are removed and the lack of root is exposed. I fear that it won't take a great storm to make it all come tumbling down ...

I am probably overly critical -- and if so , I do apologize. But really it's not even what I 'see' that concerns me - it's what I don't see. I don't see God as central in the lives of professing Christians. I don't see the values of community and prayer and creative service and the truth of Scripture as being that important in the lives of people in churches. There is a small community that is forming around these values at my church in Tennessee -- and I suppose that God has given me the privilege to shepherd and thus speak these values into the lives of those with whom I have influence -- and for that I am humbled and grateful. So God is not absent. But I think he's working much more subversively than our headlines and politicians would lead you to believe. I probably shouldn't be so hard on our culture. But in another sense -- I feel like it's my job.

So in the end - yes, religion in America is quite visible. However, true Christianity is harder to find -- and people should be careful before equating the visible with the authentic. That sounds harsh, but I also think it's Biblical. Think: Jesus speaking of wheat ... living with weeds... and it being very difficult to tell the difference until harvest time.

Unapologetic Passion

Question: What is the chief and highest end of man?
Answer: Man's chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy him forever.

I've done much reflecting on this statement over the past several months. I believe this statement. I believe it with all of my heart and mind and soul - and I would say that this is the one thing that I am passionate about. I've recently complained about the overuse of the word 'passionate' - but I make no apologies for using it here. My end and my aim is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. This is the one thing I will be passionate about. I will not be passionate about coffee or sex or Pocket PC's or church growth or model trains or music or ministry of any kind. My end and aim is to glorify my glorious God with my life.

However, therein lays the paradoxical question. What does that mean? What does it mean to 'Glorify God with my life'? 'Glorify' is a potentially vague and nebulous term. The thing I have to realize is that in any attempt that I make to 'glorify God with my life' - I will fail. God is already glorious. He is already 'high and exalted' and his glorious train of light already fills the temple of heaven. If the heavens declare his glory - then how on earth shall I? You and I and anyone else who might read this and anyone else whom we might know can not add one beam of glory to One who is perfectly glorious. To say that we could would be absolutely blasphemous.

So I'm back to my original question. How do I glorify God? How do any of us glorify this God? His people were amazed that anyone could see even a part of His glory and live to tell about it (Deuteronomy 5:24).

I think 'glorifying God' must have something to do with the second and oft forgotten part of this catechism. We are to enjoy Him fully. Forever. Forever means now, as well as eternity. In light of this, the psalmists plea make a lot more sense to me.

Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Psalm 90:14

I receive my satisfaction in my glorious God. As I do so I will glorify Him. I am convinced that the only way we can glorify God is to receive from God. There is nothing that we have that has not been received. He is the giver of every good gift. So our Father of Lights is glorified - not when we try to glorify him by 'payback' (the antithesis of grace). Our Father of lights is glorified when we receive everything from Him.

However, I think we fail to glorify God and stop short of this aim and end if we simply consider our lives as mere receptacles of God's gifts only. There is something more here.

For glory to be glorious, glory must be seen. Therefore, I believe our lives glorify God as we receive glory from God and reflect glory back to God - not for the sake of giving God 'extra glory' (remember, our adding to His glory is blasphemous). But we reflect glory so that he can be seen and enjoyed and known to those who don't know Him. If glory is not seen, it can not be known and enjoyed.

Peter states it well in I Peter 2:9

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession

In other words, we have received enormous blessing from God. Redemption and the cross and God's enormous work of grace in our lives has resulted in royalty and holiness. His royalty. His holiness. Thus - His glorious gifts.

Why? For what purpose does He do this?

...that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

This I know - my life is about this one thing: the receiving and reflecting of my glorious God. To state this in terms of my response: the very purpose and meaning of my existence is to amplify worship and work toward the multiplication of worshippers of my most glorious God. I will spend the rest of my life in this pursuit - on this mission. This passion is something I will live for and the spreading of this passion is what I will die for. It is my personal concern that there are people and places where my most glorious God is not seen, and thus not known and not received and reflected. Thus it is my personal agenda to align my life with God's ultimate purpose - that the whole earth be filled with his glory and that His people enjoy His presence forever.

Therefore, I am passionate about this one thing - and passionate without apology.