2005-01-01

There's no time to change your mind
The sun has come and you've been left behind

"We know that God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves him--those he has chosen for his purpose." Rom. 8:28, CEV. That was the Scripture reading this morning in the Saniku church service. A nice text to ring in the new year, but a bit odd considering the absolutely APOCALYPTIC disaster that hit Asia and Africa this last week. Always at work for good, huh? I'd be really interested to hear just what it is that Christian ministers are saying about this in America.

Although I'm not a minister now and am quite happy being just a peon layperson, I did do some initial reflection. I really don't know what to say. As I watched the images on the Japanese news and read reports on my Yahoo! news page, I just didn't know what to say or think. I felt like I should pray, but didn't know what TO pray. It was just like "God..." When I logged in on what, Monday or Tuesday, the death toll was already over 10,000, but I watched that day as new reports came in that bumped the number up to 11,000 and then 14,000 by the time I left in the evening. The next morning it was 23,000, then up to 27,000, and when I turned the TV on the FOLLOWING day it had more than doubled to around 70,000. Now I checked in just after church today and it was over 150,000 and expected to top 200,000. Utterly unbelievable. I lived near Riverside, California, which has a population (last I checked) around 250,000. In a matter of minutes the equivalent of the city of Riverside was just swallowed up by the ocean. What IS there to say after something like that?

I am a little relieved, though I can't help but feel horribly selfish and insulated to say that. Sonya, one of my friends who graduated with me and with whom I chat on MSN Messenger from time to time, is teaching at an SDA college in Thailand. I figured the college was far away from the ocean and would be fine, but as soon as I heard about what places ate the waves the hardest I thought, "I REALLY hope Sonya didn't go to Phuket for Christmas." The first day I was in the office I was reading about the mayhem down there, and wouldn't you know it she logged in. Turns out she went to Vietnam over the holidays--she had been invited to go to Phuket but thought Vietnam sounded more interesting. I was relieved, but she knows people who went to Phuket and was understandably really worried. So here's where I should start talking about how great God is and how he protects those who serve him. Problem is, I'd guess that out of the 200,000 people who died, perhaps more than a FEW were in fact faithful followers. I haven't talked with Sonya since, but friends/colleagues/church members of hers may have died. And if God's anything like what I've been telling people, every last one of those people were his children, whom he loved more than I could ever love even my family and closest friends.

Doubtless some people are bringing up the idea that this is some kind of judgment, that God did it to show/punish the wickedness of the world, what have you. I heard the same thing after 9/11--it was a judgment, New York was a wicked and godless city, America was getting too secular, we thought we could do without God, etc. I realize people do think these things after disasters and my apologies if anyone reading believes that, but...honestly. The same God whom we say "sees the little sparrows fall" and who asked rhetorically "Are you not much more valuable than they?" is going to wipe 3,000 (on 9/11) and 150,000+ (this week) off the map to prove a point? To get our attention? I really, really have a problem with that. Two-year-olds throw stuff around and yell to get attention. If God is up there throwing temper tantrums to the tune of 9.0 earthquakes and 30 foot killer waves because he wants attention, I'm turning in my baptismal certificate for a "Hell's Satans" throwback jersey.

I just think bad stuff happens sometimes, and really, really apocalyptically bad stuff happens at other times. I quoted Martin Luther at the end of my last entry, and yes, this is still a world "with devils filled". If God is anything like I think he is, his heart is completely broken and trampled right now after losing so many of his kids. But if the devil(s) are anything like I think, oh, they're lovin' this like a million supersize fries on the company account. How could they not? It's great for them on at LEAST three levels--1) God is in pain, 2) a whole lot of people here are in pain and 3) a whole lot of those people are going to look at this and say "Why did God do this to me/us????" and blame him for their misery. I could likely add 4) a bunch of Christians are gonna stick their feet in their mouths and be all armchair-propheteering about how this is GOD'S JUDGMENT and YOU'RE NEXT if you support the feminazis and teaching the evolution and queers marryin'. It's the super quad-fecta of awesome if you're already wearing the "Hell's Satans" throwback.

I forget where I read this, but some author was discussing Luke 13, where Jesus is talking about a couple of local disasters. He doesn't comment at all about God's role in said disasters. But he does refute this idea that "bad things happened because it was JUDGMENT!!!!!11111!!omg". He even goes as far as saying that those who died were no worse sinners than anyone else. His point? Bad stuff happens, for what reason we don't know. But if any of us, safe as we are in Japan or America or wherever, don't turn to God, we're all gonna die just like the tourists on Phuket. Life is weird that way. You think everything's going great, you're invincible and on top of the world, walking along this beautiful beach while everyone at home is bundled up and freezing, and suddenly BAM a 30-foot wave of water moving as fast as an airliner is all up in your grill. What I take from this horrific disaster is that whoever/wherever you are, even if you're not thinking about stopping for Death, he will--not always kindly--stop for you. So you best have your stuff packed and ready to go, 'cause when the sweet chariot swings low, you're either cross that Jordan or you ain't. And that's all.

Wha'chu gonna do when the 5 roll by?
You better be ready so you can ride