The Day After the World Ends

At 6:00 pm on May 21, the world was going to end according to some people.  The prediction was picked up by the media and was given a great deal of attention.  Comedians joked about it.  Newscasters may the date a part of the headlines.  People spent their savings warning others of the event.  Judgement Day was at hand they proclaimed.  May 21 arrived and went and the world did not end, but tragically, it did end for some people.  A tornado ripped through Joplin, Missouri and in minutes lives, homes, and dreams were shattered.  The world did not end in the Biblical sense, but for those caught in the storm, their world, as they knew it, ended.  And now, they find themselves living in the day after their world ended.  Here is where the Gospel speaks with power for me.  The promise is that God meets us when our world ends, when our lives are shattered.  The promise is unfolding in Joplin as people reach out to one another, as the rest of the country responds with goods and prayers, as stories of grace are told.  The mayor of the city is right is saying that Joplin will rebuild.  The tornado did not bring the end.  In the language of faith, there will be an Easter.  The storm is not the final word.  This is the promise of the Gospel.  As many others, I have been captured my the pictures of the devastation.  My heart and prayers have gone out to the people of Joplin.  But one picture in particular caught my attention.  The picture was of a church that had been destroyed, but in the center, the cross was still standing.  For me, that is the Gospel.  God meets us when our world comes crashing down, and though the winds may blow, the cross will still stand.  Even when the ends comes, God's grace remains.        

In Defense of Gray

I want to take a stand for gray.  I am amazed at the number of people who want only black and white answers.  In a black and white world, to suggest that real answers are often nuanced, contextual, and complicated, is often to open the door to being called  wishy-washy or indecisive.  In my experience, this is true in the area of faith.  People want "Yes" or "No" answers.  There can be no gray area.  While I appreciate clarity and clear choices, I believe that life is more complicated and that God's grace appreciates and often works in the gray.  In the Bible, a woman is caught in the act of adultery and Jesus is approached by the no gray crowd about what the response should be.  The law at the time was clear and was seen in black and white terms.  She had been caught, she was guilty, and she was to be stoned for her crime.  However, Jesus did not live in a black and white world.  He understood that God's grace works in the gray.  And so, Jesus tells the people who are gathered with rocks in their hands that whoever is without sin may cast the first stone.  One by one, the people leave and Jesus is left with the woman.  He asks her, "Is there no one left to condemn you?"  And she says, "No."  Then Jesus says, "Neither do I, go and sin no more."  Jesus' words for that woman are an occasion of grace.  Jesus is willing to stand in the gray.  In fact, he chooses to stand in the gray and he is neither wishy-washy or indecisive.  He speaks the truth.  He speaks God's grace.  For myself, I'm going to stand with Jesus.