God is our refuge and strength,

a very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear though the earth be moved,

and though the mountains be toppled into the depths of the sea;

though its waters rage and foam,

and though the mountains tremble at its tumult.

The Lord of hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob is our stronghold.

Psalm 46:1-4

Dear Saints,

We were talking about God’s grace at the Monday morning Men’s Bible Study. “Where was God’s grace for those people in South Asia?” someone asked. Barely a week before, the earthquake and tsunami had caused the deaths of more than 212,000 people (according to the most recent estimates available as I sit down to write), and a massive relief effort was already underway.

Where was God’s grace? Did the Lord know beforehand about the earthquake and, if so, why did he not prevent it, or at least warn people? Did God intentionally cause the earthquake and tsunami and, if so, for what purpose? Is this disaster some kind of judgment from God? Could it be the “birth pangs” before Jesus’ return? How does this disaster fit with our faith in a sovereign, loving God?

The very fact that we take these questions to God is evidence of that “inquiring and discerning heart” that we ask the Lord to give every person at Baptism. (Prayer Book p. 308) God’s answer to Job warns us to enter this territory humbly, and to avoid simplistic explanations:

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind:

“Who is this that darkens counsel

by words without knowledge?

Gird up your loins like a man,

I will question you, and you shall declare to me.

Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?

Tell me, if you have understanding…” (Job 38:1-4)

When the question came up at Bible study, my first thought was of how much of the world’s population lives with the likelihood of an untimely death, by war or civil strife, crime, domestic violence, alcoholism, AIDS, or starvation. Some of the places most affected are regions where Christians are the most evangelistic. Where they have so few economic or technological resources to rely on, where they lack the material security that I take for granted, they know their only hope is in the Lord, and their love for their fellow human beings compels them urgently to share the Gospel with their neighbors, while their neighbors are still alive. When they ask, “Why?”, they take their questions to the God who is no stranger to human suffering. The God who, in the person of his Son, Jesus, has endured human suffering and redeemed it.

The creation, as we experience it, sometimes behaves violently. Geologists tell us that the mountains and islands along the Maine coast were formed by the collision of two continents, and their subsequent breaking apart. One of the doctrines of our faith is that creation itself is fallen and waits to be redeemed. Whether the Asian earthquake is an example of this is more than my little mind can figure out.

The Most Rev. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, wrote about the disaster:

The reaction of faith is... one of passionate engagement with the lives that are left, a response that asks not for understanding but for ways of changing the situation in whatever – perhaps very small – ways that are open to us. The odd thing is that those who are most deeply involved – both as sufferers and helpers – are so often the ones who spend the least energy in raging over the lack of explanation.

A friend of mine, a priest who serves on the staff of St. George’s Cathedral in Singapore, describes the tsunami as a “last days event” in this sense:

The province of Aceh is the spiritual birthplace of Asian Islam. One month ago, Aceh was one of the most inaccessible locations in all of Southeast Asia. Today, the government has opened the doors to international aid efforts of all sorts. The Christian community has been among the first to arrive with aid. New relationships are being established today that will shape the future of this province for decades to come.

Sri Lanka is the root of Therevada Buddhism which spread to Thailand and Indochina. Again, both regions are receiving international aid and new relationships with other people and agencies. The same reshaping of Asian relationships is being played out in Malaysia, Myanmar, and India. This is a last days event in that new relationships are being formed right now through which the joy and hope that is ours will be communicated effectively, where, just a month ago, there was no relationship for any good news to travel along. Muslim and Buddhist leaders have already expressed concern that Christianity might find a new hearing as a result of the tsunami.

Please do pray that the Church will live confidently in these end times and that the Muslim and Buddhist communities will hear the Gospel and that it will multiply across the region.

Let me make clear what I am not saying. I’m not saying the Lord planned the tsunami in order to promote Christian evangelism. I’m not saying any of the people who have died were expendable as far as God is concerned. I’m definitely not saying that Christians always respond to catastrophes more admirably than people of other faiths (for instance, the mostly Buddhist Japanese), or that Christians are doing enough. I am saying that, now that the disaster has happened, it has the potential to be redeemed through loving, Spirit-led service and evangelism.

It is heartening to see the response of the international community – almost a competition to see which country can promise the most aid. There is a tremendous amount of relief and rebuilding work ahead in South Asia. I know members of this parish have already contributed generously to Episcopal Relief and Development. There is the danger that we might lose sight of the ongoing needs as soon as the TV news cameras move on to the next crisis. There is also a danger that this crisis might make us forget the urgent needs in other areas – for instance, in our partner Diocese of Haiti, still recovering from civil disorder and the summer’s hurricanes. And as I write, people in southern California are going through their anguish of flooding and landslides, with lives lost and people missing.

Let us pray to the Lord, who is near to the broken-hearted (Psalm 34:18) and who listens to the poor and needy (Psalm 69:35), for a measure of God’s broad perspective and compassionate heart. Through him who came among us not to be served, but to serve, may we be willing to help as generously as we can; to support – with our wallets, our gifts of service, and our prayers – those afflicted and those who labor for the relief of suffering now in South Asia, and those responding to other areas of urgent human need, whether far away or closer to home.

Faithfully,

Chuck Bradshaw +