Christians have a bad tendency to rush to offer excuses for God in the wake of tragedy. In the last 24 hours, John Middleton was executed in Missouri with a lingering legitimate claim of innocence, four cousins were killed while playing soccer on a beach outside of Gaza City, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot out of the sky by Ukrainian separatists with a contingent of the world’s top HIV/AIDS researchers on board, a six year old girl was raped in India and Israel launched a ground invasion of Gaza. The last 24 hours have been bad enough without ever getting into the millions of people who have been raped, kidnapped, beaten, robbed, murdered, committed suicide, starved to death, died of a horrific illness, had their lives destroyed by natural disaster or fallen victim to any number of other tragedies. In the midst of such a world, I think we should stop rushing to give God a pass. We must reflect fairly and honestly. On this of all days, God should stand completely alone in the judgment seat.
The great judgment of Matthew 25 should apply to God too. I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat. I was trying to take a flight and you didn’t stop a missile from hitting my plane. I was trying to solve the HIV/AIDS crisis and you let a missile obliterated my body. I was on death row and you let them kill me. I was simply playing soccer with my cousins and you let the bomb kill all of us. I was cooking for my family and you let tanks into my neighborhood. I was going for a hike and you let me be kidnapped and tortured to death. I was walking down the street and you let people burn me alive. I was raped at my school and you did nothing to hold back my attackers. I shot myself and you didn’t come to help me. I died of cancer and you didn’t bring me a cure. I starved to death and you gave me nothing to eat. The tragedies that have taken place today are too numerous to list. What you have done to the least of these you have done to all of us. What do you have to say for your self? Silence…just like always.
In the absence of any defense, my judgment today is that God is our passive enemy.
Regardless, Jesus tells us to love our enemy and speaks as if our salvation is found there.
So, I love you.
In the future, I am going to serve all those who feel like you have failed them and I have a feeling that you will meet me there.
Amen.
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