Chaos

('Tis been a while.  I intend to do better, and keep up this time!).

1/3/13

Christmas has come and gone, once again.  And with it, I’m reminded once again that God is always present, even in times of chaos.

Chaos isn’t always necessarily bad though.  I glimpsed that first-hand, when I watched all of my various nieces and nephews tear open their Christmas presents on Christmas morning.  That was pure chaos.  Chaos in the best sense, in terms of unbridled joy and enthusiasm for the magic of Christmas morning.  It was wonderful to watch, all this joy being barely contained in the room in which we sat.  And, yes, God was there, laughing and dancing with every single tear of the wrapping paper.

God was also present in the chaos of a school shooting, which has become all too commonplace in our society these days.  Certainly it did not seem like it, at least at first.  I heard many times “where was God” asked in the wake of this most recent horrific event.  I understand that, as the question certainly can seem merited in times of disaster, man-made or otherwise.  And, more than likely, somebody close to the crime will lose their faith over it, questioning how a loving God could ever be a party to this kind of thing. 

But, I know God was there.  God was there in the outpouring of support for the victims and their families.  God was there in the flowers, the displays of emotion, the quiet healing times, and certainly during the tears.  He was there.  He was always there.

The thing is, we got this little thing known as Free Will out of the bargain, when everything got set into motion, and we humans eventually came around.  Free Will is the ultimate double-edged sword, great in one respect, and, as witnessed when yet another senseless act of violence occurred, horrifying in another.  We can create beauty in this world, and unfortunately, we can also create acts of unspeakable horror.

Yes, at times, life is chaotic, and seemingly random.  But, if you look hard enough, He’s still there.  During chaos, God is right beside us, sometimes laughing, sometimes crying…but, always, there.  I’m as guilty as the next person in failing to see Him immediately, because I’m focused too much on the Chaos, and not His healing touch in its midst.

I read recently a book by John Ortberg entitled “Who Is This Man?”, about the historical Jesus and His impact on the world.  What stuck with me the most was a passage in the end of the book.  Mr. Ortberg convincingly lays out the case that Jesus was the intersection of Heaven and Earth, and that whenever an ordinary human being acts like Jesus (by being loving, compassionate, patient, etc.), Heaven and Earth intersect in the same manner as when Jesus walked the Earth.

I saw these intersections in a small town in Connecticut.  I also saw them on Christmas morning.

He’s there folks, He’s still there.  

-The Minister