Skip to main content

Jesus Light in Trauma

After he was raised from the dead,
his disciples remembered that he had said this;
and they believed the scripture and
the word that Jesus had spoken.

One morning I received a phone call saying, “Rev. Cooper, this is the Fire Chief informing you of a structure fire on 226 Main St”.

That meant the church was on fire.

At the church I found fire engines, anguished church members, and smoke rising from the education wing. 

That evening we held a service praying for guidance with the coming trials of damage repair and continuing ministries.

One unspoken, heart-felt prayer was, “Jesus, where are you in this tragedy?”

When I long for answers, I begin searching the Scriptures, not merely for a verse here or there, but a story or event. 

The Gospel states John’s mission is to witness to testify to the light, shining in the darkness which did not overcome it so all might believe through him.

The bigger picture here is the 46 years of rebuilding the Second Jerusalem Temple only to face destruction by the Roman colonizers.

This is the traumatic darkness John’s community was living through.

John’s mission is to testify to the light shining in that darkness.

John testifies with the story of Jesus’ making a whip, overturning tables, and claiming he’ll raise it up in 3 days if it’s destroyed.

The light shining in the darkness is remembering and believing the scripture as well as Jesus’ spoken words.

To believe the scripture and Jesus’ word means living by the conviction there is light somewhere in any darkness you’re experiencing.

My witness to you is that the church fire was deep darkness, but Jesus was the radiant light in the prayer service that evening.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Ruler of All Earthly Kings

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. (from Rev. 1:4-8 ) About 17 years ago I wrote a letter to the people in the United Church of Underhill. The purpose of the letter was to explain I was retiring at the end of the Conference Year. I felt the time had come for me personally to move on and for the church to grow with a new pastor. I secured a moving company while the church formed a search committee as we both prepared for the inevitable. This is the nature of the book of Revelation, as recorded in 1:4: “John, to the seven churches in the province of Asia.” This is Revelation’s context: it was written for the benefit of particular people at a particular time for their particular situation. John’s letter narrates a drama about God’s imminent invasion of the “kingdom of this world” ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Grantchester's Warning

"But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, the owner would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (from Luke 12:32-40 ) I regularly watch Grantchester; a murder mystery set in 1950s England. The main characters are a local detective and an Anglican priest who, as a team, solve mysteries set in the town. Two aspects of Grantchester impress me. First, the simplicity of the 1950’s police communications done by a landline phone and not cell phone. Second, the simplicity of daily life with little television and fewer possessions allowing the characters to focus on their vocation of detective and priest. This simplicity is more than a nostalgic return to the “good old days”. Instead, it’s a Shaker type of simplicity where austerity allows freedom from distractions to focus on worship and community. Today’s distraction-filled world has seemingly countless activ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Jesus, Deliverance, and Demons

"Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind." (from Luke 8:26-39 ) Astrid is a streaming program I often watch. The plot is a basic cops and robbers action until the criminal is caught. The uniqueness of the program is Astrid, who is on the Autism spectrum, is brilliant at solving puzzles including connecting clues to solve the crime. Watching this program has given me a more profound insight to people living with this condition and their acceptance in society. My first-hand experience with children on the Spectrum was driving a Special Needs school bus for 6 years. With this experience, I can imagine the life the possessed man was experiencing, especially living among the tombs, bound with chains and shackles, having to live in the wilds. It was no wonder he cried for mercy. Jesus, with his power and mercy, cast the demons out and even...
Post a Comment
Read more