Feelings of Futility
You may have heard or seen over the last couple of days the pictures commissioned by Oxfam from the refugee camps in Darfur.
Last week there was another attempt to make us realise the scale of the problem out in Darfur. The US Holocaust Museum has mapped all the villages that have been burnt out using Google Earth. You can zoom in on the satellite images of the area and see the shells of the houses that used to be there.
So, there is no doubt that there is something horrendous going on out there. What am I going to do about it? All it takes for evil to prosper is that the good do nothing. But I am here and Darfur is a long way away. I have a family to be responsible for. I can write letters and maybe even give money, but I don't believe that this will stop the insanity of the conflict. The UN appears to be stalemated and the international community has little appetite or resource for another peace keeping intervention.
We have just celebrated Easter, and I am in the middle of writing an essay on the Work of Christ, and particularly the Cross. To my mind, situations like Darfur show beyond all doubt that left to its own devices humanity screws things up and can't fix them. We really do need saving. That does leave me with a question though. Why doesn't God, if God is powerful and loving, sort this situation out. God is constrained by none of the things that constrain me. I don't really know the answer to this, but I think that I have a start.
In coming to live on Earth God, in Jesus, took on the constraints of humanity. Despite being innocent, Jesus suffered unjust torture and death. Parent and Child were ripped out of each other's arms as the Child took on humanity's sin. As Jesus was raised to life, God declared that sin and death were defeated and that relationships could be remade.
Because of Easter, we have access to God, and can intercede with confidence. We can uphold those who are working on the ground, blessing them with wisdom and endurance. We can speak against the powers of evil, reminding them that they are defeated and binding them. We can pray for an end to the violence and the outbreak of peace.
Because of Easter, we have Good News and need not be shy about sharing it. However, we must live it as well. Our response to Jesus' cross should be for us to take up our cross and follow him. The temptation for me is to be over awed by the situation. My actions may not be the whole solution, but that should not stop me being part (however small) of something that might become the solution. In fact, it is in being obedient and taking up the cross that I am able to bear, that I testify to the power of the cross that I couldn't bear, to be the source of healing and reconciliation for the whole world.
TimC
Last week there was another attempt to make us realise the scale of the problem out in Darfur. The US Holocaust Museum has mapped all the villages that have been burnt out using Google Earth. You can zoom in on the satellite images of the area and see the shells of the houses that used to be there.
So, there is no doubt that there is something horrendous going on out there. What am I going to do about it? All it takes for evil to prosper is that the good do nothing. But I am here and Darfur is a long way away. I have a family to be responsible for. I can write letters and maybe even give money, but I don't believe that this will stop the insanity of the conflict. The UN appears to be stalemated and the international community has little appetite or resource for another peace keeping intervention.
We have just celebrated Easter, and I am in the middle of writing an essay on the Work of Christ, and particularly the Cross. To my mind, situations like Darfur show beyond all doubt that left to its own devices humanity screws things up and can't fix them. We really do need saving. That does leave me with a question though. Why doesn't God, if God is powerful and loving, sort this situation out. God is constrained by none of the things that constrain me. I don't really know the answer to this, but I think that I have a start.
In coming to live on Earth God, in Jesus, took on the constraints of humanity. Despite being innocent, Jesus suffered unjust torture and death. Parent and Child were ripped out of each other's arms as the Child took on humanity's sin. As Jesus was raised to life, God declared that sin and death were defeated and that relationships could be remade.
Because of Easter, we have access to God, and can intercede with confidence. We can uphold those who are working on the ground, blessing them with wisdom and endurance. We can speak against the powers of evil, reminding them that they are defeated and binding them. We can pray for an end to the violence and the outbreak of peace.
Because of Easter, we have Good News and need not be shy about sharing it. However, we must live it as well. Our response to Jesus' cross should be for us to take up our cross and follow him. The temptation for me is to be over awed by the situation. My actions may not be the whole solution, but that should not stop me being part (however small) of something that might become the solution. In fact, it is in being obedient and taking up the cross that I am able to bear, that I testify to the power of the cross that I couldn't bear, to be the source of healing and reconciliation for the whole world.
TimC
posted by Carter Clan at 12:08 pm
1 Comments:
Really appreciate this post, Tim. As I read your words and weep (as I'm sure others will too) I just pray for time and capacity to be able to absorb your words, along with the enormity of this situation and join you in hopefully becoming part of the solution, in any tiny way.
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