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May 29, 2011 1 Peter 3:13-22 Luke 13:1-5 ³What About Suffering?´

Dr. Ted H. Sandberg

While surfing through various channels last night, looking for something rather mindless to watch in

order to relax before going to bed, I came across a special on CNN on the tornadoes that have hit the

Midwest and South this May. Amazingly, they had film footage of some of the tornadoes as they

moved across the countryside ± though from my perspective, fortunately they didn¶t show much of thedestruction actually taking place.

After the videos of the tornadoes themselves, they naturally showed the destruction on the ground ± 

the missing neighborhoods where nothing is left but rubble and foundation pads of peoples¶ homes.

They focused on Joplin, Missouri and the destruction that took place there. CNN also interviewed

doctors who worked at the hospital in Joplin that was destroyed, and various other members of the

community. I¶m sure you¶ve seen the pictures and heard similar interviews. It¶s heart breaking to see

the destruction and know what that means to the people who lived and worked in what used to be. It¶s

heart wrenching to hear the survivors talk about the ones they¶ve lost, the ones who covered them with

their bodies, the ones who were killed only hours after high school graduation. It¶s also heart

warming, to hear the people talk about rebuilding and moving forward with their lives, even as theysort through the rubble that was once their home.

As I watched the CNN Special Report, I heard many of the survivors thank God for having saved them

from tornadoes¶ destructive power. I understand that many of those who survived are very faithful

 people. Their faith in God is deep, and strong, and I myself and glad of that. I certainly believe that

they¶ll need a strong faith to carry on their lives following the devastation to Joplin. Last I heard, 142

 people were killed and there are still nearly a hundred unaccounted for. Most in Joplin will have lost

family members, or friends, or co-workers, or those with whom they did business. Even those who

were away from the physical destruction of the tornado will suffer from the emotional devastation the

tornado caused. So I¶m glad that so many have such strong faith in God.

Let me also say that what I¶ll preach to you here this morning is not what I¶d preach if I was in Joplin.

If I was in Joplin I¶d preach God¶s comfort, God¶s presence in the midst of the darkest night. I¶d

 preach about anger and fear and sharing one¶s pain with friends and clergy. That¶s what I¶d preach if I

was in Joplin.

But since I¶m here in Chico, I¶ll preach something different. As I watched the interviews on the CNN

Special last night, 2 thoughts came to me. First, while I affirm the faith of those who suffered massive

loss, and the faith of those who seemingly miraculously survived the tornado, I¶m not sure that God

specifically saved those who survived. Let me also say that I¶m not sure God didn¶t miraculously save

them either. One elderly man said that he was sucked through a wall of his house, and it was only

  because of God that he survived. And he may be right. But as I heard his story, I thought of theyoung man who¶d just graduated from high school who was sucked out of his car and ended up dead

in a pond. Why would God save the elderly man and allow the high school graduate to die?

And then I pushed the question a bit. Why was Joplin hit by such a destructive tornado and not the

open countryside where there would be much less destruction, much less loss of life? Why did God

save an elderly man, but let the tornado destroy have of Joplin, and let the tsunami hit Japan, and

hurricanes do their damage, killing many and spare even more. Looking at the destruction in Joplin,

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where tornadoes occur. If you live in the Mississippi River flood plane, your home may be flooded. If 

you live in an earthquake zone in here in California, there may be an earthquake. But we may be in a

car accident on the way home as well. Random acts of violence are a part of life. These acts are not

caused by God.

This takes us to a third truth about suffering and tragedy, and that is that sometimes we¶re called to

share in the  redemptive work  of God by voluntarily assuming a measure of the world¶s 

suff ering. Just because we don¶t know the meaning behind suffering doesn¶t mean that suffering iswithout meaning. Occasionally, occasionally, that meaning is for more than just ourselves. It¶s for the

world.

The highest example of redemptive suffering is in Jesus¶ voluntary suffering on the cross which

 became the instrument of the world¶s redemption. This supreme act of sacrificial love is the greatest

the world has ever known because it was done for the world and offered as a means by which the

world could be saved.

Standing up for truth, speaking out for justice, defending the poor ± these can all lead to suffering on

our part as the world turns against us.

A very minor example of this is the reaction of a few to the ³We love our Muslim Neighbors´ messagethat we/I posted on our signboard. I¶m still getting e-mails from a lady who thinks Muslims are Satan

incarnate. And there have been those who¶ve left this congregation because we seek to love and

support all people, not just some people. Those examples don¶t really count as suffering, because first

of all, they¶re minor, and second of all, the overwhelming majority who¶ve contacted me have been

very positive. But they do suggest that speaking out for justice can bring us suffering. Think of 

Martin Luther King, Jr., and the other ministers who spoke out for the rights of African-Americans

during the Civil Rights movement. To speak God¶s truth can bring about undeserved suffering.

Finally, let me suggest that with all this, we spend as little time as possible on the why of suff ering

and as

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t. Thequestion isn¶t ³where did this tragedy come from?´ but rather ³Where will it lead?´ How can I use

this time of darkness for good, rather than letting it use me for destruction? We turn to God in the

knowledge that God will be with us and help us to experience the presence of the Holy Spirit, even in

the midst of the darkest hour.

Says Kushner: ³We do not love God because God is perfect. We do not love God because God

 protects us from all harm and keeps evil things from happening to us. We do not love God because

we¶re afraid of God, or because God will hurt us if we turn our backs on God. We love God because

God is God, because God is the author of all the beauty and the order around us, the source of our 

strength and the hope and courage with us, and of other people¶s strength and hope and courage with

which we are helped in our time of need. We love God because God is the best part of ourselves andof our world. That is what it means to love. Love is not the admiration of perfection, but the

acceptance of an imperfect person with all their imperfections, because loving and accepting that

 person makes us better and stronger.´2 

2. Kushner, p. 160.

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Can we then forgive and accept in a world that isn¶t always perfect, a world that sometimes brings us

unfairness and cruelty? Can we forgive and accept in love the people around us, even if they hurt us

and let us down by not being perfect? And can we forgive and love God even when God seems to let

us down and disappoints us by permitting bad luck and sickness and cruelty in God¶s world?

If we can do these things, perhaps we¶ll be able to realize that the ability to love and forgive all things,even God, is one of the greatest weapons we have in helping us to live bravely and fully in a less-than-

 perfect world. True faith is quietly trusting God, just as Jesus did as he prayed to be spared from the

cross. But when he was not spared, he continued to trust God and committed his life and spirit into

God¶s hands. True faith is offering our very lives up to him, content in whatever comes to us, and

asking only that we never lose the sense of God¶s nearness and God¶s love.3 

3. Kushner, pp. 161-162.