HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2010-08-12, Page 12PAGE 12. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 2010. By Gary ClarkBlyth United Church
A couple of weeks back I was
moved to tears when I heard about
the death of little Logan Hallahan.
As a minister I have walked with a
number of families whose innocent
little children have died before their
lives really started.
Hearing about Logan brought all
those faces, names and emotions
back to me. The truth is that when
anyone from our community dies,
particularly a child, we all feel it and
we never forget them nor the grief
their death has brought. It brings us
together in shared feelings of horror,
disbelief and sadness. Many of us
with faith turn to our God and
whisper why?
The Rabbi Harold Kushner wrote
the book When Bad Things Happen
To Good People because his son
Aaron died of a genetic disease at
the age of 14. Because of that he
struggled with the theology of an all
powerful, good and loving God. If
God is both all powerful and good
than WHY do bad things happen?
How is it that God allows evil to
exist? Surely a healthy child dying at
age three is evil. So why?
Kushner approaches this question
through the Book of Job. This book
is obviously a story written with a
moral and is not meant to be
understood as history. In this story
Job was a just, good and religious
person who did everything right in
the eyes of God. However the Evil
One challenges God, “Job and others
like him are good only because good
things are their reward. If bad things
started to happen to them then they
would at once turn from you.” God
says. “No, Job will always be
faithful no matter what.”
The Evil One then brings all
manner of disaster unto Job. His
children are killed, his flocks
scattered and even his own health is
taken from him. Job is steadfast
through almost everything. The one
thing that seems to really break him
is that his friends keep telling him
that he must have done something so
wrong, and so evil that he deserved
all that has befallen him.
It is in the light of this unjust
accusation that Job accuses God of
NOT keeping God’s end of the
bargain. The assumed bargain being:
if you are good, then only good
things will happen in life. Job has
tried much harder than I and anyone
I know to be good, yet thesetragedies keep happening.
Job accuses God of being unjust.
For many of us who have read Job,
God’s answer (or I should say the
author of the book’s answer) is not
very satisfactory. Basically the
author says we as humans have such
limited understandings about the
whole of creation that we have no
place thinking we understand the
ways of God. What seems unjust to
us may in the larger scheme of
things be just and exactly what God
intended.
Kushner rejects this claim. I have
to agree with Kushner. Yes, when
you look at how we treat the earth
and each other it is plain to see that
we humans can see how everything
and everyone is interconnected but
lack the capacity to act accordingly.
But we understand pain and there is
some part of us that seems to
understand that a child dying at three
is just plain wrong. So is God all
powerful or is God good? Kushner
says you can not have it both ways.
He chooses to believe in a God that
is good and to do away with the
notion of an all powerful God. In the
remainder of this article I want to
say something about the nature of
God that is all good.
I believe in a good and gracious
God. God did not cause the death of
little Logan. I reject the notion that
God needed another little angel in
heaven. Surely there are enough
little angels there and God does not
need Logan more than his parents or
grandparents. I reject the notion that
his death is deserved in any way
shape or form. No parent, nor child
deserves this tragedy. So where is
the goodness of God? It is in the
outpouring of support for the
families involved that I see the
goodness of God.
The compassion of the community
is the tangible reaching out of God.Even the feeling inside that tells us
all that there is something wrong
about Logan’s death is of God. I
believe that God grieves as much as
we do over his death. Finally, our
good God would want us to be aware
of a very human pit-fall. That pitfall
occurs when members of family or
the community try to assume
responsibility for Logan’s death. We
hear that pitfall in the words: “Wecould have or should have done this
or that differently.” But blaming can
not undo what is done. Besides,
none of us can foresee the future in
such detail that we can avoid all
pain. It simply is not possible to
predict all things. If we try to take
on the role of the all knowing and all
powerful God, then we doom
ourselves to constant blame.
If we and God are helpless toprevent tragedy then what good is
God? What is good, is that when
tragedy comes to us, God through
our friends, family and community
picks us up and helps us walk day
after day with the burden of grief.
That is really where we experience
the power of God. Because it is only
with a power beyond our own can
we ever hope to face such sadness.
I dare not speak for Logan’s
family here but I can say for myself
that in God’s grace I find the
strength and the hope to face life in
the midst of such tragedy.
Recent weather events in Huron
County are reminders that summer
storms with severe weather
conditions can develop quickly and
with little warning. There are things
that you can do to be prepared to
take care of yourself and your
family.
The best way to ensure your
family’s safety is to have an
emergency plan. Having a plan and
discussing it with loved ones will
save time and make real situations
less stressful. In your plan, think
about safety concerns that can result
from summer storms. Lightning,
heavy rains, hail, high winds and
tornados can occur.
Summer storms can also result in
local flooding and power outages. If
you experience power outages, keep
food safety in mind. Lack of proper
refrigeration can cause food spoilage
and result in food-borne illnesses or
“food poisoning”.
Families are also encouraged to
have a 72 hour emergency kit at
home. Donna Parsons, Public Health
Nurse says “having some basic
supplies set aside is always a good
idea in case it is needed during
emergencies.” Kits should include
things like food, water, change of
clothes for each family member and
other things like a crank flashlight
and radio.
Stay informed during weather
emergencies by listening to the radio
and taking precautions when storms
appear, says Parsons.
By taking a few simple steps, you
can become better prepared to face
summer weather emergencies to
minimize the impact on yourself and
your families.
For more information on how to
get prepared for an emergency, go to
www.GetPrepared.ca.
Be prepared for
summer weather
Youre Invited
to come worship
with us
Sunday, August 15
Brussels Arena at 10:30 a.m.
and various homes at 6:30 p.m.
Sunday School for children
4 to 11 years of age (mornings only)
Childcare provided for infants and toddlers
Coffee & cookies after the morning service
For additional details please contact:
Steve Klumpenhower 519.887.8651 Rick Packer 519.527.0173
Chris McMichael 519.482.1644YOU ARE WELCOME
9:45 a.m. Sunday School for all ages
10:30 a.m. - Sunday Morning Worship
Mid-week Bible Study
C H U R C H O F G O D ,ANDERS
O
N
,
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N
D
I
A
N
A
Timeless Truths
For Today
308 Blyth Rd. E., Blyth
Pastor Les Cook ~ 519-523-4590
Blyth Community Church of God
Please join us for worship
SUNDAYS
Morning Service 10:00am
Evening Service 7:30pm
BLYTH CHRISTIAN
REFORMED CHURCH
Pastor John Kuperus
Hwy. 4, Blyth
THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA
Welcomes you to come
and worship with us
Trinity, Blyth
9:15 a.m.
519-523-9595
St. John's, Brussels
11:15 a.m.
519-887-6862
Sunday, August 15
BRUSSELS - ETHEL PASTORAL CHARGE
UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA
Sandra Cable, Worship Leader
Church Office 519-887-6259 E-mail - bepc@wightman.ca
Sunday, August 15
Ethel United Church
Worship Service - 9:30 a.m.
Brussels United Church
Worship Service - 11:00 a.m.
Celebrating our Christian Faith together in worship
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
SUNDAY, AUGUST 15
Wheelchair accessible ~ Nursery care available
519-887-2664
10:00 am - Sunday Morning Worship
- Sunday School
Corner of Dinsley & Mill Street
Blyth United Church
Office: 519-523-4224 Rev. Gary Clark
All Welcome
Sunday, August 15
Worship Service
at 11:00 a.m.
getlivingwater.org
Pastor: Ernest Dow ~ 519-523-4848
Living Water
Christian Fellowship
Evangelical Missionary Church
of Canada
August 1 - August 29
Shared summer services
at Blyth Community
Church of God at 10:30 am.
Preaching in
August:
Pastor
Les Cook
From the Minister’s StudyWhere is God when tragedy strikes?
119 John’s Ave.,Auburn
519-526-1131
www.huronchapel.org
10:30 a.m.
Morning Worship Service
Guest Speaker:
Dave Illman
No Sunday School
for summer months
(Watch
for more
details
to come
soon!)
STARTING IN
SEPTEMBER
One month special
on Prayer and Fasting