Reflections on Day 2 @ Greenbelt

If I were to pick a theme for the day other than saying it was awesome it would be light. So many of the talks and workshops mentioned light or it was like a light was going off in my mind when I listened to people talking. am notsure that   even writing down what i experienced today can convey what i took in. talks are part of the experience but so is seeing every kind of person gathered in one place with a common cause. there are babies and seniors, people of all abilities, every kind of hair  colour and all sorts of different styles of dressing. One person described it as a huge carnival except that it is all for Jesus. 

I started the day at a talk by an American speaker named Jim Wallis. He talked about the common good. He said that as a people of Faith it is not about God being on our side but us being on God's side. We are on God's side when we seek the common good which means caring for the most vulnerable people in society.  Our life together can be better. Another thing that he said was that when people are cynical it is because the church does not live out what says, people under 30 are about the common good.  He finished his talk with a powerful story about a church in a small town in Tennessee how found out that the Muslim cultural centre was moving to their community. The church put up a sign to welcome them. When the Imam saw the sign he asked the pastor why they did this. The pastor said that the bible says to welcome strangers. The two communities became friends. Their story appeared on CNN. A group of people in Pakistan saw the program and called the pastor and told him how moved he was by the friendship between the two communities. They promised that they would always protect the Christian Church in their  community. What works better, he said, drones or love thy neighbour. 

The next was a workshop on dance. It was great to dance with be of all ages and abilities. We learned a choreography and did a little improv. It was all about sharing our light with others and passing the light fro one person to another. The words to the song are "I can beat the night. I am not afraid of thunder. I am full of light. I am full of wonder."  

The next was a talk about being real in a technological age. It was an interesting talk about how church and technology can blend. The speaker Vicki Beeching said that the church can use technology as part of our prophetic voice. She also said we are now living in the interactive world of Web 2.0 and the church should move in that direction. This means that instead of one person providing content the worship and community life is driven by all the contributors.

Next I was off to the big top for some music. It was called last orders the village fete and it was a celebration with music by Folk On and Grace Petrie and some beer and hymns. It was amazing to sing with so many other people .

After my supper break I took in some of Graham Kendrick the writer of Shine Jesus Shine and other pieces. It was amazing to stand and sing with so many others wow. The last act of the night for me because i could have stayed longer and gone to Goth Eucharist or a dozen other things was the London Community Gospel choir. They were fantastic. I was this little light of mine with thousands and thousands of other people! Wow. They lifted my spirits and sent me home dancing. 

So here in ends day 2. I wonder what treasures lie ahead of me on day 3, I'll keep you posted.  The Spirit is indeed alive!

Pictures of Greenbelt

The scope of the place

All of the Newfoundland and Labrador people

The Pilgrimage begins

 

Our Moderator, Right Rev. Gary Patterson

woke this morning to the sound of church bells. It is too early to be awake but I somehow that bell reminded me that all the preparation everything that had come before today leading to the start of Greenbelt. Our moderator Gary Patterson lead us in some reflections on what it means to be on pilgrimage. What stood out for me was that it was not only about the journey to the place but about returning home. It is our calling as pilgrims to gather up as many ideas, as many new insights as we can so that we can lead to church in ever new directions but also care for the church as it currently is.  In my cohort group we talked a lot about the fact that the church is no longer what it once was and we need to grieve that loss but we also need to embrace the new ways to gather as faith communities. Not an easy task.

Another thing that stood out for me was talking about the narratives of church life. One of the prevailing ones is that the church is dying. That people have no interest in the church and the other Is that the Church is showing signs of life and that the Christian faith is being lived out I ever new ways. I believe that the latter is true. From the time I first entered seminary, now over 15 years ago people have been telling me that the church is dying and that I won't have a job in 20 years. I didn't believe it then and I don't believe it now. Church is going to change and it may not look the same but there is a core, the good news of Jesus will remain. So I hope and I continue as our moderator today said to collect pollen in the hope that the message of God's live continues to be shared and lived out.

After gathering as a group and sharing stories we headed out to the racecourse for the first talk of the day. I went to hear Barbara Brown Taylor speaking about  the importance of the language we use when we speak in the church.  That we are In danger of setting up things in opposition to one another that really need to co-exist. We need to find the sacred in the everyday act of living. There was a lot to digest in speech. 

The next talk I attended was a panel discussion once purpose of marriage. There were thoughts shared on the difference between a wedding and a marriage. A marriage is a process that we grow into over time and a wedding is the day we mark it. Many commented this the church could do better in equipping couples with the skills needed for good marriages. The image that stays with me was when John Bell quoted from Ecclesiastes saying they we are meant to live in relationship and it is a three strand cord between the couple and God. 

The day closed with the tolling of the bell reminding me that it is time to rest.

Stonehenge

Reflections on the way to Stonehenge

This morning I woke with a gift the blessing of rain. Not that I really want it to rain on my holiday. Rather because it allowed me to consider the day ahead. We'd planned a long journey to Bath then from there to  Stonehenge. It would have been another day if non stop action. As the raindrops fell on the roof I thought,"we won't have to go to Bath today" and I was relieved. We've had busy days and more busy days tomorrow as we gather with the rest of the United Church Pilgrims and then into  long days at Greenbelt. The rain helped me to slow down, to remember that pilgrimage is more then the need to fit everything into a short time because I'm only here once. So we are only going to see Stonehenge. Pilgrimage is about taking the time to rest and reflect on what we are doing. So I'm sitting on a train to taking in the countryside --the lush greens of pastures and rolling hills as the train glides past cities older than my home. The blessing of rain helped me to slow down. Mind you the first clue  of my exhaustion might have been those little words "have to."  I'm looking forward to the day ahead-- the slow pave of the train and standing on ancient holy ground.

Thoughts upon return

It was amazing! It may as my fellow pilgrim Rob said be a pile of rocks, but is amazing to think that we were in a place that was built long before Jesus was born. The reason for the standing stones is a mystery but is at the least an amazing feat of engineering. The day has refreshed my soul and now I'm ready to experience Greenbelt.

Suffering and faith?

This is the last “Stump the Preacher” topic and I think it’s taken me most of the summer to wrap my head around it. Why is being seen as longsuffering framed as noble or a good or a mark of faithful living? It is not an easy question especially on a day we celebrate baptism. Somehow over the years since Jesus first taught we’ve glorified suffering. It comes out in a variety of ways. I’m guessing you’ve probably heard it “God doesn’t it give you any more than you can handle.” I usually hear it when people are trying to comfort someone who I grieving or are experiencing a difficult time and usually follows right on the heals of this is a part of God’s plan.

            They are loaded statements and every time I hear it, I quietly cry out, “No, no, no” I know it is said with the best of intentions – to remind people that they can get through whatever they are going through and that there is a bigger picture. But here is the problem. Some people do have more than they can handle. Sometimes it can seem like there is no reason to have hope. It reminds me of the lyrics of one of Pink’s songs, she sings “Just give me a reason. Just a little bits enough. Just a second we’re not broken just bent. And we can learn to love again.”  Sometimes we are bent and we can learn to love and live again. And sometimes people are broken by life’s circumstances and they have more than they can handle. They don’t know how to get through so turn to things like drugs, alcohol, gambling, food or whatever helps to numb the pain of their current reality. Life can be hard and terrible unfair.

But maybe worse than the fact that sometimes people do have more than they can handle is the notion that God sits up there in the great heavenly realm accessing who can handle what level of suffering. It makes it seem like God gives us the suffering as some kind of test of our faithfulness. I refuse to believe that God says, “I think Miriam needs a little test of her faithfulness so I’m going to dole out a little tragedy here.”  If the God who gives his very life for us, the one who loves us more than we can imagine takes the time to plan out what kinds of suffering people can handle, then I do not believe. God just does not work that way.

            Another and perhaps more sinister way the idea that suffering is something that shows faithfulness comes out in the council that is given to people in abusive relationships. The argument goes something like this Christ suffered on the cross, so you must suck it up and suffer because Christ suffered for you. So stay where you are – don’t leave. Just accept this as a part of life. Doesn’t it just make you cringe that the God who loves us can be used to inflict such harm?

            Talk to anyone whose walked through the valley of pain and they will tell you suffering is not noble or great. So how did we as a church get to the place where somehow suffering is equal to great faith? Some of it stems from interpretations the writings of St. Paul. We heard readings from two of his letters. He writes, “And not only that, but we boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured in our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has given been given to us.” (Romans 5:3- 5)

            Over the years somehow we’ve taken Paul boasting in his suffering which produces endurance, that endurance produces character and character produces hope to mean that suffering is a mark of faithfulness. Context is everything.  Hope was in short supply for Paul and his fellow Christians. They lived in a time when Christianity was in its infancy and the Christian community had to gather in secret to avoid being persecuted. Paul spent time in prison for his faith. If he was not a Christian he would not have found himself in this place of suffering. So Paul encouraged the Christian community to hold fast to their faith even though the present is bleak. He writes, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38 – 39)

            As church we’ve distorted Paul’s words and taken things like, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing to the glory about to be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:18) to mean that our suffering is somehow expected or God given. Paul was pretty clear that God’s wish for us is abundant life – filled with God’s love.

            We live in different times. We do not know what it is like to have to defend our faith as Paul did. But we do know what it is like to encounter life’s tragedies – to be bent and sometimes even broken. Great suffering does not mean we have greater faith. Suffering is a part of all human life. It is not noble or good or a sign of faith. The gift of faith is that when pain comes, and it comes to us all at some point in our lives, we are not alone as we find a way to put one foot in front of another.

God loves us parent teaching a toddler to walk. It says in our reading from Hosea “Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, I took them up in my arms; but they did not know that I healed them. I led them with cords of human kindness, with bands of love. I was to them like those who lift infants to their cheeks. I bent down to them and fed them.” (Hosea 11:3 – 4) God loves us tenderly like a parent steadying us in the midst of chaos, holding our hand and wiping our tears when we fall. God’s wish for is, is the wish that parents have for their children – to be blessed with all good things. As Paul said, there is nothing on earth or in heaven that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Thanks be to God. Amen

 

Ready, set, go

As I read this week’s gospel reading all I could think about were the words, “Ready, set go” and my mind was filled with images of runners at the starting line of a race in the ready position waiting for crack of the starters pistol. They are so still, not wanting a muscle to move in – no one wants a false start. Depending on the race, it is high steaks. Whether it is setting an Olympic record or running for a personal best time. Hours, probably years of training go into making this one moment.  

Jesus is gathered with the crowds teaching. He starts with the parable of the man who surveys his crops and his holdings. He is quite pleased with himself and puts everything into storage. “Fool” says Jesus. “And these things you have prepared, whose will they be? So it is who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:21) Then Jesus reminds the crowds that they are not worry because God has counted every hair on our heads. So instead of striving for clothes and money, strive for the kingdom of God, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Luke 12:31)  

It is after these two teachings that we pick up our story. It is all about being ready just like the athletes in the ready position at the starting line. But unlike runners in a race, Jesus begins with a promise. “Don’t be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32) Racers don’t start a race knowing that the prize is theirs. They run the race hoping to get a metal or make their time.  Jesus does it using words we’ve heard before, “Don’t be afraid.” God tells Abram as he continues to wait for his promised heir, “Do not be afraid, I am your shield your reward shall be very great.”  The angel tells Zachariah “Do not be afraid, Elizabeth will have a son.”  The angel tells Mary, “Do not be afraid for the Lord has found favor with you.”

Here is what else is true about the words don’t be afraid – you can count on the fact that God is asking you to do something big. Elizabeth – she had a child late in life who prepared the way for Jesus and Mary gave life to the son of God. The same is true for Abram. In the reading from Genesis, God asks Abram to do something big. Something huge – to leave the land of his ancestors, to leave behind all that is familiar to follow God to some unknown land. Now if any of you have tried to count the stars in the night sky you know that this is a promise that is much bigger than anything we can imagine. The poet Killian McDonnel tells Abrams story this way:

The Call of Abraham

Talk about imperious.
Without a by-your-leave,
or, may I presume?
No previous contact,
no letter of introduction,
no greeting,
just out of the blue
this unknown God
issues edicts.

This is not a conversation.
Am I a nobody
to receive decrees
from one whose name
I do not know?
And at our first encounter!

I have worshipped my own god.
To you I had addressed no prayers,
offered no sacrifices.
asked no favors,
but quick,
like sudden fire in the desert,
without the most elemental ritual,
I hear "Go."

At seventy-five,
am I supposed to scuttle my life,
take that ancient wasteland, Sarai,
place my thin arthritic bones
upon the road
to some mumbled nowhere?

Let me get this straight.
I will be brief.
I summarize.
In ten generations since the Flood
you have spoken to no one.
Now, like thunder on a clear day,
you give commands:
pull up my tent,
desert my home,
the graves of my ancestors,
my friends next door, leave Haran
for a country you do not name,
there to be a stranger,
a sojourner.

God of the wilderness,
from two desiccated lumps,
from two parched prunes
you promise to make a great nation.
In me all peoples of the earth
will be blessed.

You come late, Lord, very late,
but my camels leave in the morning.

So Jesus, like God with Abram, makes the big ask. He says, “Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.  … Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he knocks.” (Luke 12:32 – 33, 35 – 36

            Not so easy to ever ready. I wonder today what it means for you and I  in our daily living. The urgency that Jesus had, is it still here? He was telling this to the disciples over 2000 years ago to be ready because the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour – like a thief in the night. Be ready. Sometimes when we get to these passages that talk about the kingdom of God we get caught up in images from the movies of the end of time or what happens with the apocalypse and the return of Christ. Movies such as Left Behind have engrained images of heaps of clothes sitting in a pile while their neighbour is miraculous lifted up to heaven. Or maybe we start thinking that kingdom of God is for when we’ve died and traveled to meet St. Peter at the pearly gates. The kingdom of God is not about a time or place so much as it is living here and now in ways that make God’s kingdom a reality.  

            Jesus urgency wasn’t about the end of days. Jesus urgency was because the kingdom of God is both something we live into now as well as a future hope. We catch glimpses of the kingdom of God whenever mercy is shown, when we work for justice for all, when there is compassion. We can talk about the people who’ve lived this into the kingdom of God big ways like Mother Teresa or Martin Luther King or Ghandi. But that makes it seem like it is something too big for us to do or somehow beyond our reach. God’s kingdom is in our midst in our daily living – it is being kind to strangers, it is praying for others, it is forgiveness, it is justice for all, it is compassion.  It is about making God’s love real in our world today.

If the kingdom of God is now then is it any wonder Jesus is trying to get his disciples ready? It means that every moment of our lives is important. The kingdom of God changes how we live not just in Jesus day but today. We are runners at the start of a long distance race with one difference – we know that God wants all good things for us. So it makes it easier for us to store our treasure in heaven, to show kindness, to seek justice. We do all this in the good company of our brothers and sisters in faith.

Today we are going to start in our own way to make God’s kingdom real. Take out the piece of paper you were given at the beginning of church. On one side it says “God wants all good things for you.” On the back of the paper write down one fear, worry or concern that you are willing to share. You don’t need to write your name down. In a minute all the papers are going to be collected. As you leave church today take one of those papers with you. Your kingdom task this week is to pray for the person whose card you take home and as you pray for that person you know that someone is praying for you. Promise in hand… runners take your mark, ready, set go …

On the book of Job

Reading: Job 1:6 – 22, 2:1 – 10
 One day the heavenly beings came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, ‘Where have you come from?’ Satan answered the Lord, ‘From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.’ The Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil.’ Then Satan answered the Lord, ‘Does Job fear God for nothing? Have you not put a fence around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.’ The Lord said to Satan, ‘Very well, all that he has is in your power; only do not stretch out your hand against him!’ So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.
Job Loses Property and Children
 One day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in the eldest brother’s house, a messenger came to Job and said, ‘The oxen were ploughing and the donkeys were feeding beside them, and the Sabeans fell on them and carried them off, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; I alone have escaped to tell you.’ While he was still speaking, another came and said, ‘The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; I alone have escaped to tell you.’ While he was still speaking, another came and said, ‘The Chaldeans formed three columns, made a raid on the camels and carried them off, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; I alone have escaped to tell you.’ While he was still speaking, another came and said, ‘Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house, and suddenly a great wind came across the desert, struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead; I alone have escaped to tell you.’
 Then Job arose, tore his robe, shaved his head, and fell on the ground and worshipped. He said, ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.’
 In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrongdoing.
One day the heavenly beings came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. The Lord said to Satan, ‘Where have you come from?’ Satan answered the Lord, ‘From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.’ The Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil. He still persists in his integrity, although you incited me against him, to destroy him for no reason.’ Then Satan answered the Lord, ‘Skin for skin! All that people have they will give to save their lives. But stretch out your hand now and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.’ The Lord said to Satan, ‘Very well, he is in your power; only spare his life.’
 So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and inflicted loathsome sores on Job from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. Job took a potsherd with which to scrape himself, and sat among the ashes.
 Then his wife said to him, ‘Do you still persist in your integrity? Curse God, and die.’ But he said to her, ‘You speak as any foolish woman would speak. Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not receive the bad?’ In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

The beginning: God and The Devil:
The curtain opens on Job a righteous man and a wealthy man with ten children and large herds. Job is someone who has it all. It is first light of the day and his children had a party the night before and Job worries that they have sinned in their hearts against God so he prepares burnt offerings to atone for their sin. He was a good man, perhaps today we’d describe him as a God fearing man.
Meanwhile up in heaven, the heavenly beings gather together and start talking. God asks Satan, whose name quite literally means adversary. God asks Satan what he’s been up to. Satan says, “Well I’ve been travelling around the earth.” “Really,” says God, “have you seen my servant Job. There is no one on earth as good as him. He truly fears God.” “hah” says Satan. “Of course he’s good. Of course he loves you. You’ve given him everything. Take it away and he will curse you.”
And so begins the suffering of Job. It is hard for me, and perhaps all of you to, comprehend how God could sit up in heaven like a divine puppet master and let Job suffer in the way he does. Not to mention all the death that is caused to prove a point. It reminds me of the song by Chris de Burgh “Spanish Train” where God and the devil are playing poker for the lives of a 100 souls on a train. It is not in keeping with the God we know. The God I know is a God of love. The God I know does not sit up in heaven wagering with the devil for our lives.
So what do we do this with this? We know the book of Job contains deep truths about the nature of God and suffering. But did God and all the heavenly beings sit up in heaven and just watch and wait to see what would happen to Job? I’m not convinced. What do we know about God? God is loving.  The old testament uses the word “hessed”  which means loving kindness to describe God’s love. God’s love is anything but ordinary, it is a deep and abiding. We know God’s is merciful, countless times God shown mercy and compassion for God’s people. We know that God gives us the gift of new life in Jesus, a continual reminder that God’s love for us is without end.
It is more probable that the book of Job is more like the book of Jonah. The book of Job is a tale that contains deep truths about God but not necessarily the literal truth. Did God really let the Satan afflict Job with suffering to prove his point? I doubt it but it is a good literary device. I’m guessing that the people in ancient times struggled with the same kinds of questions we do today. Then, as now terrible things happen in the world like floods and train derailments. Why do good people suffer? Why does it seem like people who do bad things thrive even succeed? In my time of suffering where is God and what is the point of faith?
Job is like a case study on suffering and the opening scenes with God and the Devil just provide the means to think more deeply about the nature of human suffering. Job leads the way as he questions God and demands an answer for his current state.

Solo

Job 2:11 – 13
Three of Job’s friends heard of all the trouble that had fallen on him. Each traveled from his own country—Eliphaz from Teman, Bildad from Shuhah, Zophar from Naamath—and went together to Job to keep him company and comfort him. When they first caught sight of him, they couldn’t believe what they saw—they hardly recognized him! They cried out in lament, ripped their robes, and dumped dirt on their heads as a sign of their grief. Then they sat with him on the ground. Seven days and nights they sat there without saying a word. They could see how rotten he felt, how deeply he was suffering.

Job 5: 8 – 19 – Advice from Friends:
“If I were in your shoes, I’d go straight to God,
    I’d throw myself on the mercy of God.
After all, he’s famous for great and unexpected acts;
    there’s no end to his surprises.
He gives rain, for instance, across the wide earth,
    sends water to irrigate the fields.
He raises up the down-and-out,
    gives firm footing to those sinking in grief.
He aborts the schemes of conniving crooks,
    so that none of their plots come to term.
He catches the know-it-alls in their conspiracies—
    all that intricate intrigue swept out with the trash!
Suddenly they’re disoriented, plunged into darkness;
    they can’t see to put one foot in front of the other.
But the downtrodden are saved by God,
    saved from the murderous plots, saved from the iron fist.
And so the poor continue to hope,
    while injustice is bound and gagged.
17-19 “So, what a blessing when God steps in and corrects you!
    Mind you, don’t despise the discipline of Almighty God!
True, he wounds, but he also dresses the wound;
    the same hand that hurts you, heals you.
From one disaster after another he delivers you;
    no matter what the calamity, the evil can’t touch you—


The Friends
After Job’s life is destroyed, everything gone, he sits covered with sores in heaps of ash wishing he were dead. Then Job’s three friends show up. And it starts off well. They do the pastoral thing. They sit with him in ashes, saying nothing for seven days and seven nights. Then Job breaks his silence. He cries out,
“Why does God bother giving light to the miserable,
    why bother keeping bitter people alive,
Those who want in the worst way to die, and can’t,
    who can’t imagine anything better than death,
Who count the day of their death and burial
    the happiest day of their life?
What’s the point of life when it doesn’t make sense,
    when God blocks all the roads to meaning?
24-26 “Instead of bread I get groans for my supper,
    then leave the table and vomit my anguish.
The worst of my fears has come true,
    what I’ve dreaded most has happened.
My repose is shattered, my peace destroyed.
    No rest for me, ever—death has invaded life.” (Job 3:20 – 26)
What follows is reason we have the expression “Job’s comforters.” Job’s friends each take turns trying to persuade him that he’s done something wrong, the he’s done something to displease God, or that somehow this is part of God’s plan. Each one of his so called friends find their own reasons to make Job believe that he must confess his guilt to God and beg for mercy. Their arguments all contain partial truths about God. Deep in his bones he knows that what they are saying about God is wrong and that he’s done nothing wrong. He refuses to confess to some unknown sin and then beg God for mercy. Job remains firm in his innocence. He offers this prayer,
“Here’s what I want to say:
Don’t, God, bring in a verdict of guilty
    without letting me know the charges you’re bringing.
How does this fit into what you once called ‘good’—
    giving me a hard time, spurning me,
    a life you shaped by your very own hands,
    and then blessing the plots of the wicked?
You don’t look at things the way we mortals do.
    You’re not taken in by appearances, are you?
Unlike us, you’re not working against a deadline.
    You have all eternity to work things out.
So what’s this all about, anyway—this compulsion
    to dig up some dirt, to find some skeleton in my closet?
You know good and well I’m not guilty.
    You also know no one can help me.” (Job 10: 2 – 7)
Fed up with his “friends” Job demand answer directly from God and demands to know directly from God what he has done to deserve the horror that he’s facing.
Job asks our human questions. How many of us want to know why good people have to deal with truly terrible things? Job knows what we know, suffering does not know good or bad people. Suffering comes unexpectedly and out of the blue. Suffering is not caused by what we’ve done or failed to do. Job points out in 21 that “the wicked” often go unpunished. Job wants to know why and the only one who can say why is God.

618: God When I Stand vs. 1 & 2

The Answer from God
Job 38:1- 7,
Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind: 
 ‘Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? 
 Gird up your loins like a man,
   I will question you, and you shall declare to me.

 ‘Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
   Tell me, if you have understanding. 
 Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
   Or who stretched the line upon it? 
 On what were its bases sunk,
   or who laid its cornerstone 
 when the morning stars sang together
   and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?

Job 40: 1 - 9
And the Lord said to Job: 
 ‘Shall a fault-finder contend with the Almighty?
   Anyone who argues with God must respond.’
 Then Job answered the Lord: 
 ‘See, I am of small account; what shall I answer you?
   I lay my hand on my mouth. 
 I have spoken once, and I will not answer;
   twice, but will proceed no further.’
 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind: 
 ‘Gird up your loins like a man;
   I will question you, and you declare to me. 
 Will you even put me in the wrong?
   Will you condemn me that you may be justified? 
 Have you an arm like God,
   and can you thunder with a voice like his?

Job finally stands before God and gets to ask his questions. And God does something amazing. For two full chapters God questions Job. God demands to know if Job knows what God does and if Job was there when God laid the foundations of the world, if Job was there when God put the stars in the heavens or the sun in the sky. It is perhaps one of the most beautiful and still unsatisfying answers to why we humans suffer. The short answer is, “Only God is God. Only God is the divine mystery and it is not for us to know completely.”
For those of you who like a clear cut answer to the question of “why suffering” you are not going to get it from God. We humans somehow how have to live with this mystery which we cannot understand. We need avoid going down the road of the so called friends who deem suffering as either Job’s fault or somehow part of God’s plan. God says to the friends, “‘My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends; for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.” (Job 42:7)
In his suffering Job got it right – he kept talking to God, telling God he was angry, demanding answers, seeking clarity and relying on God’s goodness. Even when Job’s wife tells him to curse God and die, he cannot do it. He says, “Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not receive the bad?’ (Job 2:10)
God’s answer to Job maybe totally unsatisfying yet it is enough for Job. After God replies to him from the whirlwind and God questions Job, he says to God:
 
 “I’m convinced: You can do anything and everything.
    Nothing and no one can upset your plans.
You asked, ‘Who is this muddying the water,
    ignorantly confusing the issue, second-guessing my purposes?’
I admit it. I was the one. I babbled on about things far beyond me,
    made small talk about wonders way over my head.
You told me, ‘Listen, and let me do the talking.
    Let me ask the questions. You give the answers.’
I admit I once lived by rumors of you;
    now I have it all firsthand—from my own eyes and ears!
I’m sorry—forgive me. I’ll never do that again, I promise!
    I’ll never again live on crusts of hearsay, crumbs of rumor.”’ (Job 42:1 – 6)
In the course of 40 chapters Job helps ask hard questions for which there really are no neat answers – God is divine mystery and we only know a small part of God. As to why there is suffering and terrible things in this world? We can’t begin to know and it is one of those questions we will continue to wrestle with. There will not always be answers for our questions but we can trust that with God all things are possible, that God’s mercy is abundant and the God’s love for us is without limits. In the end, Job’s fortunes are restored. The last line of the book of Job says, “After this Job lived for one hundred and forty years, and saw his children, and his children’s children, four generations. And Job died, old and full of days.” (Job 42:16 – 17) We trust that just as God was with Job all the days of his life, through the good ad bad, so God is with us.

618: God When I Stand vs. 3 & 4